Thursday, May 21, 2009

So what IS "modern Vietnamese cuisine"?

Having heard that diners enter Indochine Grill at the EpiCentre uptown (210 E. Trade St.; 704-688-0078) expecting Chinese-American food -- or Indian food, or (in the case of a few who see the Vietnamese in its subtitle) a pho-soup-only place -- I suspect a mini-primer on Vietnamese food may help stem confusion.

First, a little geography and history: Vietnam is in Southeast Asia, on the eastern side of what's called the Indochinese Peninsula, south of China (and east of India). A long, thin country, it also borders Laos and Cambodia. China, through a thousand years of colonization, and France, in a century or so of occupation, strongly influenced the nation's cooking. Stir-fries and noodles, sausages, baguettes, rich soups and more continue to show this heritage.

Vietnamese native Duc Tran, who owns Indochine Grill, has two Atlanta restaurants. Here, he emphasizes the influences of Japan (sashimi, for example) and the United States (the use of gas-grilled items) as well as France and China in his menu.

So, traditional cha gio (fried egg rolls) are joined in the starter list by sashimi rolls and "Japanese short rib" (marinated and grilled), and a signature salad that mixes greens with green mango, green papaya, Fuji apple, fish vinaigrette and grilled meat or shrimp. There's a tuna ceviche and a tuna tartare next to the traditional noodle soup called pho and the rice vermicelli with meats called bun. And specialty dishes include riffs on the traditional Vietnamese dish called "shaking beef" using lamb and ahi tuna. (The meat doesn't shake; the dish -- thit bo luc lac -- is named for the cook's need to shake the pan as the meat sears.)

French La Lot is what Tran calls the grape leaves rolled around grilled beef or duck and garnished with roasted peanuts; traditionally, this is made in Vietnam with wild betel leaves. And Japanese-Seared Tilapia is the name for a sushi-grade tilapia fillet pan-seared in herbed oil.

Tran is careful to credit the influences on Indochine's take on Vietnamese cooking, which makes the place both interesting and educational.

9 comments:

Vee ! said...

I'm usually pretty quick to dismiss "fusion food" places as being rubbish, having been raised in a Vietnamese home. I'm only willing to give this place a shot because you said it's run by a Vietnamese guy. :P

Anonymous said...

Helen
Do they have a website or menu? Hours?

Anonymous said...

the food is average at best. not allot of flavor. Typical chain restaurant food except they call it fusion.

Jake said...

I went by there yesterday and didn't make it past the Sanitation Grade sign as you open the door: "84% Grade B"

Helen Schwab said...

Web site with details: www.indochinegrill.com.

Helen Schwab said...

That grade is new this week, and correct; the previous was 93 in March.

Anonymous said...

The food is bland and over priced, and feels like a chain restaurant.

If you want authentic and flavorful Vietnamese go to Viet-Thai on Pineville-Matthews road. They don't market themselves well but quality is consistently good.

Anonymous said...

Wow!!! My experience at this place has been completely opposite of everyone else. I thought the food was great. And its always packed so other must agree. Their little signature salad is great, espcially for the price, and the fragrant rice dish is really excellent. I don't get the impression it felt like a chain at all. The article says the guy has places in Atlanta, and it reminds of the kind of places you see in bigger cities. Atlanta has several places like this, really nice eithnic resturants with a nice decor, so nice I guess folks come away thinking its a chain...if you've never been outside Charlotte and seen places like this.

Anonymous said...

Check out this link outlining the infractions at Indochine: http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/INDOCHINE-Restaurant-Epi-t49920.html