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Duc's Bistro, a closer look
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Aloha!
5/22/10 - Must've been, oh, 14, 15 years ago that I last came to Duc's Bistro, back when it was still very much an unknown spot. Actually, I'd say Duc's is still a relatively unknown spot, as it's not exactly a place that begs for the spotlight, nor concerns itself with a whole lot of advertising. No, this Downtown Honolulu icon has quietly and successfully managed to stay open for amost 20 years now, handily beating the law of shop average's in its own humble way. It's definitely as word-of-mouth a place as it gets, the bulk of their patronizer's being long-time regular's who swear by the great food and great prices. On this last particular visit, I noticed a few changes from our many visits a decade-and-a-half ago, the biggest regarding the menu. Basically, however, the same charm, value, and atmosphere remain very much intact, in the same spirit as when they first opened.
Located on Maunakea St., just off the left-hand turn from one-way Beretania St., it's definitely not one of your nicer areas of town! This is Downtown, after all, and Maunakea St. is not at all similiar to the recently rejuvenated Bethel St. a few blocks over, where Brasserie Du Vin, Soul de Cuba, JJ Dolan's, Indigo's (back-side), the Hawaii Theatre, and Art venues have been sprucing things up quite a bit.
Pulling-in, I found a single open space available on the road, but standing directly in front of it were three wild-eyed, drugged-out, forlorn-looking characters, all of whom life had seemed to get the better of. I didn't feel like dealing with them at the very moment. Instead, I circled the block and pulled into the open lot directly across the street from the restaurant, where there's usually plenty of space. Though it costed us $5 ($10 for weekend evenings and $12 for First Friday's or Holidays) for an all-night stall, it really didn't have to, as we were told, though after the fact, that Duc's Bistro will comp you a stall so long as you let them know before giving your money away!
Still there to meet and greet you in a bold, friendly, and jovial way is Duc himself, along with the ever-polite Minh Nga, who provided us with most of our service on this very fine evening.
The place carries an air of sophistication, but it's not haughty by any means, with soft-spoken servers who are humble and polite to a fault. The restaurant is much more roomy than it seems from the outside, with a large section directly fronting the entrance, another section deeper towards the back, and a full-sized bar separating the two. At first, we chose a section in the back, as shown here:
However, Kumi quickly found the sharp smell of cigar smoke a bit too much to handle. I've heard others say the smell had already permeated through the walls, but this time, someone sitting at the bar, no doubt a regular, was blatantly and nonchalantly puffing a fat one for everyone to see. Isn't that illegal in any restaurant? Hmmm... As for myself, I couldn't smell the smoke at all and didn't consider it a big deal, but I wasn't gonna let the wife sit there in such apparent discomfort. Here I was left with two options - either find another place in the dining room without the smell or kindly ask the gentleman to put out his fire! I decided the best thing to do was to throw the guy out myself. Just kidding. Sure, I could have exercised my right and even called the cops right then and there if it came down to it, but I didn't feel like barging into someone else's quiet, quaint, 20-year-old establishment and creating a big ruckus. Duc and Minh Nga have always been so kind, and it would have definitely hurt them more than anyone else.
I simply asked if we could be placed instead in another section of the restaurant, closer to the entrance, and if they could maybe open some windows or doors. Minh Nga quietly and hushly apologized, saying that he was such a regular that it was very difficult to do anything about it. In most places you might say so what? That's illegal! In this case, however, I could feel the sense of pleading in her voice, and furthermore, the entire Maunakea St. aura, in and around Chinatown and Downtown, made it seem like, I dunno, perhaps a different set of rules suddenly apply here? Whatever it was, I'm glad I kept it cool, as Kumi and I were instead moved to a quite corner near the entrance where it was much more private, there was much better lighting, and most of all, there was no smoke smell at all! Happy, happy, after all!
Here's the front area where were placed:
And how's the rather interesting piece of artwork sitting right next to us, beside our street-view window:
Uh... Actually... I don't know what to think about this one! I'll leave it at that!
But over-all, it was a very nice atmosphere and a perfect little nook of the restaurant to dine in. Kumi was now happy as a bird, feeling very much like a refreshing glass of white wine'd be appropriate (sorry, forgot what kind!), and for myself, it was a cold bottle of Spaten Oktoberfest. I remember a few years back, when the only grocery store carrying Okboberfest was Safeway, and only in large bottles, not six-packs. It's much more in availability these days, so I guess some of the appeal of exclusivity is gone. It's still a great-tasting beer, though, appearing in a relatively dark, copper color and an ever-so-slight tartness, but also coming highly drinkable, smooth, and very light at the same time. A little too light, even, for those looking for a more robust, full-bodied beer, but for me, perfect, at least for this occasion.
A good beer or glass of wine always makes the food taste better - not that our first appetizer needed any enhancing, though! Actually, at first, I thought an order of summer rolls was a little too boring for a place like this, and I was tired of seeing the same ol' dishes. Kumi, however, was adament, so she must've been somehow acting upon prescience. Turns out, this was no typical order of summer roll, and very far from being boring! Check it out:
I mean, everything was pretty much of the same variety of ingredients (except for the use of duck!), but all showed up in flawless, impeccable form. From the super-crisp, hydroponically-grown baby Romaine lettuce to its long plumes of fresh chives protruding like a Guinean bird-of-paradise to its opened, baggy-pants-looking ends, a little extra care, a few tweaks here and there, and the use of quality ingredients made this summer roll of a completely different breed than most normally seen. Its wrapper was very thinly spread in almost a single layer throughout the roll, instead of coming thickly-wrapped multiple times over, making for a more delicate, more see-through product that showcased the relatively large pieces of shrimp and other items inside. And, finally, the accompanying sauce was silky and luxuriously textured, balancing well the real taste of peanuts with hoisin, chili, a sweet element, and a hint of citrus.
I guess Kumi does know best!
This obviously Vietnamese-inspired dish leads me to the biggest change I've seen here at Duc's Bistro recently, and that is, the menu. These days, there's a whole lot more in the way of Vietnamese than I've seen in the past, when the over-archingly dominant theme was instead French. Nowadays, along with crabcakes thermidor, escargot chablisienne, and cognac-splashed foie gras, there are names like bo nuong la lot, dau hu xa ot, and ca kho (see menus below to find out what they are)! Whaaa???
In fact, there are so many Vietnamese names on this new menu that I thought of moving Duc's Bistro from the French section into the Vietnamese, but after experiencing our entire meal, I've concluded that no move will be necessary. Mixed-in with classic French choices are a list of traditional Vietnamese dishes, but all are done with the traditionally French penchant for quality and fancy sophistication. Besides, there's still beef tartare, filet of catfish nonpareil (basa, actually - read-on for explanation!), and rack of lamb w/wine reduction demi glace, not to mention others I've already mentioned. Doesn't sound like your typical pho stop, right?
Another dish I gave Kumi a hard time about, not because we don't love it but just for the sheer fact alone that we (or shall I say she!) always order it, was a tomato lobster bisque. Sure, it tasted great, once again, but this time, it's just that there wasn't quite the photo opportunity I'd hoped to capture, nor those little degrees of separation between this and other bowls of lobster bisque typically out there. Once again, no complaints here with the actual bisque, though, which arrived house-made and with a few sprinkles of fresh lobster meat:
The one dish of the evening we both didn't much care for was my personal choice (and Kumi did keep reminding me that yes, it was my personal choice!), a fried tofu sauteed in spicy lemongrass. I shouldn't complain too much, though, as tofu is tofu, right? I mean, unless you're mincing and mashing it with foie gras, ground pork, shrimp, or other ingredient, or preparing it in-house with tea salts, or even whipping it into a sweet mousse or pudding, I guess you can't really expect too much more than, well... blocks of tofu!
Dunno why, but I somehow conjured-up an instant picture of the dish in my head, a mouth-watering image of a crispy, golden-brown crust bathed in a kind of aromatic Vietnamese lemongrass gravy, with all manner of other exotic herbs and spices incorporated in. To be fair, there was really nothing wrong with the actual dish, which was presented well and sauteed nice 'n light in a mix of garlic, onion, chili, and lemongrass. It just wasn't the wow kind of dish that would instantly knock your socks off, that's all:
Our next order was a pair of crabcakes, sitting atop a thermidor sauce. Kumi thought the creamy orange sauce was simply the same lobster tomato bisque served earlier, but no, silly girl, this was definitely a thermidor, with its buttery, slightly eggy, slightly tangy hint of mustard or sharp cheese.
The flavor was great, especially when drenched in sauce, but I didn't see much of any larger, easily recognizable chunks of crab anywhere. There was a nice crunch on the panko-covered outsides, but a little too much starch on the insides. Size-wise, taste-wise, and price-wise ($10), I'd give it more of a thumbs-up than down, but that's only when considering these parameters, not when trying to compete openly, with no limitations!
Moving from starters to our two entrees, we continued with a filet of basa, the name for a type of catfish in Vietnam. Lots of places would have used the term catfish, but I wonder if Duc uses basa based on the catfish wars that have been taking place? Check out this clip from Wikipedia, which explains the whole brouhaha:
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In 2002, the United States accused Vietnam of dumping catfish, namely Pangasius bocourti and Pangasius hypophthalmus, on the American market, charging the Vietnamese importers who are subsidized by Vietnam's government of unfair competition.[5][6] With pressures from the U.S. catfish industry, the United States Congress passed a law in 2003 preventing the imported fish from being labelled as catfish, as well as imposing additional tariffs on the imported fish.[7] Under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ruling, only species from the family Ictaluridae can be sold as true catfish.[8] As a result, the Vietnamese exporters of this fish now label their products sold in the U.S. as basa fish or bocourti.[9][10] At the height of the "catfish war," U.S. catfish farmers and others were describing the imported catfish as an inferior product. However, researchers at the Mississippi State University show that in their experiment, imported basa were preferred in a taste test 3-to-1.[11] |
I'll take the basa! In fact, Duc loves this particular fish so much, of the five fish choices offered on his regular menu, all five feature basa!
Once again, there was a very pronounced Vietnamese accent upon this dish. Called ca chien xoai, this particular basa was first pan-fried in a flour'd crust, then layered with slivers of green mango, mint, chili peppers, green onion, and a ginger sauce that tasted more like the tangy/sweet fish sauce used for spring rolls. An interesting mix, it was, with lots of savory elements in the crunchy crust, along with the delicate nature of the fish, the refreshing mix of spicy herbs, and the tangy ginger/fish sauce to cut through.
Coming as a very thin fillet no more than a couple of inches thick, its meat was nevertheless moist, tender, flakey, and clean, and I can see why the Vietnamese love this fish so much!
After so many dishes between the two of us on a single evening, we both decided against a heavy meat choice like lamb or steak, instead going with a breast of duck Grand Marnier, otherwise known as duck l'orange. Grand Marnier being a type of orange liqueur, some use plain ol' orange juice instead, while others use both. Outside of the fresh, skin-peeled sections of orange, the sauce was light but deep, combining both a sweet liqueur taste and a savory, poultry broth-type of mouthfeel.
The pieces of duck themselves were cooked just a tad too long, but still, very tender and delicious. A tasty crunch resonated throughout the entire skin, which always scores points with guys like me who pay absolute homage to duck fat (fat, skin, almost the same, right?).
With only a single dish on the entire menu reaching past $20 (that'd be an 11oz. New York steak, for $22), Duc's Bistro is definitely an economical post here in the islands for this caliber of cuisine. I'm not so sure I'm quite as happy with the menu moving so dramatically towards Vietnamese, but there are still several French-style dishes, and either way, they are all done with a keen eye towards fine-dining quality and incredible value. Besides that, Duc and Minh Nga are always so gracious and friendly that it feels good inside contributing to such kind folk and such a small, family-type operation. Be absolutely sure to stop by and give 'em a try!
Before leaving, here's a final shot of the scene outside, where the daytime light had slowly begun slipping into darkness, a cool breeze comfortably blowing through the streets. Kumi and I were contently headed home after yet another wonderful evening of good food, good company, and good times! I tell you, spoiled, we are, SPOILED!!!
Hope you're all being pampered just the same out there!
Take care, and Aloha till next time!
Aku
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