 |
 |
Hale Vietnam, a closer look
|
Hale Vietnam through Reid's eyes! |
 Yelper's post on Hale Vietnam Kaimuki! |
 Catherine Toth on Hale Vietnam |
Aloha!
11/18/10 - Spent the past several days piecing-together over 30 pictures and enough words to make me see triple. Yeah, I did finish a page, although it wasn't this particular page I was working on, but one on the excellent Morimoto's in Waikiki, where five of us were treated to a truly amazing three-hour dinner of epic proportions! Unfortunately, I'm gonna wait a couple of weeks to post it here, as I've chosen it as a dual entry for Oceanic Time Warner's Around Hawaii website, as well, which features new material like mine on the first of every month. Sorry!
The actual subject today has to do with one of the oldest Vietnamese restaurants on the island, Hale Vietnam. Located on the 12th Avenue side of the Atrium Shopping Center in Kaimuki, it sits alongside Covenant Books and Coffee and is widely regarded as one of the better and more polished of Vietnamese restaurants on the island.
Me and Hale Vietnam go back a long ways. When I was but a young pup a few years out of high school, I met one of the nicest, sincerest, most beautiful people I'd ever met in my life. Vietnam-born Thach and I were both students at a Bible College, and he invited me for lunch one day at his favorite Vietnamese restaurant (can you guess where?).
As a soft, sheltered local boy, I would become engrossed in Thach's amazing life stories, which he'd share freely with me. It was difficult fathoming just how incredibly tortuous and unfair it could be for someone living through violence in his own country so bad that he had to escape on a boat as a refugee. That was horrendous enough in itself, but while en-route on their escape, things went from worse to disastrous. Hijacked by pirates, they lined everyone up, stole everything on the ship, down to people's clothing and shoes, shot a few people, and, perhaps worst of all, took all their women, who, of course, would never be heard from again. Just thinking about it makes me fume!!! I can honestly see myself killing each one of these low-life's with my bare hands every time I think about it!
Miraculously, and I can't remember how it actually happened, but Thach's wife was the only woman on-board who was never found! I haven't seen him in twenty years, but I know he's still the Vietnamese Pastor at Kaimuki Christian Church right around the corner. Thach, my dear friend, you still Da Man!!!
Of course, when the two of us visited Hale Vietnam twenty years ago, none of us locals even heard of pho, and there were, quite literally, only a handful of hidden and little-known spots where you could find it. All I remember was that Thach ordered a bowl of soup noodles, and there were strange-looking things I'd never seen before, articles that may seem all too common today, but were very intimidating back then! I'm pretty sure there was tendon in my bowl, along with something that looked like a brittle starfish! Still, I was a trooper, and ate everything presented, no questions asked or ill-reactions shown.
Having returned to Hale Vietnam many times since, our latest venture there saw us arriving for dinner just a couple of days ago. At roughly 7pm, we were surprised how packed the place was, and it wasn't until about two hours later that we left and took a parting shot at the interior of the restaurant, which had grown substantially quieter:
I don't blame her, but that woman on the left was giving me the mean stink-eye for taking pictures, so I had to snap quickly and do some cropping to leave her out!
Anyhow, the shot was from the main dining area, but there's also a smaller section to the left, where Kumi and I occupied a window-side corner, and where a large group of at least 12 Japanese tourists were happily enjoying a good meal and also some very enthusiastic conversation. All the better! Despite having been here many times before, we were both unsure if they carried alcohol or not, as we normally don't find drinks and Vietnamese restaurants very compatible - ice cold water usually works just fine! Here at Hale Vietnam, however, the atmosphere is a bit different, with a slightly more elegant feel, much better service, and an atmosphere a bit more romantic than most Vietnamese spots. But the real tipping point was - some reasonably cheap beer!
These bottles of Franziskaner were only $4.50, while Kona Longboard Lager was a ridiculous $4.25! How great is that!
Now, I'll never go to Germany and ask for a lemon with my Hefeweizen, nor will I commit this particular treason while seated with a beer critic, but being a witless and unrefined American, I guess I've grown accustomed over the years to cutting through these high-wheat, high-yeast beers with a little extra citrus tartness, even as fresh thoughts of lime'd Corona's still linger from our amateur days. Actually, though, I didn't even realize that Weissbier was German for Hefeweizen until my last few sips, and it was already too late to request a lemon, anyway! No wonder the taste was so different for me - I don't think I've ever had a Hefe without lemon, or even orange, before!
No worries, though. I dispensed with the stronger taste of Franziskaner and settled upon the much easier-drinking Singha, the most popular beer in Thailand. With Vietnamese beers not available, I figured I'd get as close as possible! Are there even any Viet beers being exported to America?
So, at any Vietnamese restaurant, the question is... and no, it's not about pho, because beef pho is a given that noone can dispute. The real question is... are you a summer or spring kind of person? Well, Kumi is mostly sunny, open, and up-front, so she's a summer type of girl. Me, I'm a bit reclusive, deeper, more contemplative, so... Oh, wait, that's winter! Beyond personality types, however, when it comes to Vietnamese rolls, I'm spring (deep-fried), and she's summer (non-fried), for sure!
Only, spring rolls here are so much more kicked-up than normal, they aren't even called spring rolls anymore, but Imperial rolls! The first difference you'll notice is the wrapper. Not made of your typical, smooth-shelled lumpia, these provide extra body and puff-up almost like a shrimp chip! They are crispy-airy on the outside and seem to carry a soft, chewy, mochi-like consistency inside, reminiscent of a thicker, house-made product (although I'm not sure if it is!), a product that Kumi really appreciated. Inside, they are packed with pork, shrimp, crab, glass noodles, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, carrot, and other vegetables. Yeah, I'd definitely call them Imperial! A must-order pupu dish, for sure.
As for every Vietnamese restaurant's star attraction, beef pho, Hale Vietnam's version doesn't set itself apart quite as much as their spring (Imperial) rolls. In fact, though it is a respectable bowl, it doesn't carry quite as much of a beefy punch nor is it quite filled with as many aromatics as I've seen elsewhere. Nevertheless, a typical pho lover can still find their pho fix here anytime, no worries at all.
It's often Kumi's habit to order pho with beef tendon, a practice going back to her izakaya days back in Japan. A properly-cooked tendon is nice and soft, like a hard gelatin, but we've had many tough, rubbery tendons before at Vietnamese restaurants. Hale Vietnam's tendon was delicious, dissolving quickly on the tongue with a few chews here and there:
As much as I'd love having a hot bowl of beef pho, it's always my civic duty to try something else, so I went with a section of the menu where they really talked-up a type of Southern Vietnamese soup. Claiming this bowl is rooted in the richest, most diverse seafood-producing river in the world, the Mekong Delta, I was excited and fully expecting something comparable to a Vietnamese crab soup or spicy hue, both of which come with a thicker, richer, more substantial broth than pho and are loaded with tons of ingredients.
Here's the bowl that was presented:
Not exactly what I was expecting. Where were all the little floaties in the water? Where were the pasty, miso soup-like particles that spoke of richness, complexity, and strong flavors? Tasty, yes, but all the richness of the Mekong Delta, no. Though it was actually very good, it was a relatively clear soup, and basically little more than a saimin or a Chinese mein noodle with a few pieces of shrimp, squid, and imitation crab! On the good side, though, the shrimp and squid were very tender and succulent, and, as stated, the broth was tasty.
You can order it with either pho-type rice noodle or yellowish egg noodles, the latter of which I decided to go with. I love these thin, firm, slightly starchier noodles and their bolder, eggier taste once in a while. Last time at Daiichi Ramen House, I wrote how all this time, I mistakenly thought the yellow flavor in certain ramen noodles comes from egg, but how I've long-been completely wrong! These, however, are definitely egg noodles:
Much to the chagrin of many out there, Kumi and I seldom order dessert. For some reason, however, I decided to order flan for dessert, but only upon one condition - it had to be house-made! Fortunately, it was, so we had to try it out!
And we're glad we did! Not quite as silky as I prefer, but soft, sweet, and with a nicely-burnt top. The sauce was also not quite as sweet as a few other places I've tried, but that's a good thing, actually, it's touch of caramel taste coming light and refreshing.
Over-all, our experiences here at Hale Vietnam have always been positive. Outside of imperial rolls, the biggest differences here come not really from the food, but for the atmosphere and service. At Vietnamese restaurants, it's not often that you'll see several well-dressed waitstaff waiting politely on the side, attentive to every diners' beck and call. It's also lit dimly and elegantly nuanced, relatively speaking, with a feel more like a typical Thai restaurant.
Hey, you all keep keepin' it real. And I'll be seein' you lay'duhz. Coming up - oh, I dunno, maybe hot pots. Maybe beer, pupu's, and billiards. Maybe crab legs. Maybe all of the above!
Take care, and Aloha till next time!
Aku
Post a Comment or just say hello! Don't worry about leaving REAL names if you don't want to! No e-mails will be posted without consent, last names will be abbreviated, and if you don't want me to post all or any part of your correspondence, please state so! Hope to hear from you all!
