The Hanoitimes – Often good, rarely great, sushi can be a tricky taskmaster for both chefs and critics alike. Thankfully, Elisabeth Rosen brought her wits and chopsticks with her to capture the full flavour of this Truc Bach hideout.
Describing sushi, even the most skilled writers often fumble. There’s a simple genius in the contrast between high-quality fish and warm rice that’s difficult to express in words.
Perhaps that’s why many critics devote at least as much space to setting the scene as they do to describing the rolls. When they finally do turn to the meal, they generally resort to tired descriptors like “rich”, “tender”, and “luscious”, which give the reader next to no sense of what the fish is actually like.
So I won’t try to evoke the gustatory pleasures offered by the sushi at Wa, a polished little gem overlooking Truc Bach Lake, except to note that the fish is fresh – caught off the coast of Vietnam – and beautifully prepared. You’ll find octopus, given a single streak of soy sauce and bound to its glutinous base by a narrow strip of nori, and buttery rounds of scallop, sprinkled with orange roe. Even the wasabi is pinched into a little peak and topped with a parsley sprig, like a mountain from which bursts a single tree.
It’s this attention to detail that makes Wa stand out as a destination in a city full of high-end Japanese restaurants. Head chef Okui Satoru honed the menu at Wa’s original location in Sydney, and still divides his time between that branch and its two offspring. His care for ingredients and preparations can plainly be felt in the sushi arrangements.
Perched on a smooth oaken board, a nigiri sushi sampler (VND165,000 small, 315,000 large) is almost too lovely to cut into. (Although you won’t have to: just say the word, and your server will whisk away the plate to split into halves, or even quarters). A sashimi set (VND175,000 small, 345,000 large) trades the warm rice for a cleaner palette of shredded turnip. Crumpled over a sharp leaf of shiso, octopus and salmon shine, and thick curls of shrimp are at their best like this, unencumbered by rice.
These pleasures aren’t confined to raw fish. In beef tataki (VND165,000), one of Wa’s best dishes, steak is given a brief sear, emerging with a triumphant pink flush. Still barely warm, the meat is thinly sliced and marinated in ginger-spiked vinegar, sprinkled with sesame seeds and scallions, and strewn over a bed of crunchy slivered onions: a playground of textures and contrasts.
The servers are very helpful, and although their English is limited, they are eager to accommodate. When your server insists that you order the special hot pot (VND285,000 small, 435,000 large), you should listen. If the enormous burners carved into the center of each table weren’t enough of a hint, this is Wa’s signature dish. onto those burners goes an enormous basket lined with thin paper, filled with a tawny abalone-miso broth. In tumbles an array of proteins: squares of soft, flaky white fish, creamy wedges of silken tofu, clams still in the shell whose delicacy is balanced by a single enormous king prawn. A plate piled high with greens and mushrooms comes next, followed by artful curls of dried noodles.
Unlike Vietnamese hot pot, which usually comes laden with flavour – a sweet-sour blend of tomato and field crab, a gingery broth – the miso-infused liquid possesses a gentle subtlety. Button mushrooms soak in the broth, emerging soft, meaty pillows, and silken tofu is smooth and comforting. Salmon and mackerel, given a generous swirl in the tangy dip of soy, sesame and yuzu, transform into flaky, citrusy bites. For two, the small size is a feast; for four, it provides a very comfortable dinner.
The hot pot’s subtlety matches the sophisticated decor. Both the modern and Japanese-style dining rooms feature smooth mahogany tables and minimalist settings. Vintage Sapporo beer ads feature ladies with demurely placed fans, posed prominently on the pale yellow walls.
But the most striking decor comes through the broad windows. Sitting in the front of the restaurant, you can watch Truc Bach Lake ripple through the sweeping green leaves of the trees outside. Like the sushi, it’s simple but elegant: the kind of pleasure it’s almost impossible to put into words.
A masterclass in sushi from Japanese gem – Food – Travel Related image(s)
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