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Six years ago, the first An Bien Restaurant opened at 111 Trieu Viet Vuong Street, with a space that mimicked small roadside eateries from the 1990s – simple yet warm. To date, An Bien has added a "seaport" replica at D5A Tran Thai Tong Street and a "traditional red rice noodle village" at 14b Lo Su Street. While each space has its own unique flavor, they all share the same essence of the once-powerful Cang Bang city.
In late November and early December, as winter approaches, An Bien restaurant invites diners to enjoy a new dish. Still using familiar ingredients from the mountains, rivers, and sea, along with the produce of rice, water spinach, and cabbage from the kind-hearted farmers; and through the sincere love for the renowned port city from the restaurant owner, the new dish for the new season brings a flavor that is both familiar and refreshing.
Ba3-layer
Red rice noodles are no longer unfamiliar to diners, but three-layered red rice noodles will surely surprise and intrigue you. This is a unique creation of the people of Ho village, Hai Phong, requiring considerable effort. The cooks meticulously spread each layer of rice noodle until it is just cooked through, then the next layer is spread and placed on top. That's why each three-layered red rice noodle always remains chewy and smooth, even after being soaked in broth for a long time. An Bien is the first place to introduce three-layered rice noodles to its entire restaurant system.
Three-layered shrimp cake
The name perfectly suggests the ingredients; the three-layered rice noodle dish with mantis shrimp is flavored with mantis shrimp broth, fresh mantis shrimp, and mantis shrimp patties, creating a harmonious blend of flavors.
Served in a rustic earthenware pot, this will be one of the dishes on the menu that diners will love at first sight. Three layers of red rice noodles are immersed in a broth made from mantis shrimp, with a refreshing sourness and a slightly tangy flavor from fresh tamarind and celery. All of this creates a truly exquisite flavor for this three-layered mantis shrimp rice noodle dish.
Potato Fish Tempura
One of the dishes the writer is most passionate about on this new menu is tempura-battered scad fish. Inspired by tempura – one of the dishes considered the essence of Japanese cuisine – and scad fish – a famous white-bodied fish with tender flesh from the port city – this is considered one of the "highlights" of An Bien's winter menu this time. Scad fish is dipped in tempura batter and deep-fried in vegetable oil. An Bien hopes you will discover this dish with the excitement of your taste buds. Tempura-battered scad fish offers at least three distinct sensations in one bite: the first contact with the tongue is the crispy and slightly rich taste of the tempura batter with vegetable oil, the next is the chewy texture of the scad fish skin, and the innermost layer is the truly smooth and tender flavor of the fish meat. In addition, diners can also enjoy fresh vegetable tempura including betel leaves, coriander leaves, carrots, or beetroot to accompany this attractive dish.
In addition, tempura with mantis shrimp, squid patties, shrimp patties, and mantis shrimp patties, served with sweet chili sauce or tempura dipping sauce with a touch of fresh ginger and grated daikon radish, will surely leave diners longing for the flavors of An Bien every time they visit.
Rice noodle salad with water spinach
Inspired by the popular water spinach and shrimp salad commonly found in casual meals in Hai Phong, An Bien has combined it with traditional red rice noodles and Hai Phong-style shrimp to create a unique water spinach and rice noodle salad.
The crispness of water spinach, the chewiness of red rice noodles, the sweet and savory flavor of stir-fried shrimp, combined with the refreshing sourness of fresh starfruit and the fragrant aroma of various herbs and spices, make enjoying Water Spinach and Rice Noodle Salad a culinary journey for both taste and smell.
Tea and other beverages
Like Hanoi's lemon tea, chrysanthemum tea is a familiar and beloved drink of the people of Hai Phong. With Hai Phong chrysanthemum tea, you can experience it with all your senses—hearing, smell, and finally, taste—through its layers of aroma and flavor. The golden, clear color of the teacup, along with the rich aroma of dried chrysanthemums, fills the air as it steeps in hot water. And the feeling of taking the first sip is even more wonderful: the sweetness of honey melts on the tongue, the tangy, fragrant taste of kumquat blends with the strong aroma of chrysanthemum. As the tea passes through the mouth, a slight bitterness of black tea lingers, and finally, a subtle sweetness of licorice remains at the tip of the tongue. It's an incredibly delightful experience!
As winter approaches, continuing the lively conversation from the meal, and waiting for a cup of clear, golden chrysanthemum tea to be brewed through a filter with hot water, feeling the fragrant chrysanthemum aroma waft up and dissipate with each gust of wind carrying the chill in as the door opens and closes with each step, An Bien wishes its customers a warm winter with their friends, family, and colleagues.
In addition, to fully enjoy the renowned culinary flavors of Hai Phong at An Bien, you shouldn't miss ginseng tea, green jelly, and Sui Din (a type of sweet soup)...
