Expensive but cheap

This is an English version of “Đắt mà rẻ”.

The day before yesterday, following my friend’s suggestion, I groped for an alley that contains a series of various restaurants on Mac Thi Buoi street. In this alley, there are exactly 3 restaurants (1 Thai, 1 Viet, 1 Leban) and 1 Phở 24 fast-food store (How uninspired, right? It’s like a canned meal in the middle of the ambrosia). And also following my friend’s suggestion, I picked the Vietnamese restaurant as the first stop because the dishes here are delicious and said-to-be cheap.

An restaurant.

As I entered the place, the deserted atmosphere immediately gave me a spined chill (It’s not completely empty since there were a few Japanese guests).  This uncozy feeling did not make me afraid of the food’s quality here but rather the cost. Whatever restaurant decorated in a half mordern, half colonial style with professional light’s arrangement must have its menu written in USD (To be honest, I was intended to slip away back then).

The waiter appeared to be quite surprised when I said I was all by myself.  At first, I simply thought it’s an uncommon thing to go to a restaurant alone. But after I had settled down in a lovely table, and after my meal had been served, only then I realized deeply why the waiter had been astonished.

The cost of the food here is skyrocket. Yet, they are not aristocratically expensive. “I can do this. I’ve already sat down. Getting out now is so shameful. Nevermind, I have enough money. Bah!” I whispered painfully and then ordered a 90.000 VND (about 5 1/2 $) Beef  Sour Salad, a 45.000 VND (about 2 1/2 $) Huế Beef Bún* and a 30.000 VND (about 2 $) mixed fruit juice. What? A Beef Sour Salad that costs more than a Huế Beef Bún with marrowbone soup and countless of spices? These two are clearly different in the cooking process. How come an easily-made food is much more expensive than a complicated-made one? I had been swimming in curiosity 15 minutes until the answer was served.

The Beef Sour Salad’s dish was huge. It was a portion for 4. No wonder why it was so expensive. I regret that I didn’t finish the plate since I had to stuff into my stomach a bowl of Huế Beef Bún and 1 glass of underplain fruit juice. I felt pity, first for the money; second for the taste. This salad was deliciously delicious indeed.  High standard sliced beefs were served well enough, not so tough and not so soft. They were mouthful.  Not including the vinegar sauce had already been mixed beautifully with the cummin and spring onion’s peppery. That mixture was not only aromatic but also lasted decently long in your throat. In general, the Beef Sour Salad here was a harmoniously tasty and qualitative.

Beef Sour Salad.

I did not mention the Huế Beef Bún because it was as normal as the other Huế Beef Bún around the streets. After finishing the meal, I began to pay more attention to the minor details: the salt which was served independently with the salad is soft and smooth. This salt is not popular in the market; the dining set is Bat Trang porcelain; the tables and chairs are made from fine lumber. Well, pouring your wallet here is reasonable, anyway. But, at that moment, I discovered a trick to visit these luxurious kind of restaurants without heavily tightening your belt: being accompanied by at least 3 more people.

Now, I’ve understood why the waiter was surprised. It’s not because of the cost. Since anyone coming here must be confident at their finance. The main reason belongs to portion’s deviding method. The Beef Sour Salad is more expensive than the Huế Beef Bún because it is a portion for 4. If we calculate on one fellow dinner, we only need to pay 15.000 VND (less than 1 $) for the Beef Sour Salad. 15.000 VND for an exquisite meal in a swanky environment? That is greatly cheaper than eating an beef jerky in a park.

Hence, I would definitely come here again to taste the remaining foods. However, next time, I would bring along 3 of my friends. And with 100.000 VND (about 6 $) for each, we can raid its menu satietily.

*Huế: is the province locating in the center of Vietnam.

*Bún: is a type of Vietnamese typical noodle. It is made from rice.

An Restaurant – 71/5 + 6, Mac Thi Buoi Street, Dist. 1, Ho Chi Minh City.

Cost: Expensive

Photo shoot: Allowed

Food: 4 / 5*

Service: 3 / 5*

Interior: 3,5 / 5*

Total: 3,5 / 5*