Nguyễn Mỹ Hà

We went up to Edinburgh from London in early August, not knowing that the famous festival was about to begin. Everywhere in the city had switched into festive mode, with banners hanging from ancient buildings and performers in costumes walking around.

I even saw an advert for the world premiere of a ballet titled Mary, Queen of Scots by Scottish Ballet, which I wished I could have seen. Alas, the show was to begin after I left the city. The iconic story from Scotland’s history, focusing on the relationship between Mary and Elizabeth, would be told in an unconventional way through the language of ballet.

A few days earlier we had met Mr Kiệt in London at a cafe in The Tate Modern, and he invited us to visit an Edinburgh restaurant when we were in town.

Conveniently located in downtown Edinburgh, near the iconic Scott Monument, Sài Gòn Memoire was easy to find. It was actually called Saigon Saigon for many years, until it was eventually reopened and renamed Sài Gòn Memoire in March of this year.

As we walked inside, the atmosphere immediately felt relaxed and homely, with colourful lanterns hanging from the ceiling – very Vietnamese, very reminiscent of Hội An. On the walls, conical hats were used as decorations, painted with scenes of Việt Nam. Some of the tables were round, which gave the place a Chinese feel.

We browsed the menu, which featured authentic Vietnamese dishes. Starters included summer and spring rolls (£10.95/US$14.75), sugarcane prawns (£14.95), the classic stir-fried morning glory (£18.95), and pak choi, a Chinese-style stir-fry (£18.95). In Vietnamese đồng, the morning glory dish would cost about VNĐ670,000 – roughly 10 times more expensive than the same dish back in Việt Nam.

The menu also included salads, a variety of phở beef noodle soups, and curries (£18–19.95).

We ordered some Vietnamese staples: summer rolls (£10.95), chicken curry (£18.95), and of course the restaurant’s signature dish, the special phở beef noodle soup. A couple of us chose beef shank (£18.95) and raw steak (£18.95), which Mr Kiệt proudly described as the best phở.

The raw steak phở came with thinly sliced beef, chopped green onions and lemongrass on top, with hot broth poured over from a kettle at the table. Watching the waiter carefully pour the broth into the bowl almost felt like being in a Chinese restaurant, as it resembled a tea-pouring ceremony.

From a cook’s point of view, pouring broth from a kettle makes it less hot than serving it with a ladle. I was also surprised to see lemongrass in phở, as in Vietnam it is usually only used in bún bò Huế.

Still, lemongrass pairs well with beef, and it is an acquired taste popular in the south. The dishes are designed to suit the restaurant’s clientele rather than to win an authenticity contest.

 

The bowls of phở came to us like a fresh breeze on a hot summer’s day. After a difficult week in London, when our apartment was broken into and our belongings stolen, the phở was both comforting and restorative.

The fresh rolls were delicious, and the dipping sauces were not very different from those we usually have at home. The sauces catered to whichever flavour you were most familiar with.

Next came the chicken curry with rice, served in the famous chicken-patterned ceramic bowls – one of the three notable schools of southern Vietnamese ceramics. The curry menu included crispy chicken thigh (boneless), crispy duck, brisket, and king prawn curries (£19.95–20.95) as well as vegetarian tofu curry (£18.95).

 

Chicken curry served in Con Gà ceramics could not look more authentically southern Vietnamese. It was just like the dish often served at wedding banquets in the south. They could even have served it with bread instead of rice.

During the meal, we chatted with Mr Kiệt. He proudly showed me the restaurant’s check-in corner. While most of the interior looked modern and urban, this corner was dedicated to memories of Sài Gòn, decorated with fragmented images and the word “memory” in French and Chinese.

When Sài Gòn Memoire opened, the menu was switched from the previous Hong Kong-style Chinese food to more Vietnamese cuisine. “Vietnamese food has become a very hot trend now,” Kiệt said. With that, all kinds of phở were added to the menu and a Vietnamese chef was hired.

 

 

 Having lived in Edinburgh for many years, Kiệt said that the city’s most famous seafood is lobster. When we asked how it was cooked, he told us to wait. Soon a waiter brought out a huge lobster dish cooked Hong Kong-style – a much-loved dish of the restaurant’s old menu.

As we were already quite full, we could only try the sauce and a bite of lobster meat, which was very fresh, well-marinated, and delicious with white rice. When we received the bill, Kiệt generously told us that the lobster was his treat, which truly moved us. The lobster cost £50, and we had to take it away with us. Back at our apartment, we found he had also added another bowl of rice to go with it.

Kiệt has recently joined a community of Vietnamese in Europe, an association called We Love Phở, based in Belgium with chapters in 20 cities. He represents Edinburgh and has strong links with the London chapter. Together with other cities, they are planning a series of events in December to commemorate Việt Nam’s Phở Day on December 12.

Just last weekend, the London chapter of We Love Phở organised an early Mid-Autumn Festival for the Vietnamese community. The celebration brought together Vietnamese people of all ages and backgrounds, united by their shared traditions, to enjoy one of the most important festivals of autumn. VNS

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Sài Gòn Memoire Restaurant 

14S St. Andrew St. 

Edinburgh EH2 2AZ

Tel: 0131557 3737

Price: 20-30/ each

Comment: Chinese dishes, dim sum, Phở noodles in a warm ambience for special gatherings such as family get-together or private party, and weddings for up to 200 people