Bacolod Food Adventures (Ep1): Xin Chao Vietnamese Restaurant

If there was ever one thing that I love doing more than painting people's faces up, it would be eating. I, my husband and the rest of my family do it quite often so why not make a series out of it, right? So, now, i'm posting my pilot episode for: The BCD Beauty Bacolod Food Adventures (a mouth full, I know).

A VIETNAMESE INVITATION TO LUNCH

About a month ago, at the Negros Farmer's Weekend Market, I had the chance to taste a Vietnamese sandwich. Xin Chao newly opened their booth there and it was too interesting to pass up.

Php55 for 1 tasty sandwhich

I ordered one sandwich (delicious) and I asked the owner and her partner: Ms. Libby and Ms. Elizabeth, if they could grant me permission to take photos of their stand as well as the sandwich making process. I told them that it was for my blog. They agreed and the whole thing turned into an invitation for myself and a plus one to come to their restaurant and have lunch. I accepted, of course (who wouldn't).

I think she wants a bite of my Xin Chao sandwich.

I walked away with a smile on my face and a sandwich on my hand. I even took a photo of myself enjoying the sandwich because it was so tasty.

THE DAY OF THE XIN CHAO FEAST

Invited fellow mom and blogger Sigrid Says (Sigrid Lo), to come along and taste the Vietnamese goodness with me. We both had "Moms Working at Home Without Yayas" Starter Pack outfits on - t-shirt, hair up, glasses, jeans, flip flops/sandals, no makeup (can you relate).

Menu and Ordering

I understand why most people don't really step out of there comfort zone when it comes to new tastes and flavors. One reason would be the menu. I figured that most people think that they have to pronounce something unpronounceable, shaming themselves and their whole party in the process. Though this is not the case at all with most Asian restaurants, you don't have to worry about this when eating at Xin Chao.  

Like: The menu has pictures with names of the dishes which help the customers decide on what they want faster.

Ordering was a breeze since we knew what the exact dish was. There were moments when we had to ask the waiter what's in a specific dish or if a certain dish was spicy or not. He (I forgot our server's name) answered with knowledge and appropriate gusto.

Like: The servers are very helpful. Ask and they will answer and deliver.

THE MOMENT WHEN OUR DIETS BECAME NON-EXISTENT

We ordered about 5 or 6 dishes which was tragic for our diets but what the hey - #YOLO. 

We didn't have to wait that long which was excellent and surprising (please remember this word). I'll explain a little later why I used the adjective surprising to describe the food preparation and serving time. Anyway, back to the best part.

Bánh mì Việt nam

This was the sandwich I ordered at the market. It has pâté, carrots, cucumber (maybe zuchini), ham, chicken and (I can't tell what the other ingredients were). I like that it's served with a baguette which, I just now found out, is a popular type of bread in Vietnam.

Recommended. You can choose to have this one spiced up if you're feeling a little adventurous.

They sell their delicious baguettes for Php12 a pop.

Spring Roll

What's different about this (for me) is that it's wrapped in rice paper. If you haven't tasted anything wrapped in rice paper yet, this dish could go either way for you because the wrap has a different type of texture and stickiness (one level above from what we Filipinos are used to).

Bún BBQ

This is grilled pork with noodles underneath which I think is Bún chả in Vietnamese. What you have to do is mix the sauce, all of it, into the bowl with the pork and the noodles. The taste is a bit different from what you would expect - it's more sour than sweet.

Phở

You cannot fully say that you've experienced the taste of Vietnam without tasting Phở. Ours was served with mint leaves and chili pepper slices.

Recommended. Phở is best eaten when it's still hot. This is a great dish for when your good, old friend hunger comes knocking on your door, on a rainy day.

Viet Balut

You know what balut is. We asked the owner, Ms. Libby, if this was a traditional Vietnamese dish and she said that they do have balut in Vietnam but it was eaten similarly to how we eat ours. She recreated the dish, adding in sweet chili sauce and bread.

Highly recommended. It was a crime not to eat the balut with the bread and the sauce, combined. You may find it difficult to picture the taste out but it'll make sense when it actually touches your taste buds.

Sea Food Sate 

Now this is a dish that I can eat all day long - it's full of squid pieces, some shrimp and a whole lot of vegetables. When you eat this dish piece by piece, it'll feel and taste like you're eating chopsuey.

Highly recommended. You have to eat this differently, though, according to Ms. Libby. You take a piece of sea food, a piece of vegetable, dip both into the sauce (which is spicy) and then put everything together in your mouth.

Xin Chào Drink

Next up is the Xin Chào drink which is full of secret stuff. I'm kidding. It's tree saps, chia seeds and a whole bunch of other jellies. This is the restaurant's signature drink. Both myself and Sigrid were impressed that it had chia seeds in it while only costing Php50.

Tree saps added to the Xin Chao's signature drink.

Recommended. It's good for you and it's fun to eat. Try this if you want to try something different.

Tamarind Drink 

I forgot if this one was called tamarind juice or tamarind drink. Either way, I can describe it as a snack and juice in one. The taste of it is very different because of the blend of unexpected flavors.

Highly recommended. You have the coconut chips on top (favorite), followed by the nuts, the juice itself and then tamarind pieces at the bottom which you can also eat one by one.

Vietnamese Iced Coffee 

Php60

Do you love coffee? I know I do. What they do in Xin Chao is they place the grinds inside the drip which is that silver thingamajig on top of the glass, add in hot water and leave it there until the drip stops dripping. That's when you know that it's ready. Here's a video:

Sigrid told me that the Vietnamese take a while before they get to the coffee stage of the meal so they make their coffee slowly by dripping (correct me if I misinterpreted this, Sigrid). I love me a good cup of coffee and this is on my top 10 list. They even sell the drip as well as the grinds at the restaurant so you can make your own at home. I just had to bring one along with me because one cup was not enough.

Highly recommended. The taste is very rich. I'm not sure if I will enjoy it hot but, for me, this coffee is best served cold. 

"SURPRISING" + SUMMARY

While we were eating, Ms. Libby was there to explain the love that goes into making all of her dishes. She explained that Vietnamese dishes are healthy and colorful - most are made with vegetables which won't make you feel "heavy" and they are made with the freshest ingredients. They don't cook the veggies for too long because she said that it'll decrease the nutritional value - I agree. She wants her veggies crisp in most of her dishes.

She also explained that one dish could have 2, 3 or even 4 people preparing it so the effort that goes into cooking just one dish is enormous. She, by the way, has her Vietnamese cooks who are in charge of the taste and proper cooking procedure as well as Filipino employees who help in the preparation process of the food. And, this is why I was surprised that our food came out quicker than expected.

I WOULD DEFINITELY GO BACK TO THIS RESTAURANT TO ENJOY MORE OF THEIR MEALS AND DRINKS.

 There's still a lot more that I want to taste so I'm definitely going back.

• Food - 4 out of 5
• Service - 4 out of 5
• Cleanliness - 5 out of 5
• Pricing - Affordable
• Waiting time - Short

Visit Xin Chao Restaurant at Hi-Strip 4, East Area, Bacolod City. They're on the groundfloor, at the same side as Sofia's, Sander's, Nonna's and so on. You can't miss them. They're open from 9am or 10am up until 12mn and they also have sandwich carts at the Negros Farmer's Market and Lopue's East.

Connect with them on Facebook.