Grillin’ like a Villain - clockwise from top left - muc nuong sate, goi bon bon, bo tung xeo, so huyet rang me
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The Astronomer and I tagged along with a travel journalist named Peter a number of times last week as he explored some of Saigon’s best eateries for a piece in progress.
After our extensive food tour of District 4, we met up with Peter for dinner at Quán Nướng 3T in District 1. As its name implies, the restaurant specializes in grillin,’ and every table is equipped with a brazier for diners to cook their own supper. The only thing that could have made this place better was if we hunted our prey too.
Peter heard good things about the bo tung xeo (60,000 VND), so we made sure to get an order of that. The pieces of cow marinated in garlic arrived raw and ready to meet the heat. The fatty bits splattered a bit, but the burning sensation on my arm subsided once I tasted the results, which were tender and savory. Eating red meat makes me feel like a caveman.
The heo rung nuong xa ot (wild boar marinated in chilies and lemongrass - 45,000 VND) was also a treat to grill up. Sliced more thinly than the bo tung xeo, these little piggies cooked up quickly and had plenty of chewy cartilage for me to gnaw on.
Our last victims of the evening were the muc nuong sate (squid marinated in sate sauce - 45,000 VND). Even though the squid was not Phu Quoc-tender, the spicy and salty sate seasonings made up for the less than perfect texture.
We rounded out our protein-rific and grill-centric meal with an order of so huyet rang me (blood cockles with tamarind sauce - 35,000 VND). Unlike the bloody cockles I’ve enjoyed in District 4, these contained a bit of minced lemongrass which added a subtle new layer of flavor.
The goi bon bon (75,000 VND) was wonderfully fresh, but couldn’t compete with the beefy, piggy and squidy delights.
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29-31 Ton That Thiep Street
District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Phone: 8211633
