Jan 12, 2008 12:28 AM
3822 Views
Being the only Vietnamese restaurant in the country, the restaurant wins brownie points at the outset for sheer origiality. It also boasts of possibly the best setting in the city! Nestled in the midst of thick foliage within the compound of The Taj WestEnd Hotel, The Blue Ginger is arguably the best restaurant in town.
It is situated away from the main building and compliments the Blue Bar which is it's neighbour and again a very happening pub in the city.
The decor is typical of Vietnam complete with large blue urns and oriental decor. I would recommend the lunch set menu. Very good for a quick business lunch. Although the beauty of the place emerges at night when candles line the walkway to the restaurant and the water fountain around the place is in full spurt!They light a fire in the middle of the restaurant and that lends an ethereal glow to guests as well as the place itself.The neighbouring Blue Bar plays very good House music which complimets the setting of the restaurant as well.
Van, the Vietnamese hostess and now a dear friend, greets every guest with great enthusiasm and warmth - a trait that becomes the Vietnamese/Asian culture.
The staff is courteous and very clued in on the menu and immediately "get" what you would like to have. They help you through the menu to ensure you understand the various ingredients and that you don't end up over ordering or worse yet - ordering something you wouldn't touch with a barge pole. What I like is that the staff is attentive without being intrusive or in-your-face.
The food, as the cuisine suggests, is Vietnamese. Vietamese food has a lot of thai and chinese influence so you will recognize a lot of dishes. I particularly recommend the meat platter, the raw mango salad and the fish curry which comes with rice.
I would like to warn you though - they serve complimentary prawn and vegetable crackers when you sit down and one can easily eat the whole lot before the food arrives!
I haven't really liked any of their desserts and we usually skip that course.The weekends are very busy and I recommed that you make reservations. If you don't have a reservation, you could hve a bit of a wait but they ensure you're comfortable even there. There is an overstuffed couch upholstered in warm red and orange tones that relaxes the most irate guest....
Blue Ginger is an expensive restaurant. A meal for two which includes two main courses and noodles and a couple of glasses of wine could set you back by about 2500 per head. Hey. believe me - it's worth every rupee.
I would highly recommend this restaurant. For it's ambiance, food, staff and originality.
