Vietnam may be our Southeast Asian neighbor but our cuisines seem to be poles apart. Pinoy food is typified by very rich flavors, often subscribing to the idea that “if a little is okay, more is better”. On the other hand, Vietnamese food is more about the subtleties of flavors and the prudent use of herbs and spices. This may explain why Vietnamese food is nowhere as popular as say, Chinese or Thai cuisine, over here. Perhaps, the key is to strike a happy balance between subtlety and saturation – the formula that Aquaknox, Manila’s newest Vietnamese Contemporary restaurant, is using to catch the fancy of Pinoy diners. The operative word is: “contemporary” meaning authentic and yet updated. Come with us for a taste of Vietnamese with a fine dining twist.
The venue
Lagal[og] said: At daytime, Aquaknox looks rather non-descript, sitting on the Asian restaurant row along Pasay Road. But come evening, the warmly-lit, elegant, minimalist interiors shine through the floor to ceiling glass façade as if drawing passersby to come in and try out the place.
Ironwulf said: When I first entered Aquaknox, I was surprised how spacious the place is. The high ceiling certainly gives a feeling of space, while the warm amber walls in contrast to the cool blue hues of cascading water on the wall convey an ambiance of harmony and relaxation. There’s also a mezzanine and a function room for more private dining. The interiors were really well-thought out — from the accent lighting and stylish lamps to the elegant tables and wares.
Off to a good start
Lagal[og] said: We let Francis Sison, Aquaknox’s affable and very accommodating sales, marketing and events manager, to recommend what’s best to have. For starters, we had the Natasha’s King Prawns with Mangoes salad. It’s a refreshing start with crisp organic greens tossed in with red onions and ripe mangoes. What I like best about it is the very, very light, almost invisible dressing. Francis said Chef Danny likes his food on the healthy side and this is a step (and a start) in the right direction.
Ironwulf said: The search for the best Vietnamese Spring Rolls that would top the ones we had at Sapa, Vietnam’s Gecko was still on. Aquaknox’s Goi Tom Cuon (Prawn Spring Rolls) is a pleasant and light vegetable and prawn rolled on a thin semi transparent rice wrapper. On its own, you’ll taste the subtle freshness of the vegetable and prawn but the magic here is in the peanut sauce that comes along with it. It’s really flavorful with a touch of mint. I think this peanut sauce goes well with other food too. The Cha Gio (Crispy Spring Rolls) in contrast has a rich meaty flavor, but I enjoyed it since it has bits of mushrooms under the crispy wrapper. Both rolls may not have topped Gecko’s but they’re pretty good with good quality of their own to boast of.
Lagal[og] said: I liked the Crispy Imperial Rolls with every bite yielding a mélange of subtle hints of flavors here and there. They’re also not at all oily. Francis also made us try his personal favorite appetizer, the Salt and Pepper Calamari. He has a very good point as it’s very, very lightly battered and cooked just right to give the squid a tender quality that makes each piece seems to melt in the mouth. It was also very subtly seasoned.
Ironwulf said: I also enjoyed the Salt and Pepper Calamari since I can eat a lot and not feel heavy, perfect for an appetizer. But for those looking into more flavors, try their BBQ Skewers of either beef, pork, chicken or shrimp. I really like the Beef BBQ as it’s grilled perfectly and I could distinctly taste the rich spices clinging to the meat. The Shrimp BBQ also tasted great even without the sauce.
Onto the main course
Lagal[og] said: We wouldn’t leave without having the house specialty, the Cua Rang Moui Toi or Chef’s Danny’s Special Crab. While other crab dishes are smothered with heavy sauces that mask the crab’s flavor, this one is obviously prepared only with fresh crabs. It has to be as it only comes in oil generously strewn with garlic bits. However it was prepared, it works as the garlicky flavor seeped into the deepest recesses of the pincers. The Special Crab is ideally eaten with the Aquaknox Special Garlic Noodles, egg noodles sautéed with garlicky butter sauce. To add even more garlicky flavor to the noodles, we used the oil that came with the crab to drench it – very yummy!
Ironwulf said: Sourced from Surigao and taken in live before serving, the Cua Rang Moui Toi (Chef Danny’s Special Crab) is humongous. The Crab is served on light oil and showered with bits of garlic and pepper all over. While Aquaknox is a fine dining restaurant, we were encouraged to use our hands when eating the crabs. I’ve eaten a number of crab dishes but what I liked about this one is that it doesn’t rely on the taste of the sauce, but it was cooked by bringing out the flavor of the crab enhanced by hefty bits of garlic and oil. Paired with Aquaknox Special Garlic Noodles, this is certainly one of the best crab dishes around, especially in the Metro.
Lagal[og] said: We were blessed to have tasted the famous Grilled Fish of Cha Ca La Vong in Hanoi and if there was one minus among the dishes we tried here in Aquaknox, it is this Grilled Fish which I also found to be on the dry side. But the “Tom Rim” Caramelized Tiger Prawns were really tasty and flavorful. I wish there was Pho as no Vietnamese restaurant should be without it but we were told it was going to be added soon – certainly a very good thing.
Ironwulf said: Their other entrees, like the Tom Rim (Caramelized Tiger prawns) is also a personal favorite. Tiger Prawns laden with caramel sauce and garlic has a nice and refreshing semi-sweet and garlicky flavor. Their “Cha Ca” Hanoi Grilled Cod Fish could use some work. While I’m not really expecting the same quality as the original Hanoi Grilled Fish from Cha Ca Lavong which I loved, I was expecting a flavor somehow close to or based on it. The cod fish was a bit dry and less flavorful, only saved by the sauce that came with it. However, Aquaknox is still refining their dishes so it may still improve in the future.
Aquaknox
800 Arnaiz Avenue (formerly Pasay Road) cor. Amorsolo, Makati City • Currently open only for happy hour (5-7pm), dinner (7pm onwards) and late night eats (11 onwards) in soft-opening phase • Lunch to be offered by March 24 • Tel. No. 894.3380 • www.aquaknox.com.ph
wow sarap naman!
Looks very upscale. The prices of the entrees are a bit on the upper end especially the crab, presyong abroad 🙂
But I’m sure I will enjoy this one since I loooove Vietnamese food.
thanks leonard.
photo cache, it really is upscale. there appears to be an asian dining strip along pasay road as there are japanese, korean and chinese eating joints nearly side-by-side each other.
I was here. 😛 Love it!
ram, thanks for dropping by. aquaknox is really a welcome addition to manila’s fine dining places.
crab!!!!