Tao Li pleases early birds and night owls

Diners in suburban Sai Gon South no longer have to venture to downtown HCM City for fine dining. Anh Thu samples the Cantonese and Vietnamese offerings of this new restaurant and decides she’s a fan – morning, noon and night.

Tao Li, a new restaurant in HCM City’s suburb Sai Gon South, offers Vietnamese and southern Chinese cuisine from sun-up to late night, a long-awaited service that fulfills the fastidious demands of the area’s residents.

Many of Sai Gon South’s residents are foreigners and overseas Vietnamese fond of quality food and service.

With this new venue, owned by Khaisilk, one of Viet Nam’s leading corporations in fashion, resorts and restaurants, the area now boasts a restaurant that supports the suburb’s needs for fine dining in the early and late hours.

Tao Li has different menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but what I especially liked was its capacity to serve not only large parties of diners but also quick meals for the single visitor.

For breakfast, you can try a banh bao (shrimp dumpling) cooked Cantonese style (originating from the southern Chinese province of Guangdong).

Served hot in a bamboo pot, the dish includes three soft, white dumplings that resemble delicate white flowers. The outer coating of the dumpling tastes sweet while the inner stuffing is salty. The fraballs are sufficient for a small breakfast.

For vegetarians and those who are watching their weight, there are vegetable dishes, some of which include cabbage and mushrooms, served with a hot, thick sauce. I chose a vegetable dish with steamed rice, which in total cost under VND100,000 (US$6.25) and was more than enough to last me through dinner.

The restaurant at night is especially beautiful. You can dine outdoors and take in the fresh air and quiet atmosphere.

For a main course, fried oysters in honey at VND125,000 ($7.81) is a good choice. The dish’s secret is the coating of flour and honey, which turns a yellow-brown after deep-frying.

Served hot on a large white plate, the dish is enough for two. I finished the dish alone as well as the thin threads of cabbage placed under the oysters as a garnish.

One of the restaurant’s special desserts is sweet dumplings with sesame. The dish is served in hot milk, instead of the traditional hot syrup.

For the thirsty, Tao Li serves free-flowing iced or hot tea during the meal. The restaurant offers more than 120 different dishes ranging from VND28,000 to over VND1 million ($1.75-$62.50).

Its dinner menu includes noodle dishes and rice porridge, as well as dim sum, though the Chinese dumplings are usually served for breakfast. Prices are reasonable, from VND28,000 to VND50,000 ($1.75-$3.10) per item. Service fee is 6 per cent instead of the standard 5 per cent.

"We provide our customers not just with food, but a cuisine," said Tao Li’s owner Hoang Khai, who took great care in decorating the restaurant.

I’m sure that few could have done it better.

Source VietnamNews