In the face of changes in time, Hue still retains its ancient and majestic beauty. Nestled on the peaceful Huong River, the poetic features of Hue seem to have not changed at all as the prose and poems have described.
Amidst those intact ancient values, there are young people who are looking for ways to breathe Hue's soul into modern life. One of them is the owner of a bar on Chu Van An Street - a bustling nightlife restaurant in the middle of Tay Street in Hue.
As a child born and raised in Hue, Mr. Nguyen Viet Hoang Tung, manager of AURA Mixology, always wished to spread the beauty of his homeland into modern life. Therefore, drinks with rustic names such as Ganhoc, Me xung, Bot loc nuoc quay, Phap Lam... were all created by Anh Tung in the spirit of Hue royal cuisine.
He shared: My brainchild and I hope to contribute to promoting the beauty of the ancient capitals heritage through a new perspective. These modern drinks imbued with the flavor of the ancient capital are the way we preserve the core from Hue, but still add a highlight to the spirit of contemporary creativity.
From traditional, rustic ingredients of Hue people such as Chuon village rice, royal tea, native herbs, etc., Mr. Tung could not help but worry when creating a new mixing formula.
My biggest problem is not whether it can be combined or not, but how to make each layer of flavor blend properly. Indeed, at first, I was also worried that diners might be "shocked" because they were not used to these combinations," said the restaurant representative.
From that idea, many unique recipes were born, including dishes that make Hue people feel familiar but new.
One of the most typical dishes is "Royal Night" which used to be a royal tea, which was originally only used to offer to the King in the evening. With rare herbs, Mr. Tung wants to bring visitors the feeling of enjoying a night of enlightenment in the ancient Royal Palace.
The "Roasted pig's filter" cup is inspired by the specialty sweet soup of Hue with filtered flour in a cup of pork filling wrapped in a cup. This drink uses traditional Trung village rice wine as a base, mixed with peanut butter treated with fat-wash, also known as fat separation technique in the mixing, to retain the sophisticated fatty taste, add a mild scent of vanilla and a little sweet honey.
Or "Ngu sac" with the idea coming from the traditional Hue jam cake is the combination of many flavor layers: sweet and fragrant pineapple leaves, light orange peel essential oil and the freshness of pineapple and lemon ingredients. This is a cup of cake, both reminiscent and opens up a fresh, sweet feeling.
Mr. Tung expressed: Personally, I especially like Scabies Soup inspired by the familiar dish smoked snails with chili of Hue people. When enjoying it, diners are often surprised by the taste and the way they tell the story behind it.
They often exclaim Wow! when they realize that even a stall on the roadside can turn into a creative culinary experience.
Ly Sally carry is made with white rum wine, combined with lemongrass, lemon leaves, bitter oranges and Tabasco chili sauce - it seems difficult to combine. The shape of this unique drink reminds me of a miniature seaweed stall with a rustic conical hat.
"Luckily, most diners were very impressed with the drinks rich in Hue. They were surprised when trying it, and gradually became excited when the flavor was both new and familiar.
With each of these creative drinks, traditional ingredients are not only to enhance the flavor but also to tell the story, bringing diners back to the time-consuming slices of the ancient capital, the restaurant representative confided.
That acceptance became the motivation for Mr. Tung to continue experimenting, because each drink was not only for enjoyment but also to tell the story of the ancient capital in a very unique way of the people of Hue.
