Hao For Good Noodles

All kinds of southern Vietnamese noodles can be found at Hào.

Hào Vietnam Noodles is the place to go if you fancy southern Vietnamese cuisine, especially the noodles.

In Chinese, hào means good, which seems apt because this restaurant’s offering is pretty darn good. Opened nine months ago by accountant-turned-entrepreneur, Frederick Ng, and his Vietnamese business partner, Nguyen Thi Phuong Anh, this outlet in Bandar Puteri Puchong specialises in noodles whilst also offering rice and other delicacies.

All the dishes are prepared by Nguyen Thi Phuong Anh herself, an accomplished cook and experienced restaurateur.

“She’s the one who conceived the menu,” said Ng, who revealed that they have had to make modifications. “Initial customer feedback revealed that our authentic Vietnamese versions were far too sweet for their liking, so we have reduced the sweetness so that the overall taste is more acceptable to the Malaysian palate.”

We had an interesting start to our meal with the Fruit Salad (RM4.90), which comprises diced beetroot, green apples, potato, pineapple and papaya in a disconcertingly pink mayonnaise dressing. Ng assured us that the striking hue was not due to artificial colouring but because of the presence of beetroot.

Mixed Spring Rolls (RM8.90) came next, offering two versions of spring rolls — fried and steamed. We thought the steamed version, which is rice paper rolls stuffed with shredded yam bean, basil and pounded dried shrimp, tasted better than the deep-fried version, good as those were with their scrumptious filling of yam, fish, prawn and chicken.

“The steamed rolls are best eaten with this sweet sauce,” said Ng as he passed us a small dish of thick brown dip. “The deep-fried ones can be enjoyed with mayonnaise or the ubiquitous Vietnamese fish sauce and chilli dip.”

Another distinct appetiser is the Vietnamese Rice Pancake (RM8.90), which, we discovered, is something of a misnomer since they look more like chee cheong fun (flat rice flour rolls) than pancake. Stuffed with minced chicken, wood ear fungus and yam bean, they are garnished with pounded dried shrimp and raw bean sprouts.

Complemented by fish sauce and chopped red chilli, this speciality is delectable.

The Danang Onion Beef Noodles (RM8.90) and Saigon Spicy Seafood Rice Vermicelli (RM10.90) are noteworthy, for they rival the much-vaunted pho (Vietnamese soupy beef noodles). Reminiscent of kerabu meehoon, the former is blanched lai fun (tubular rice flour noodles) and beef stir-fried with onion tossed with such ingredients as roasted peanuts, mint leaves, spring onion, pickled carrot and radish, bean sprouts and fried shallot in a briny-tangy fish sauce and red chilli dressing.

The seafood vermicelli meanwhile boasted much more delicate nuances, with the blanched vermicelli serving as the perfect foil for the hodge-podge of textures and flavours from the numerous condiments — seafood, fish cake slices, bean sprouts, roasted peanuts, spring onion, mint, fried shallot and chopped bird’s eye chilli.

If you are partial to fried rice, Hao’s Spicy Fried Rice with Seafood (RM10.90) comes highly recommended. I especially like its discernible smoky sweetness which is very appealing. The Chicken Noodle Soup (RM8.90) seems to be Vietnam’s answer to tomyam. It is basically thin ribbons of rice noodles (similar to Ipoh sar hor fun) immersed in a light and clear broth, and topped with bean sprouts and shredded chicken. The noodle soup comes with a saucer of ketchup, dried chilli in oil, and a type of sweet sauce, which you are supposed to mix into the soup.

This gives the dish a slow-burning heat, kind of like tomyam. Fresh basil, sliced onion and red chilli are served on the side for you to dunk the noodles in prior to eating.

Hào’s Beef Noodles (RM8.90), on the other hand, tastes like a sweet tomyam crossed with a full-bodied oxtail soup. Ng revealed that the stock alone takes about nine hours of painstaking preparation, compared to their chicken stock which requires an average of four hours. We rounded off our meal with the Fried Wantan Noodles with Seafood (RM10.90). Although slightly greasy from the noodles being fried quickly in extremely high heat, it was delicious.

The decor may be functional and service informal, but Hao is likely to bowl you over with its selection of affordably priced Vietnamese noodles.

Hào Vietnam Noodles
Pork-free

23, Jalan Puteri 5/7, Bandar Puteri Puchong, Selangor
Tel: (019) 4181 388

Business hours: Weekdays 11.30am to 10.30pm; Sundays and public holidays 10.30am to 10.30pm.

Closed on second and fourth Monday of the month.

Source: The Star