Thức ăn ngon @ Rasa Viet, The Sphere

Thức ăn ngon @ Rasa Viet, The Sphere | I immediately fell in love with the soupy goodness of Vietnamese noodles with meatballs when I first introduced to the dish, years ago. The right blend and amount of spices, vegetables and meat in the soup never fail to arouse my appetite.

Last weekend, a friend of mine invited me for lunch at Rasa Viet at The Sphere, Bangsar. Of course, I was looking forward to the soupy goodness. I know for a fact that Rasa Viet obviously means the food will be of Vietnamese background (I googled about the restaurant when I read the name hahaha). 

Located just beside the main road with a beautiful wall of greens to ward off the noise, Rasa Viet looks so calm and inviting. It looks so instaworthy too. When I entered the restaurant, I was immediately taken to a scene from the popular 90s series 'Tour of Duty' where the soldiers visited a beautifully lit Vietnam restaurant. The decorations, the colourful lanterns and the Vietnam music literally transformed the space into a Saigon eatery. I kept on saying to my friend that I feel like I am in Saigon (I have never been there tho') hahaha. 

There are two sections of the restaurant - open-air and air-conditioned area. 

The chef cum owner was so friendly. He sat with us when we showed our interest in knowing more about the restaurant and his background. To cut a long story short, he is very experienced in Vietnamese cuisines and he sticks to the traditional ways of preparing all the dishes. He prides in NO MSG usage in his cooking - just like the original Viets is cooking their dishes. 

A good note to share - the restaurant is Muslim friendly and the suppliers for all ingredients are Halal-certified. [refer here]

DIY Sizzling Pancake (Bánh xèo)

He even spared some of his time to show us how to fold the DIY Sizzling Pancake (bánh xèo) - which is actually quite easy once you know the technique. The thing is, I have tasted the same pancake before but the pancake crumbles upon the touch. I was a bit skeptical when he started rolling the pancake but amazingly, the texture stays throughout the rolling bit. I tried rolling the pancake myself and the texture stays and it tasted so good when I ate it (I actually ate two rolls - huge ones too). 

We continued placing our orders. It wasn't long before the dishes arrive. Of course, when one in Vietnam, one has to order the drip coffee (cà phê sữa) and I prefer mine with milk. When the drink arrived, I was surprised to see that the amount was not as much as I expected it to be. We were told to let the coffee drip first and when it stopped dripping, the waiter transferred the coffee with milk into a chilled tall glass with ice. And evidently enough, the amount was little. I was a bit disappointed.

I think my disappointed face was obvious enough that the owner came along and told me the reason why the coffee was not as much. 'We are serving you with the quality of the coffee. In this quantity, the quality is preserved and later when the ice melts, you'll know why the coffee comes in such amount.'

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Cantik kan ripple effect kopi nie. Lazat tau kopi vietnam kat @rasa.viet nie. ☕️ Yang penting, kualitinya memang terbaik. Memang kaw kan @foodilifecious @mrssu_rach @zharif93 @fariesniet ? #coffeelover #HantuKopi #RasaViet #RawlinsEats #RawlinsGLAM #RawlinsLifestyle

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Not letting my hope high, I sipped my coffee and I was amazed. The coffee is really refreshing and kaw! It gets better with each sip. 'Don't sip your coffee too much or you'll be in heaven high' I was told. 

We were served with dishes from the Spring Roll and Special Section of the menu first (The Menu). 

Summer Roll (Goi cuộn)

Vietnamese Sandwich Grilled Chicken (Bánh mi gà nướng)

Mango Salad Prawn (Gỏi xoài tôm)

Ok. Lemme dissects some of the dishes above. 

I was surprised when the roll came with peanut sauce and not the usual spicy sauce that we used to have. Then I was told that in Vietnam, spring roll is eaten with peanut sauce and not spicy sauce. The ones with spicy sauce have been Malaysianize. Hahaha

The taste? I love it - sweet and savory in one bite really awakens your tastebuds!

At first look, nothing is special about the sandwich. But when I took a bite at the bread, I was surprised at the crunchiness of the bread - it was very crunchy! Usually, the bread is a bit moist and most of the time, a bit chewy too. But this one is very crunchy and I just couldn't stop munching into the sandwich. 

That mango salad? I will say YES to anything with mango! 

Was that it? NOPE. No visit to a Vietnamese eatery is complete unless one has tasted the phở.

Meatballs Pho (Phở bở viên)

I ordered Meatballs Pho (phở bở viên) - the ones that I love to order every time I eat at a Vietnamese eatery. I was about to sip the whole broth but I was way too full when I finished singling out the meatballs. Haha. A grave mistake when eating a phở, don't eat the meatballs alone, eat it with the phở and the broth. You'll savour the phở better that way.

And here is the right way to eat a phở. First, you taste the broth. Then pour the vegetables and the two sauces. The last paste is for one to dip the meatballs on. And when you stir the phở, don't stir it too much or too high or you'll cool the phở unknowingly, leaving the phở not so tasty because it is cold. You'll want to savour it while it is hot. 

Boiled lemongrass ginger (nước sả gừng với mật ong) and traditional caramel pudding (bánh flan)

Last but not least, we were served with boiled lemongrass ginger (nước sả gừng với mật ong) and traditional caramel pudding (bánh flan). 

I have always loved the boiled lemongrass drink but this one has ginger in it. I love this version even more. And I realized I have been passing gas non-stop ever since. It seems the ingredients were working their magic well. 

The pudding was so dense and soft at the same time, while not being overly sweet. I savour every single piece of the pudding and I love the fact that the caramel sauce is not watery like the ones that I have encountered before. 

MY REVIEW OF RASA VIET

Space: Beautifully decorated and with a soothing ambience

Service: Fast and with smiles. The waiter took the time to show us to mix the dishes

Price: Worth it. Affordable 

Food portion: Large 

Taste: 5 Stars

Here is some information about Rasa Viet. 

Operational: Daily (11 am - 10 pm)

Telephone: +603 2242 1880

Address: Unit No. G-3A, Level Ground, The Sphere, No.1 Avenue 1, Bangsar South City, No.8 Jalan Kerinchi 59200 Kuala Lumpur

Type 'Rasa Viet The Sphere' when you are using Waze or Google Maps. 

Rasa Viet's Social Media Accounts

Rasa Viet Website | Rasa Viet IG | Rasa Viet FB 

#RawlinsEats #RasaViet #MakananVietnamKL #RawlinsLifestyle #Food #RawlinsGLAM