Haus of Vo - Vietnamese food for beginners

Something good that also started in 2020

As I try to eat my way into the supper club infrastructure in Dubai, I learn more and more as to how difficult the food ecosystem is and how supper clubs are as much rogue as Cassian Andor is in the face of The Galactic Empire plotting a downfall for an impenetrable establishment. I had the misfortune of being turned down by two supper clubs (no, it wasn’t due to my acerbic personality) who unfortunately couldn’t make the quorum as it would turn out and while I remain eager to get back on the horse in the next available opportunity, I am cognizant of the fact that there is a very soft underbelly to supper clubs. While that is indeed a pity, there were no markers of that in our dinner at Haus of Vo.

Haus of Vo, led by Madame Vo represented herself well as a Vietnamese German hailing from Schwartzwald. Another famous German, one that I love more than my very dearest kin (I feel compelled to say except my immediate family) is Mr Jurgen Norbert Klopp. There must be something in the water there. I have plenty of blind spots when it comes to cuisines in general, and Southeast Asian cuisine sits atop it all. I find myself drowning in a sinkhole of dichotomy. I keep imagining food to be too simple primarily because of the clear broths that keep coming in my searches and overwhelming vegetal fragrances of galangal, turmeric and lemongrass and bunch of different chopped things on top of a bowl. I keep imagining the worst of every iteration and talk myself into staying out of it. But as a Tamil proverb goes, we must learn everything (even thievery) that we can and forget/excuse the bad. Or in the words of Master Yoda, in my pursuit of learning about food – I must either do or do not, there is no (half assed) try. So, I decided to challenge myself with Vietnamese cuisine which was heavily recommended by Gigi (from the girl and the goose) and several popular food people on this very platform.

Haus of Vo apparently is an ode to her German (Haus) and Vietnamese (Surname Vo) roots.  In my mind, however it seemed a bit stiff like an S&M chamber where you would need to remember a complicated safe word, one that you would have to utter with your mouth full in a coherent manner for it all to stop. However, the door to this wonderfully swanky house, cozy in all manner of ways was opened by genial, beaming, warm and extremely spoken petite lady (Vo) & her amazingly beautiful and friendly canine companion – Bailey. We joined a diverse group of people who had varying degrees of experience with supper clubs and thus ensued a meta discussion on the concept of supper clubs, and it was very encouraging to find that people were extremely bullish about supper clubs.  For the host, it is a great opportunity to welcome a variety of cultures to get a wholistic feedback with guinea pigs aplenty and for the guests it’s a unique way to meet and socialize. I still am finding my way of how to be as a human being, in that it also encompasses how to dress at a supper club. Given that I was under the illusion that this is going to be some kind of a masochistic dungeon – I dressed for comfort, and of course I was clearly mistaken as it was a very elegant affair. The dining party contained people who collectively spoke more than 10 languages. We had a mix of Dubai residents, Abu Dhabi residents – Inseparable friends, neighbors, extended families and everything in between. But it turned out to be a cohesive, wholesome and warm experience that was orchestrated by the host.

On the food however, I had a significant handicap. As I am allergic to shrimp and crab 2 of the key dishes were replaced with chicken which was nice but obviously not as per the design so I will describe the best way possible for me. We started off with a dumpling making activity. While it might sound like a gimmick, it is genius. Firstly, it is an ice breaker, so people end up chatting while under some kind of pressure. Secondly, it is a tactile activity and the results are going to be used in the menu so you area already included in the menu in a way. Thirdly, you could discover a new skill. Finally, it is the smartest way to bridge the early birds and the fashionably late so by the time you are done with the dumplings – everyone is ready to move to the table.

The table is set beautifully, very thoughtfully assembled and elegant. All of us had assigned seats to avoid a back-to-school awkwardness. It is a minor indictment of the humans and their need to be told what to do. To be fair, I appreciated that. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention it, there seems to be bottomless wine – despite my sobriety this is such a good conversational grease as it relaxes people who indulged.

We started with a very fresh and light scallops crudo on a bed of rice crisps. It’s a very good dish, there is a light briny taste of the sea and occasional pricks of almost microscopic red chilis. There is also an unmistakable scent of lemongrass which offers a perfumed forcefield around the dish. Bit of a tricky dish to serve as well because, the crisps can quickly get soggy if not munched on expeditiously.

The second course was supposed to be the dish of the night. It was basically the shrimp dumplings that all of us churned out in our amateur assembly line earlier (subject to some quality control from the host) simply wetting their feed in some of the clearest of broths. Of course, because of my useless good for nothing allergy, I had to trade it for chicken and mushroom siumai – which was good, but it wasn’t over the top like the broth apparently turned out to be. It continues to remain a mystery how this broth appears tranquil and clear but assumes an alternate identity once you start consuming it. My partner unwillingly offered some of these death dumplings and with a resolve to survive the night I had to decline, to her relief, and she quickly slurped the rest.

Next up were these beautifully presented crepes, born out of an occupation and adapted to local ingredients. The thin & translucent rice crepes held together very tender chicken strips again accentuated with local herbs and showered with fried shallots. We bathe the crepes with the accompanying sweet chili sauce. As we dug into it, there was a celebratory stillness in the room for a few moments. The realization of the quiet was the applause the chef needs when a bunch of chatty guests remember what they were there for. Nice, restrained and a smart dish.

Next up were chicken spring rolls made with rice flour. This ought to be a cheat code and it is so simply and easily enjoyed. Of course, it’s fried, but it’s a lot more nuanced than the traditional spring roll. It is a forgiving size, but I was encouraged to have lots of it primarily because the next dish was another crowd favourite which could kill me. I must admit, I needed no encouragement. I kept going back for this irresistible snack. The sticky rice flour made it so unique and light, and the balance of the chicken and spice mix were pleasant. We washed it down with cold Haiya Tea served with apple juice and aloe vera. Ver refreshing.

While I was paying a repeat visit to siumai town, the rest of the party apparently were having one of the crowd favourites which is a labour of love. Crab meat prepared painstakingly for 3 hours served with panko crumbs. I was blaming my genetics that prevented me from grabbing handfuls of that. I was very close to testing the strength of my allergies, but I wisely refrained from pissing off nature.

The last two courses were Italian influenced. Apparently, a flawed attempt at dumpling from one of the guests was to be credited with the birth of a beautiful ravioli from many months ago. The salmon ravioli had something that reminded me of truffle salt. I have never had salmon ravioli, so I was quite taken by the texture of the cakey salmon as against anything mushy. It was a very resourceful way of applying twists.

Finally, we finished with the host’s take on the tiramisu. It was reimagined with chocolate and some kind of cream stacked in layers. Crunchy texture was provided by crushed up French crackers and freshly toasted chopped pecans in fish sauce. This is logical and smart and honestly, I would order this over a tiramisu any day – not because I am a fisherman but because its brilliant.

Due to the multicultural roots of the chef, you can understand that the chef has an outsider’s view of Vietnamese cuisine looking in. And much like any immigrant, she is trying to collect personality traits from various stimuli. She has no pressure to conform and has the ability to be choose her ingredients even if it may seem blasphemous to the everyday conformist. She edits the invariably crowded plates of what seems like traditional Vietnamese cuisine and presents a very succinct, intuitive path to a varied palate. As a multitude of cultures dined with her last night, all of us enjoyed an amazing dinner I venture to guess none of us had actually been to an actual Vietnamese restaurant outside of here. The host explains her pursuit is also not for restaurant domination but to continue the supper club because that brings her joy. I quite respect that. I think it is noble to pursue something just for the sake of the pursuit and not just for it to tantamount to something else. If success is only measured in a milestone, the journey becomes meaningless. I believe Haus of Vo and other strong grassroots players in the food scene in Dubai lay the foundation for a strong food culture. Supper clubs in general also provide a forum to meet and learn about the motivation of various people which enriches our understanding of food and people. People being on their best behaviour is also good because, if the traffic in the city persists, I just will lose it one day or another.