{"id":7130,"date":"2015-12-12T09:05:28","date_gmt":"2015-12-12T09:05:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/?p=7130"},"modified":"2020-10-29T13:50:20","modified_gmt":"2020-10-29T13:50:20","slug":"dinner-gordon-ramseys-great-escape-restaurant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/dinner-gordon-ramseys-great-escape-restaurant\/","title":{"rendered":"Dinner with Quan, Gordon Ramsey’s Vietnamese Friend and Culinary Expert"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the final night of Philly’s trip to Vietnam she had the pleasure of sampling the culinary delights of Gordon Ramsey’s friend and Vietnamese culinary judge, Quan. From\u00a0succulent ribs to fragrant noodles to musical renditions of Elvis Presley, here’s her review.\"IMG_0653EDIT\" <\/strong><\/p>\n

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Tucked around a little colonial side street lies Quan’s restaurant called Old Hanoi. \u00a0It was the venue used for Gordon Ramsay’s Vietnam finale in his Channel 4 Series ‘Gordon’s Great Escape<\/a>‘ and here Quan judged\u00a0the final meal Gordon prepared for some of Vietnam’s top chefs \u2013 not a small task.\"IMG_1806\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I, too, was on my way to the last\u00a0meal of my trip in Vietnam, but lucky for me, I wasn’t cooking.<\/p>\n

The tables had turned and the pressure was on for Quan to prepare\u00a0the food that would be my final\u00a0memory of the country before returning home.\u00a0\"37812_130771020298957_6282239_n<\/a><\/p>\n

A real buzz ran throughout the restaurant as we all sat down inside the old building and a Vietnamese ensemble played traditional music. I was sitting next to Quan and asked him\u00a0about\u00a0the story of meeting Gordon Ramsey.<\/p>\n

The researchers were choosing a restaurant for Gordon to do his final meal and were interviewing chefs and owners. \u00a0I got through to the final four out of so many other restaurants. Finally they chose me.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And I don’t blame them. Quan, the founder and manager of Old Hanoi, embodies the restaurant’s values and character. Chatty, fun-loving and passionate about food, he told me about the origins of his interest.<\/p>\n

My mother used to always cook and I really learned from her… I love simple food. Good simple recipes that locals eat are the best.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This was evident throughout all the different dishes served. A\u00a0small pancake dish with juicy prawns and beans sprouts arrived.<\/p>\n

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I found this whilst biking through central Vietnam. An old grandmother was preparing it on the side of the road. I jumped off, tasted it, learned\u00a0about the recipe and this is my twist on her dish here.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Safe to say the flavours and textures were just incredible and\u00a0nothing like the food\u00a0you’d find in a Vietnamese restaurant in the UK. From light fragrant salads, to prawns in traditional batters, to deliciously marinated\u00a0chicken, to\u00a0peanut salads, to beautifully prepared oysters in a garlic infused sauce. The combination of so many small and beautifully prepared dishes, all building upon another, was incredible.<\/p>\n

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Rice wine flowed freely and Quan \u2013 mid-course \u2013 decided to silence the traditional band playing and ordered his Spanish guitar to the table. I could never have predicted what was about to happen.<\/p>\n