A Doorway To Modern Vietnamese Cooking

Before I visited Charles Phan's 'The Slanted Door' this November, I was not aware of what the place really epitomised. It was only after my dining experience that I could savour the flavours that were imbedded deep; the essence of motivation fuelled by passion to serve the best Vietnamese food. Phan's ideas are about aesthetics, ingredients, respect for farmers and the earth, merging cultures, about treating staff and customers as family.

With his menu, Phan wanted to serve excellent complimentary beer and wine - a complete blend of cultures. The wine list, designed by Mark Ellenbogen, follows the tradition of an Austrian wine profile that pairs nicely with the food: additional older Rieslings that have been in the cellar for over five years beside Belgian beers. There's a section for 'floral and delightfully dry' and 'truly softer, best with spicy dishes'. Also, the wines are so well selected that you can choose anything and rest assured of having the best. The other offering of hard-to-find Chinese teas selected by Imperial Tea Court and Silk Road Teas speak of the restaurant's originality and commitment to quality.

Celebrities drop by on a regular basis to this 150-seat restaurant. One standout visitor was Bill Clinton during his presidency. Phan says, "Most of these guys go to Fairmont or a buttoned-down safe kind of place. The President chose to come to the Mission district for a meal with his daughter at this small Vietnamese restaurant. It was quite an honour for us."

Ah, the meal then. We started off with an offering from The Raw Bar. It was a tuna called Japanese Yellowtail (US $12.5) topped with fried shallots, a touch of star anise and Thai basil. Really good. The famed spring rolls (US $7.5) were of lettuce leaves with some noodles and dip of two sauces, both on the sweeter side. Next was the Daikon rice cake, my favourite standby. They were crisp on the outside and soft inside and served with a thin sweet sauce on top. Phan removed the bacon, giving it a more universal appeal as a vegetarian dish; hard to believe that something that tasty came from a Daikon radish. The barbecued pork spareribs (US $10.5) served with honey hoison sauce was good but could do without the crispy imperial rolls (US $8.5). The main course was a huge portion of grilled Australian free-range lamb rack (US $26.5) with crispy potatoes and tamarind sauce - charred from outside and pink inside. Just perfect. In comparison, the spicy Japanese eggplant (US $9) with green onions and coconut milk looked boring. The catfish claypot (US $17.5) with cilantro, ginger and Thai chillies was disappointing. The lemon grass tofu (US $8.5) was stir-fried with fresh shiitake mushrooms, onions and chilli sauce with a hint of lemon grass. The wine was a fruity Reisling and Pinot Noir. Most traditional Asian dinners do not include desserts except fruit. Phan himself loves desserts and knows his Western patrons do as well. Parfaits, cakes and sorbets, cookies and berries are sweet indulgences that change with the season. You will always get a good example of the classic crème brûlée and flourless chocolate cake with fresh cream. Phan believes that desserts should be light and refreshing, never heavy, but with great texture.

The Slanted Door 1 Ferry Building #3, SF CA 94111 Tel: 4158618032