New Manzi Flavours

Our music reviewer recently dropped by Manzi to sample their new food menu

There’s a lot going on this January for those willing to brave the chill and whilst they’re serving video soup at Doclab, Manzi has soup on the menu too. Yes, the missing ingredient at one of Hanoi’s most influential art spaces has been rectified – Manzi now has a three-course food menu plus breakfast.

Adopting an interesting and green model, the bistro-style food is cooked off-site nearby and delivered fresh each day by new Vietnamese charity, Share Food Network. Any waste is then collected at the end of the day and distributed to good causes in the city. You would expect the people running Manzi to put their own stamp on how they do things just as they have with their arts programme and this is no exception. After a period of planning and testing with Share Food Network they’ve now launched a menu that will be added to over the coming weeks and months.

Tram and Bill at Manzi are well known foodies so the menu is interesting with a mix of eastern and western flavours reflecting their interests and experience. Whilst still a work in progress, the culinary concept is strong – simple soulful bistro food served with an accent on value for money, fresh ingredients, eatability and wholesomeness. Most dishes come with two fresh locally baked crusty bread rolls for dipping and mopping up the juice. The salads are full of crunchy freshness, the soup is thick and warm, the breakfast hearty enough to start your day.

I tried the signature dish Manzi Wrap and Roll, with a generous serving of slices of cured pork marinated in vinegar for one week. Served with a rice basket of fresh herbs, rice paper, sliced ginger and cucumber, the dipping dance had just the right piquancy to bring the dish, and your mouth, alive. My friend had the pumpkin soup and although you could be excused for thinking this isn’t exactly an original presence on the menu, the colour and balanced combination of flavours was the right texture contrast for the crusty bread. Next up I had the Duck in orange sauce, a quarter duck served with a light sauce perfect for bread dipping. The meat fell off the bone although the quarter bird could have done with carving into manageable pieces. My companion had the Caesar salad which had just the right crispiness in the leaves and bacon bits. They’re working on perfecting the dressing and croutons but this is a very robust start with that Caesar crunch in every mouthful. Next we shared the Beef in Red Wine – we were hungry ok! – with the carrot still nicely crunchy and the stewed meat with that classic melt-in-your-mouth consistency. The rich juice was slightly salty but with a beer or wine and that trusty crusty bread on hand I envisage few complaints. We finished off with fresh coffee and green tea cake and although cakes have been on the menu for some time they’re offering a wider selection now to compliment the food menu – soon both will be integrated.

Manzi has gone for bistro-soul as opposed to others in town who are going for bistro-chic. This is a wise move – when not hosting events in their eclectic arts calendar, Manzi is a place to refresh, reflect and replenish the soul and now the palate. This haven in a hectic city suddenly feels more complete and you just know that things will go on getting better – that’s the Manzi way.

Photographs by Paul Zetter