Bawai's: Vietnamese Kitchen

My two friends and I just had lunch at Bawai's Vietnamese Kitchen in Tagaytay. I had heard and read tremendous things about this restaurant that's not a restaurant (apparently it is in the owner's living room!).

It was a two hourish trip (coupled with a bit of getting lost) but we finally made it to the restaurant/house. A quirk of the restaurant was that you MUST call ahead to reserve and preferably pre-order. Once you get to the restaurant, everything is made clear; the place is tiny (large enough, by my guess, for only about 30 to 40? spread over five tables). When we were there, all tables were full. Someone without a reservation would have had a long wait. Also, it was apparent that the kitchen does not keep much inventory; one runs the risk of not getting a table.

We basically ordered every appetizer on the menu; these were Chao Tom (pounded shrimp on sugarcane skewers), Nem Nuong (grilled vietnamese sausage), Goi Cuon (fresh spring rolls), Cha Gio (fried spring roll), and Banh Cuon (minced pork and mushroom rolls). Among these I liked the Nem Nuong, Goi Cuon, and Banh Cuon the most (and if you must know, I liked the Cha Gio the least).

We also ordered the Pho Bo (beef noodle soup) as our main dish (something light in light of all the appetizers). No complaints here. The flavors were delicate, subtle, the perfect foil for one's personal touches (a little more chili sauce, some hoisin, some more nuoc nam).

We spent a little over P1500 for the meal plus drinks. Definitely worth a return visit (this time to try all of the entrees and noodle dishes!).

BTW, bawai means grandmother in Vietnamese.