Herring sandwiches, crab cakes, Cu Chi young beef..., delicious dishes that look so tempting you'll want to eat them right away.

The "The Ngon Series" menu is a culinary journey that celebrates Vietnamese culture and flavors through the talent, creativity, and inspiring culinary stories of young chefs from hotels and resorts across Vietnam.

Delicious and visually appealing herring sandwiches.

Chef Nguyen Hai Hung has created a simple yet innovative combination of Phu Quoc herring and shumai cooked with a rich green peppercorn sauce.

PHOTO: @SHERATONPHUQUOC

Herring sandwiches are not just a delicious dish, but also a way to tell the story of Phu Quoc: the sea, pepper, and a creative spirit built on traditional foundations.

A familiar yet unique dish, simple yet sophisticated, clearly demonstrating how Vietnamese cuisine can constantly reinvent itself, using only local ingredients.

PHOTO: @SHERATONPHUQUOC

Banh mi , a familiar dish, takes on a new journey in the hands of a chef, bearing the distinct mark of Phu Quoc. No longer the familiar baguette with cold cuts or pate, the herring banh mi version opens up a simple yet creative culinary story, where the island's seafood specialty is placed in a very Vietnamese "mold".

Crab cakes and taro soup are delicious and reminiscent of rural cuisine.

Using fresh Hai Phong crab as the main ingredient, chef Nguyen Van Yeu has retold a culinary memory of Northern Vietnam in a subtle and emotionally rich way.

PHOTO: @SHERATON HAI PHONG

The crab cake is soft and juicy, topped with a crispy crab puff pastry, and served with a smooth, fragrant purple taro soup infused with the aroma of perilla leaf oil. The crab cake itself isn't elaborate in appearance, but its highlight lies in the crab cake made from fresh Hai Phong crab – a type of crab with firm, naturally sweet meat and a fragrant sea aroma. The crab meat is finely minced to maintain its tenderness and juiciness; when bitten into, you can still clearly feel the light, airy strands of crab meat, neither mushy nor dry.

This dish was inspired by the potato porridge from the chef's childhood memories.

PHOTO: @SHERATON HAI PHONG

The dish is covered in a crispy fried crab cake, creating an interesting contrast between crispiness and softness, making it appealing without being overly heavy. Accompanying the crab cake is a smooth, light purple taro soup with a sweet, earthy flavor reminiscent of home. Taro – a humble root vegetable commonly found in Vietnamese family meals – perfectly balances the rich sweetness of the crab, creating a harmonious and pleasant overall taste. All of this results in a harmonious blend of the sweetness of the sea and the tranquility of the Northern Vietnamese countryside.

Hanoi- style cod and jackfruit

Chef Ngo Van Quy has recreated Hanoi's fish cake dish, prepared with jackfruit cooked in the Central Vietnamese style.

PHOTO: @FOURPOINTSBYSHERATONDANANG

The dish is not just a creation of flavor, but also a way for Vietnamese cuisine to be retold in a modern language, where tradition and sustainability go hand in hand in every detail. Inspired by the famous Hanoi fish cake, the chef chose cod as the main ingredient to recreate the familiar flavor in a fresh and thoughtful way.

Cod, with its tender, slightly sweet white flesh, is seasoned just right and pan-fried until golden brown on the outside while retaining its moisture inside, reminiscent of the rich, savory taste of traditional fish cakes, but more refined and delicate.

PHOTO: @FOURPOINTSBYSHERATONDANANG

The highlight lies in the combination with jackfruit cooked in the Central Vietnamese style. Not only are ripe jackfruit segments used to create a subtle sweetness, but the chef also skillfully utilizes various parts of the fruit: the fibrous parts are processed to create a slightly chewy texture, the seeds are boiled for a nutty and fragrant flavor, and the young jackfruit peel is processed into a complementary ingredient with a refreshing taste. The delicate sweetness of the fish, the light richness from the pan-frying, blend with the nutty, fragrant, and subtly sweet flavor of the jackfruit, creating a sensation that is both familiar and unique. At the same time, the full utilization of the jackfruit clearly demonstrates the spirit of "zero-waste" – responsible cooking that respects ingredients and natural values.

Cu Chi veal and Ban soy sauce

Chef Bui Viet Trung shared a very familiar culinary story through his Cu Chi young beef and Ban soy sauce dishes.

PHOTO: @RENAISSANCERIVERSIDESAIGON

This dish, featuring local ingredients like Bần soy sauce, thù lù fruit, Gia Lai pepper, and wild chayote shoots, evokes warm memories of family meals while showcasing the sophistication of contemporary cuisine. The dish's visual appeal and deliciousness lie in the chef's skillful combination of regional specialties. Using purely Vietnamese ingredients, tender, naturally sweet young beef, cooked to perfection, is paired with Bần soy sauce – a characteristic fermented sauce of Northern Vietnam – adding depth to the dish with a gentle sweet and salty flavor and a subtle, homey soy aroma.

In the hands of the chef, familiar ingredients are placed within the spirit of contemporary cuisine—streamlined yet profound—so that tradition is not only preserved but also retold in a fresh and emotionally resonant way.

PHOTO: @RENAISSANCERIVERSIDESAIGON

The slightly sour, refreshing star fruit balances the richness of the beef; the moderately spicy Gia Lai pepper enhances the aroma without overpowering it; and the crisp, tender, and vibrant green wild vegetables evoke a sense of home-cooked meals. Each ingredient appears at the right time and plays the right role, creating a harmonious and pleasant overall experience.

The dish evokes memories of warm family meals – where simple flavors are cherished.

Tofu and seaweed

Inspired by the nostalgic tofu vendors of his childhood memories, chef Tran Tai has transformed this humble snack into a delicate, subtle, and emotionally resonant dessert.

PHOTO: @RENAISSANCEDANANGHOIAN RESORT&SPA

Tofu (or bean curd) is solidified using natural seaweed instead of industrial thickeners, resulting in a soft, smooth texture and a uniquely refreshing taste. The seaweed not only helps create a natural setting but also leaves a subtle mineral aftertaste, evoking the essence of the sea. He skillfully combined seaweed-solidified tofu with lychee ice cream and soursop panna cotta – a pure and harmonious dessert that blends the sea and the land, the past and the present.

Chef Tran Tai explained that the dish's uniqueness lies in its spirit of connection: seaweed represents the sea, while tofu and fruit are associated with the land; the grandmother's tofu stall belongs to the past, while the technique and presentation have a modern feel.

PHOTO: @RENAISSANCEDANANGHOIAN RESORT&SPA

With the goal of recreating traditional flavors, promoting sustainable practices, and highlighting modern cooking techniques, Ngon Challenge has discovered and honored 5 outstanding chefs with the title of Ngon Masters 2025 for their works that showcase the innovative spirit of Vietnamese cuisine, celebrate local identity, and bear a strong personal imprint.

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thoi-trang-tre/banh-mi-ca-trich-banh-cua-bo-to-cu-chi-mon-ngon-nhin-muon-an-ngay-185251211225514263.htm