How a Master Chef Runs one of NYC's Best Vietnamese Restaurants — Mise En Place

Summary

The script details a day in the kitchen of a Vietnamese restaurant, focusing on the meticulous process of making Pho Ga, a traditional chicken soup, using older chickens for richer flavor. It highlights the importance of stock in Vietnamese cuisine and the chef's innovative approach to traditional recipes, including a unique dessert version of banh chung with bananas. The narrative also emphasizes the collaborative R&D process and the team's dedication to creating an enjoyable dining experience that showcases the diversity of Vietnamese cuisine beyond Pho.

Takeaways

• 📍 The video features a visit to BO BO Chicken in East Williamsburg for older chickens, which are preferred for making a more flavorful stock.
• 🍗 The chickens are specifically bred for the Asian market, valuing dark meat over white.
• 🕰 The process of making Pho Ga, a Vietnamese chicken soup, takes about five to six hours and involves breaking down 15 birds to produce 15 gallons of stock.
• 🍲 Stock is essential in the restaurant, used not only in soups but also in sauces, highlighting its versatility.
• 🔥 The importance of not letting the stock reach a rolling boil to avoid a cloudy appearance is emphasized for a clear, yellow stock.
• 🌿 Aromatic ingredients like ginger and onion are added to the Pho Ga, but in an untraditional way without roasting, to maintain a lighter stock color.
• 🍜 The preparation of rice noodles for Pho involves parcooking them to ensure quick service during busy hours.
• 🍤 The making of Gio, fried rice paper rolls, involves meticulous handling to avoid moisture-related issues during frying.
• 🐟 A unique dish of hake fillets is prepared by marinating and smoking them in banana leaves to mimic the flavor of charcoal-grilled fish.
• 🍄 The kitchen experiments with a dessert version of banh chung, traditionally a savory dish, by stuffing it with bananas and deep frying it.
• 🍽 The restaurant values the guest experience, focusing on creating enjoyable moments beyond just serving food, which is evident in their attention to detail in dish presentation and service.

Q & A

Why does the restaurant choose older chickens for making stock?

The restaurant chooses older chickens for making stock because they believe that older chickens produce a much more delicious stock compared to younger ones.

What is unique about the chickens sourced from BO BO Chicken distributor?

The chickens from BO BO Chicken are bred specifically for the Asian market, which values the dark meat leg and thigh more.

What is the significance of the steam kettle in the restaurant's kitchen?

The steam kettle is significant as it is the primary equipment used for stock production in the restaurant's kitchen.

What type of Pho is being prepared in the script?

The script describes the preparation of Pho Ga, a chicken stock-based soup that is inspired by the chefs' travels in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Why is it important not to let the stock hit a rolling boil during preparation?

It is important not to let the stock hit a rolling boil to avoid making the stock cloudy. The chefs aim for a clear, yellow stock.

What is the untraditional method of making Pho mentioned in the script?

The untraditional method involves not roasting the ginger and onion, which is a common step in traditional Pho preparation. The chefs prefer a lighter, blonde stock color.

How does the restaurant ensure the chicken stock cools rapidly for food safety?

The restaurant ensures rapid cooling of the chicken stock by straining out the bones and passing it through a filter to clarify, followed by rapid cooling to prevent bacterial growth.

What is the role of rice noodles in the restaurant's Pho preparation?

The rice noodles are sourced for their quality and are parcook to be ready for service. They are poached in anticipation for service to keep up with the pace during delivery and dine-in.

What is the significance of the Gio mix preparation in the morning?

The Gio mix preparation is one of the first tasks the prep team handles every day, which is crucial for making the fried rice paper rolls, a popular dish in Vietnamese cuisine.

How does the restaurant approach menu development and innovation?

The restaurant encourages a collaborative approach to menu development, leveraging the strengths and experiences of the chefs, and involving everyone in the R&D process to create innovative dishes.

What is the concept behind the dessert experiment with banh chung in the script?

The concept is to take a traditionally savory dish, banh chung, which is usually eaten during the lunar new year, and experiment by stuffing it with bananas to create a dessert version.

Outlines

00:00

🍲 Preparing Chicken Stock for Vietnamese Cuisine

The script begins with a visit to BO BO Chicken in East Williamsburg to procure older chickens, which are preferred for their flavor and suitability for making a rich stock. The chickens are specifically bred for the Asian market, with a focus on dark meat. The process involves breaking down the chickens and placing them in steam kettles to produce Pho Ga, a chicken soup requiring 5 to 6 hours of simmering. The resulting 15 gallons of stock are vital for the restaurant's dishes, not only for soups but also for sauces. The chef emphasizes the importance of not letting the stock reach a rolling boil to maintain clarity and color. Aromatic ingredients like ginger and onion are added later in the process, and the chef opts for a non-traditional method that avoids roasting these ingredients to preserve the stock's light color. The transformation of the stock's appearance over time is noted, and the addition of fish sauce, salt, and sugar completes the Pho Ga preparation.

05:01

🍤 Behind the Scenes of Vietnamese Dishes Preparation

The script continues with various food preparation processes in a Vietnamese kitchen. Rice noodles are parcook to prepare for service, highlighting the importance of timing and pace during busy periods. The team's attention to detail extends to the making of Gio, fried rice paper rolls, where the focus is on removing moisture from the ingredients to prevent explosion during frying and ensuring whole shrimp pieces for texture. The process of making the rolls is reminiscent of home cooking and involves careful rolling to maintain clean lines and consistency. The preparation of hake fillets involves a unique smoking method using banana leaves to mimic the flavor of charcoal grilling, with a marinade of galangal, mam tom, and Maya, a fermented rice. The script also touches on the development of new dishes, such as a seafood and garlic noodle dish featuring lobster, which showcases the fusion of Italian pasta-making techniques with Vietnamese ingredients. The importance of the guest experience and hospitality is emphasized, with considerations for serving dishes like lobster, which may require additional tools like lobster crackers and wet wipes.

10:03

🌯 The Art of Vietnamese Wraps and Dessert Innovation

The final paragraph delves into the versatility of rice paper in Vietnamese cuisine, from banh trang nuong, a grilled rice paper dish resembling pizza, to banh trang tron, a salad featuring rice paper strips. The chef discusses the challenges of sourcing quality rice paper and the solution of using two sheets to create a sturdy base for toppings. The script also introduces an R&D project to create a dessert version of banh chung, traditionally a savory dish for the lunar new year, by stuffing it with bananas and plantains and cooking it overnight. The team experiments with the presentation and cooking method, resulting in a deep-fried version that is crunchy on the outside and features a unique purple color from the cooked bananas. The feedback from the team is positive, with suggestions for improving the crispiness and adjusting the banana-to-rice ratio. The script concludes with the anticipation of a busy service, emphasizing the importance of preparation, consistency, and the limited availability of certain dishes like curry and bread due to high morning sales.

Keywords

💡Chicken Stock

Chicken stock is a fundamental component in many cuisines, made by simmering chicken bones and water to extract flavor. In the video, it is highlighted as the 'life blood' of the restaurant, used in soups and sauces. The process of making a clear, yellow Pho Ga (chicken stock) is described, emphasizing the importance of not letting it reach a rolling boil to avoid cloudiness, which is a key technique for achieving a high-quality stock.

💡Pho Ga

Pho Ga is a Vietnamese chicken noodle soup. The term is used in the script to describe the specific type of stock being made, which is a variation inspired by travels in Hanoi. The video discusses the process of making this stock, including the addition of aromatics like ginger and onion, and the importance of maintaining a clear and light color, which is a deviation from the traditional method of roasting these ingredients.

💡Aromatics

Aromatics refer to ingredients that provide a dish with a strong, pleasant smell and flavor. In the context of the video, ginger and onion are mentioned as aromatics added to the Pho Ga stock. The chef's choice to not roast these ingredients, contrary to traditional methods, is based on a preference for a lighter stock color and flavor profile.

💡Rice Noodles

Rice noodles are a staple in many Southeast Asian dishes, including Pho. The script mentions 'parcooking' rice noodles in anticipation of service, which means partially cooking them to be ready for quick completion when ordered. The chef's commitment to using high-quality noodles is emphasized, highlighting the restaurant's dedication to authenticity and quality.

💡Gio

Gio refers to Vietnamese fried rice paper rolls, which are a popular appetizer. The script describes the process of making Gio, including the preparation of the meat mixture and the careful handling of rice paper to ensure it doesn't explode when fried due to trapped moisture. This process is a significant part of the restaurant's daily prep and is tied to the chef's personal and cultural background.

💡Banh Trang Nuong

Banh Trang Nuong is a Vietnamese grilled rice paper dish, often likened to pizza due to its rigid structure. The script explains how the restaurant uses two sheets of rice paper, treated with water and grilled, to create a sturdy base for toppings. This method addresses the issue of commercially sourced rice paper being too heavy with tapioca and not holding up well.

💡Banh Chung

Banh Chung is a traditional Vietnamese savory rice dish, typically eaten during the lunar new year. In the video, the chef and team experiment with turning Banh Chung into a dessert by stuffing it with bananas. This innovation represents the restaurant's approach to reimagining traditional dishes with a modern twist, while still respecting their cultural roots.

💡Mise en Place

Mise en Place is a French culinary term meaning 'everything in its place' and refers to the organization of ingredients and tools before cooking begins. The script mentions checking the mise en place as part of the routine to ensure a smooth service. This practice is crucial for efficiency and consistency in a professional kitchen.

💡Wrap and Roll

Wrap and Roll is a common Vietnamese eating style, where ingredients are wrapped in leaves or paper and rolled up before eating. The script describes several dishes in this style, including a lamb dish and a sizzling mushroom plate. This method of eating adds excitement and interactivity to the dining experience.

💡Hospitality

Hospitality in the context of the video refers to the overall guest experience, which goes beyond just serving food. It includes creating an enjoyable atmosphere and memorable moments. The script emphasizes the importance of considering the guest experience in every aspect of dish preparation and service, such as providing lobster crackers and wet naps for a whole lobster dish.

💡R&D (Research and Development)

R&D in a culinary context refers to the process of experimenting with new recipes and ideas. The script describes an R&D task where the team tries to create a dessert version of the traditionally savory Banh Chung. This shows the restaurant's commitment to innovation and the evolution of their menu.

Highlights

Visiting BO BO Chicken distributor in East Williamsburg for older chickens, which are preferred for making a more flavorful stock.

Asian markets prefer dark meat, which is why the chickens are bred specifically for that.

The process of breaking down chickens to prepare for steam kettles and soup production is detailed.

Making Pho Ga, a chicken stock that takes 5-6 hours and requires careful attention to avoid a cloudy stock.

The importance of stock in the restaurant, not just for soups but also for sauces, is emphasized.

A steam kettle is introduced as the central equipment for stock production in the kitchen.

Pho is described as a gateway dish for introducing people to Vietnamese food, with a unique twist inspired by Hanoi travels.

Maintaining a gentle simmer is crucial to achieve a clear, yellow stock, avoiding a rolling boil.

Adding aromatics like ginger and onion is part of the finishing process for the Pho Ga.

A departure from tradition is taken by not roasting the ginger and onion, to keep the stock light and blonde.

The stock's color change to gold is a sign of its readiness, and the addition of fish sauce, salt, and sugar is discussed.

Rice noodles are sourced for their quality and parcooking them is necessary to keep up with service demands.

The chicken stock is strained and filtered to clarify it, with an emphasis on rapid cooling for food safety.

Preparation of Gio, fried rice paper rolls, involves grinding pork and managing moisture to prevent explosions during frying.

The use of whole shrimp in rice paper rolls is highlighted as a preference over a paste for texture.

The process of rolling rice paper rolls is described, with a focus on consistent sizing and clean presentation.

The popularity of the rice paper rolls is noted, with hundreds sold daily and the process needing to be repeated.

A new dish involving hake filet marinated in a Northern trinity and smoked in banana leaves is introduced.

The wrap and roll concept is explored with different fillings, including a sizzling mushroom plate.

The use of various types of mushrooms from Smallhold Farms in the sizzling mushroom plate is detailed.

A new noodle dish with lobster is in development, combining Italian pasta techniques with Vietnamese ingredients.

The importance of guest experience and hospitality is discussed in the context of serving a whole lobster dish.

The versatility of rice paper is showcased through different dishes, including a grilled rice paper 'pizza'.

An R&D task of creating a dessert version of banh chung with bananas is described, incorporating Filipino cooking influences.

The final preparations for service include setting up stations, checking mise en place, and ensuring consistency in cooking.

The goal of providing a great dining experience and exposing customers to the variety of Vietnamese cuisine beyond Pho is expressed.

Transcripts

- Right now we're going

to our chicken distributor, BO BO Chicken,

which is in at East Williamsburg.

These are older chickens, actually,

and we're gonna get a much more delicious stock

by using an older chicken,

as opposed to a younger chicken.

They breed their chicken specifically

for the Asian market.

Asian markets value the dark meat leg and thigh.

So I've gotta break these chickens down immediately,

get them into our steam kettles

so we can keep on schedule today with our soup production.

We've gotta make Pho Ga, a chicken stock today for us.

That's gonna take about five to six hours.

So we're doing 15 birds today

and we're gonna get 15 gallons

of this beautiful yellow chicken stock.

Stock is definitely the life blood in the restaurant.

Not only does it go into our soups, but sometimes,

it finds its way into sauces.

So this is our steam kettle.

This is where all of our stock production happens

in our kitchen.

Now, I'm gonna take the chickens and put them

in here right now.

Pho is a dish that I think is the gateway

for a lot of people in getting introduced

to Vietnamese food.

We're not doing a very traditional Pho.

It's a Pho that's been inspired by our travels in Hanoi.

So you look at right now,

it just looks like kinda cloudy and murky.

What I need to do throughout this entire process is,

never let this machine hit a rolling boil.

If it hits a rolling boil,

I'm gonna end up getting a very cloudy stock.

For us in this situation,

I want something that looks yellow and very clear.

Close it up.

To finish out the process, we add our aromatics, now,

ginger and onion.

All of this is gonna get prepped,

getting ready to finish out our Pho Ga.

This is actually a very untraditional way of making Pho.

The traditional way, the way that I was brought

up and a lot of people teach it,

they actually take the step here

of roasting the onion and ginger.

My personal opinion is,

the roasting aspect doesn't necessarily yield a product

that I'm particularly happy with.

It makes the color

of the stock a little bit darker than I would prefer.

I like something light and blonde

'cause I know the haters online will be like,

"You didn't roast the ginger.

You didn't roast the onion.

That's how my mom makes it."

Well, I'm not trying to make it the way your mom makes it.

I'm trying to make it the way that we enjoy here

at Di An Di while still honoring the dish.

We're gonna bring this all up.

We're gonna put it in

and we're gonna let it cook for probably another hour.

Now we're, you know, three or four hours into the process.

You can see the colors change quite a bit.

That gold layer that we're looking for,

you're starting to see that up top.

So we'll add in the onion, ginger.

We'll add in the fish sauce and we'll add

in our salt and sugar, and that's it.

We'll let this run for another hour.

Richie is just poaching

off some rice noodles in anticipation for service.

We source these beautiful noodles,

and it's the best noodle.

You know, I will stand behind that 110%.

So we kind of parcook it right now

because once service starts between delivery and dine in,

we have to be able to keep up with the pace.

Our chicken stock is ready to get pulled, now.

First, we have to strain out all the bones

and then we are going to release it

from here and then pass it through a filter

to further clarify the stock.

We now need to rapidly cool it.

From a good food safety practices,

we need to make sure that this rapidly cools

so that there's no bacteria growth or anything.

(upbeat music)

7:00 AM in the morning,

this is one of the first tasks that our prep team has

to handle day in and day out,

and it's making the mix for our Gio,

our fried rice paper rolls.

We have pork here that we grind in house.

He's just trying to do his best to wick away as much

of the moisture as he can.

We don't get all the moisture out.

These rolls when they fry, they're gonna wanna explode

because all the water inside's gonna be trapped.

It's gonna convert to steam

and it's gonna wanna find its way out.

We like to use whole shrimp for this.

A lot of times, you'll find, in other restaurants,

they'll grind up the shrimp to like a kind of a paste,

but I really wanna get whole pieces of shrimp

in my rice paper roll.

(funky music)

So Andres is gonna take our dry ingredients

and he's gonna hydrate them with some hot water,

and then we're gonna add this all

and combine it and mix it all up.

First off, this is the rice paper that we're gonna use

for our fried rice paper rolls.

The triangle shape lends itself

to just having the right amount

of rice paper needed so we can roll it

and not have excessive amounts of rice paper in the roll.

And making these is very similar to

when I was growing up as a kid.

This is something that I would be doing with my parents.

While this process has scaled up for a restaurant,

this reminds me a lot of home.

So we have a scoop to get consistent sizing,

and he's now going to go through

and place the meat mix on there

and then we'll come back and then we'll actually roll them.

It's gonna start with edges.

It's important to get clean, sharp lines

and then you're gonna roll from the bottom

over the mix and it just repeats over and over.

This is one of our most popular dishes on our menu.

We sell hundreds of these per day.

Finished 42, here.

We've got about 300 more to go,

so we're gonna have to do this entire process again

another five to six times.

So it gets par fried

and then for the pickup, when a guest orders it,

we'll fry it at a higher temperature

which will complete the cooking process inside,

but then also make the outside very crispy.

So, this is from Green Point Fish.

- Oh, now, what did we get?

- [Dennis] We got the hake filets in,

and this is a process that Jerald created for us.

- We're going to marinate it and we will smoke it

in banana leaves to try to mimic the flavor

of grilling it over charcoal.

It's marinated in a Northern trinity of galangal, mam tom,

which is the fermented shrimp paste,

Maya, which is a fermented rice.

Kinda like shiokoji, but in Vietnam,

it's more of a sour fermented rice as opposed

to a savory fermented rice.

So this is our hake filet.

Back in the day, they used to serve it sizzling

on a pan with hot charcoals underneath,

thus giving it that smoky flavor.

So to mimic that, we are going to smoke it in banana leaves.

So, I'll move it around.

You'll see it gets super nice and smoky.

I'll add my fish, trap smoke, and then I'll kill the heat

and I'll just let it bathe in the smoke

and I'll repeat this process two to three times.

- So the wrap and roll is a very common way

that we eat in Vietnamese cuisine.

For us, it's something on a sizzling plate,

which creates a lot of excitement in the dining room,

which we like.

So we have three different options for that.

We have a fish one, we have a mushroom one

with queso, and we have one with lamb.

So we're just getting our delivery of mushrooms for the day.

This is from Smallhold Farms.

We have these beautiful yellow oyster mushrooms

which we get, blue oyster ones as well,

and then the other mushroom that we get is going to be,

are these beautiful king trumpets.

Yeah, and this will go into our sizzling mushroom plate

which is a wrap and roll dish as well.

So we have to process all these mushrooms.

We kinda create like a mushroom medley here

with the king trumpet, blue oyster, and the yellow oyster.

(pans sizzling)

We're gonna work on some dishes

as we continue to tweak our menu.

But we have a noodle dish that was a big success

for us previously.

So we're thinking of doing one with lobster today,

so we're gonna plate up one with these live lobster.

- [Jimmy] We're breaking down this lobster

for our seafood and garlic noodles, a very popular dish.

We used to serve it with squid, shrimp,

a little bit of clams at one point,

and now we're gonna try and make a nice,

large format whole lobster dish.

- [Dennis] We're not a top down structure

where I'm telling everyone we're gonna cook this,

we're gonna cook that.

I feel like we're more successful when I set everyone

up for success.

And when I say that, it's like,

identifying the things that they're strong at

and leveraging those skill sets.

Jimmy with his strong background in cooking pasta,

there's no reason he can't take those experiences

as an Italian chef

and apply them here in a Vietnamese context.

- [Jimmy] I'm just gonna try to drop one piece at a time,

make sure they don't touch or stick.

All right, so while that's working

we'll start working the garlic noodles.

So we've done this with a bunch of different types

of noodles.

Classically it's with, you know, a Lo Mein style egg noodle.

Because, you know, I like to have fun, change it up,

I'm going with some just pure semolina pasta, no egg.

- At the end of the day, it's not a Vietnamese noodle.

It's more of like,

how can we cook noodles well with Vietnamese ingredients?

And I think that's

where this dish really shows Jimmy's technique.

- [Jimmy] So, I've just added a little bit

of our Pho Ga stock to drop my compound butter based

on butter, miso, garlic.

It's a very deep garlicky flavor.

You know, it's rich, it's buttery,

you get that luscious seafood,

but I really want that garlic to stand out.

I grew up eating a ton of garlic in my household.

Everybody had the stinky breath.

So, you know, one of my favorite flavors,

one of my favorite ingredients to cook with

and anytime that I see a recipe that has garlic in it,

my natural instinct is just add more.

You know, we're always getting requests

for group dining options, parties, so,

but who's supposed to have these kinda large format dishes

in our back pocket?

(upbeat music)

- [Dennis] Well, you know,

I already know this is gonna taste delicious,

just seeing the lobster and how well he cooked it.

Obviously, you know, finding the right size plate,

we don't really have plates big enough to accommodate

for a whole lobster,

so that's something I already see, already.

- Yeah, as I was plating this up, I realized,

I hate how I plated this.

- It's too big for this entire plate.

So, you know, if we wanted to introduce this

as a large form option, we gotta get some new plates

for this, you know?

So, but we'll taste it and see.

We've always used like a round noodle.

This kind of a flat noodle,

I feel like it obviously carries the sauce a lot better

than the round noodle.

- Sure, and you know, do we send this

with a lobster cracker?

You know, do we send it with wet naps

because people are already, I don't know about you guys,

but I've almost only ever ate lobster with my hands

but you have to consider the whole process

of serving the dish, the guest experience.

That's what hospitality is.

It's not just about serving food.

It's about creating an experience

that's enjoyable that people are gonna pay for.

- So yeah, this is our base for our banh trang nuong.

- [Dennis] So we use rice paper

in a multitude of different ways.

We have the grilled rice paper and more or less,

it kind of looks like a pizza and we call it a pizza,

but it's rice paper that's been grilled

and treated in a certain way for it to be a rigid structure.

- A lot of rice paper that actually gets sourced

to United States is like, very heavy with tapioca

so it like, melts and it doesn't really hold up as well.

Our solution to that is just taking two sheets

of rice paper, using 'em with a little bit of water,

and then putting 'em on the grills

and what you end up is something is like,

pretty sturdy and almost like cracker like

that can hold up when, you know,

you start putting ingredients on top of them.

So right now, I'm just like, making a bunch of these just

so I have 'em ready to go before the start of service.

- And then the final way,

you see rice paper is as salad, the banh trang tron,

so that is rice paper strips.

We top that with fried rice paper strips, as well.

So in this case,

you get to appreciate the chewiness of rice paper.

As the rice paper sits,

it gets a little bit chewier and softer.

You know, one of the things that I like to do here is,

get everyone involved in the R&D process.

What we're doing is called the banh chung.

And this is a dish that's normally savory

that we would eat for the lunar new year,

but we thought we would try stuffing it

with bananas and actually turning it into dessert.

- [Marga] So I have a mold and then I have banana leaves

that I've cut into the sides of the mold.

The banana leaves have to fit exactly the mold.

The idea is, this is gonna help the rice stay inside,

this rice that's been soaking.

I'm just gonna put some in there.

These are plantains, right? The baby ones.

So, they're sweet and I like the texture better,

then I'm gonna fill the rest of it with rice.

- [Dennis] You know, we have a 20 top

in a couple weeks and I think Marga

and I thought this might be a good dessert

for us to try for this 20 top.

- [Marga] So I'm folding the leaves, that's fully sealed.

This is the complicated part.

So I'm gonna fold triangles.

- [Dennis] Right, so Marga,

she has a Filipino background cooking.

She provides that context and experience

of the deep knowledge of Filipino cuisine.

- [Marga] So if you look at it right now,

it's a little loose, so this is how it looks.

When it's cooked, we cook it overnight

so I'm gonna open it up for you guys.

This is also why I like folding it the way that I do.

It's like, opening a present.

You can eat it like this, but we like to deep fry it.

So this is how it looks when it's deep fried.

It's really like, crunchy on the outside.

- [Dennis] Whoa, colors change quite a bit.

- [Marga] Those are the bananas, right?

- [Dennis] Those are the bananas, yeah.

It looks like, like sausages.

- [Marga] Yeah.

- I think it's awesome how the bananas turn purple.

They look like little hot dogs.

- [Marga] I like it.

- I like it, too.

- It's a mouthful, but I like the flavor of it.

- I wish this was crispier, first of all.

Feels like too much banana. - Yeah.

- Banana to rice ratio maybe could be a little bit skewed.

- It weighed the rice down a little too much.

- But I thought this was a very successful,

kind of, R and D task.

- Yeah, I like it.

- And I think it's something that we're gonna be proud

to try out and serve in the next week.

We have a 20 top,

so this is gonna be an easy pickup for us.

Fry two of these off

and cut 'em in nine pieces and we're done.

So, you know, it's 5:15, now.

Everybody's gotta try and get ready for service.

Right now, the line cooks are just getting their station set

up and they have to do plate ups.

We're gonna get a lamb dish.

This is a, you know, normal routine for us

and that's our opportunity to check our mise en place.

I'll start with the lamb dish.

This lamb dish is part of a wrap and roll series.

You know, I'm gonna eat it right now just

to double check everything.

So we're all good today,

so these checks done, plate ups are done,

these are all good for today,

so feeling confident as we head into service

that we'll be cooking consistently.

Some kitchen notes today, we have a hard count on curry.

We're limited on bread.

We sold a lot more banh mi this morning than we realized,

so tonight, we're gonna start with a six count of curry.

If we actually sell all six, you come back to chef

and see if you get an update.

We might be able to release a couple more.

Let's have a good service, y'all.

- [Jimmy] All day humming to go. We are working!

(speaks in Vietnamese) One of them is for (indistinct).

(chef and customer speaking in Vietnamese)

(classical music)

- [Dennis] More than ever, we need a good time these days.

So hopefully, showing people a great experience,

great service, but from a food perspective,

it's stuff that I'm interested in.

Hopefully we expose 'em to some new things, you know,

like going back to the rice paper.

Oh, hopefully, they've put two and two together.

Wow, I got rice paper in a lot of different ways here.

I didn't really think

about rice paper from that perspective.

So just showing that there's a lot of variety here

as opposed to just the common way that a lot

of other restaurants are doing it, and hopefully,

it opens their eyes that there's more

to Vietnamese food than Pho by me,

and they'll start to dig deeper.

I'm just hoping that I get people more excited

about Vietnamese food and wanting to try other things.

(classical music)