June 20, 2014July 29, 2023
Architecture, Art, Cuisine, Culture, Stories

A Fork in Asia’s Road: The Hue Home by John Krich

John Krich
PEN/Hemingway Award Novelist
Former Asian Wall Street Journal Food & Arts Columnist; Travel Writer, Critic, Feature Writer, Journalist

The generator that lights Boi Tran’s garden goes out in the midst of the first course — a frequent occurrence along this remote hillside on the road to forested royal tombs. From the outdoor table, stars can be seen peeking through the trees. Yet it seems a special shame to dig in without first having a look at dishes designed by this cultured city’s most renowned artist — and one of the remarkable women who have used their homes to help revive their hometown’s food culture.

A Fork in Asia’s Road: Adventures of an Occidental Glutton, John Krich

Vietnamese know Hue, the last imperial seat of Vietnam, as a culinary capital. But look in Lonely Planet and it directs you to two grungy balconies overlooking city ramparts still pocked with American and Vietcong bullets, where some old guy in a T-shirt may or may not be moved to bring out stale egg rolls congealed in grease. Travellers in this newly awakened provincial town often have to settle for the indifferent, generic fare at massive riverfront eateries or package-tour replications of “imperial” settings. On side streets, there are the better-preserved remnants of royal snacks in the form of tiny saucers of steamed rice-flour pancakes topped with various garnishes of garlic and dried shrimp. But much of the time, visitors are left in the dark.

For me, it’s only an accident: the generator that lights Boi Tran’s garden goes out in the midst of the first course — a frequent occurrence along this remote hillside on the road to forested royal tombs. From the outdoor table, stars can be seen peeking through the trees. Yet it seems a special shame to dig in without first having a look at dishes designed by this cultured city’s most renowned artist — and one of several remarkable women who have used their homes to help revive their hometown’s food culture.

Prawn with Five Tastes (Tôm Ngũ Vị)

There are stacks of delicate “paper rolls” meant to be dipped in a thick beef mélange; vả trộn, a special local fig minced with spices to taste like raw fish; and a circular, soup-floated display of whole shrimp “in five tastes.” These seem to complement the rest of Boi Tran’s creations, sumptuous canvases of mysterious women and landscapes that have made her one of Vietnam’s highest-priced painters — viewed by pre-dinner daylight in the large oblong gallery that fronts her landscaped compound of fruit trees, lotus ponds and traditional tribal houses, where for the past decade she has worked and cooked

“At first, I made meals only for friends,” says this imposing woman, still strikingly attractive at 53 in her traditional silk ao dai, yet self-possessed as a modern executive. “Then visitors and groups kept making requests — and for me this is an extension of my pride, to keep alive the true Hue taste and feeling.”

In this, she would seem to know what she is talking about, as she traces generations of ancestors having lived in Hue since 1380. But Ms Tran’s biography is hardly typical of Vietnamese women. Divorced in 1987 from a wealthy businessman who moved to the U.S. two decades back, she always loved to paint and studied under some of Vietnam’s modern masters in Ho Chi Minh City. She may have become willing to open her home regularly and serve as the city’s kind of unofficial hostess for important foreigners to quell some of her loneliness. The largest, and most beautiful, wooden structure in her garden, is, ironically lined with photographs of her beloved son and a shrine to his memory. He died at age 22 in a 2002 California swimming accident while trying to save a friend.

With little outward show of emotion, she admits that she has often cooked banquets honouring his spirit. She decided to build and create her studio and retreat, never planning it as a restaurant, in 1999. Motivated in part to have an in-town place for both cooking and socializing, but mainly to spearhead the restoration of an especially beloved nhà rường (Hue-style wooden altar house), she quietly opened Hoang Vien (“Royal Garden”) in March this year. While clearly a restaurant, its two symmetrical dining pavilions and outdoor courtyard seem more like extensions of Boi Tran’s life and art.

The food, too, is a somewhat standardized version of Tran’s family favourites — but good enough to make this the classiest and most consistent restaurant within the ancient Hue city walls. On the menu are especially delicate renditions of green jackfruit salad, ginger cuttlefish, and rice with lotus seeds. There’s a decent wine selection, even sashimi of garoupa with mustard sauce for a fusion touch. “But Hue food has to be delicate, in small dishes — even the rice servings are small,” Boi Tran explains.

Artworks displayed at Boi Tran Garden (Boi Tran Art Gallery)

Back in her garden on a Saturday morning, Boi Tran instructs a trusty kitchen staff in making a special breakfast of extra-wet and delicate snacks of dried shrimps in banana leaf and rice pancakes. She also welcomes guests by preparing rare teas in a highly ceremonial manner that like much else here is claimed as the essence of Vietnamese yet decidedly Chinese. While she could be at her easel or resting on her laurels, Boi Tran scouts coastal villages for special fish sauces hits the markets for the most seasonal produce and, she boasts, would never add MSG. “People thought I was crazy at first,” this most dedicated of Hue women says with a sigh. “But this is the only way to renew our country.”

You may also like

Ancient Mansions' Rebirth

Ancient Mansions' Rebirth

Hue becomes a poem capital in Vietnam thanks to its nature-blended architecture. In some aspects, the renaissance of pillar houses contributes to the reconstruction, preservation and protection of cityscape, cultural awareness and consciousness of this Imperial city.
Truong Be: A Quest For The Absolute and His Handwriting to Boi Tran

Truong Be: A Quest For The Absolute and His Handwriting to Boi Tran

Truong Be is a great artist for the obvious reason that he is a true man who has been able to embody the history of his country even though he refrains from doing so. Behind his candid and alluring smile and beyond his stalwart posture, a strong character is revealed.
Harper's Bazaar: A Great Hue Destination

Harper's Bazaar: A Great Hue Destination

Boi Tran Garden, nestled on Thien An Hill and 10 kilometres from the city centre, is a well-known destination for local artists and international masters whenever they travel to Hue.
Royal Cuisine - Cultural Interview: The Hue To Go by KF Seetoh

Royal Cuisine - Cultural Interview: The Hue To Go by KF Seetoh

There was a visit to another dimension of food glory, a ride out to visit Boi Tran Garden to meet Madame Boi Tran herself, a living legend of an artist and chef. The place, the green, manicured and curated garden and yards with French and local Hue touches plus the
Ravenel: Select Modern & Contemporary Art, Vietnamese Modern Art

Ravenel: Select Modern & Contemporary Art, Vietnamese Modern Art

Boi Tran is one of the few outstanding Vietnamese female artists. Her style is heavily influenced by her teacher, Nguyen Trung and she also served as a source of creative inspiration for Nguyen Trung's works. Tran's Elegant in Hue trilogy is presented in a classical European triptych form. They depict
Cultural Exchange: Chairman of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung, Deputy Secretary (Asia-Pacific), Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mr Ng Teck Hean and Painter Boi Tran

Cultural Exchange: Chairman of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung, Deputy Secretary (Asia-Pacific), Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mr Ng Teck Hean and Painter Boi Tran

Boi Tran Garden is privileged to host a cultural exchange between Vietnam and Singapore. The dignitaries includes Mr Le Hoai Trung, Chairman of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Foreign Affairs; Mr Ng Teck Hean, Deputy Secretary (Asia-Pacific), Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Mr Nguyen Van Cao, Former Chairman of
Brigitte Woman: The Kitchen of Smiles

Brigitte Woman: The Kitchen of Smiles

Boi Tran is not only a renowned Vietnamese artist and garden architect but also a talented cook. Guests at their guesthouse come away with profound insights about life.
Heritage Magazine: Best of Both Worlds

Heritage Magazine: Best of Both Worlds

Owning an exquisite garden around 5000m2 nestled on Thien An Hill where art researchers, scholars, specialists, and experts in Vietnam and other countries oftentimes pass by, Heritage is privileged to meet this talented artist Boi Tran – “A true heroine” of the ancient Hue in her own mansion.
Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown: Vivacious in Vietnam

Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown: Vivacious in Vietnam

Boi Tran is a painter and something of a throwback, an anomaly, a creature from another, earlier time in the life of the onetime Imperial City. She also cooks, magnificently from a repertoire of Imperial Hue-era dishes numbering over 100. She spoils all of us with a succession of dishes.
A Fork in Asia's Road: The Hue Home by John Krich

A Fork in Asia's Road: The Hue Home by John Krich

It seems a special shame to dig in without first having a look at dishes designed by this cultured city’s most renowned artist Boi Tran, one of the remarkable women who have used their homes to help revive their hometown’s food culture.
Thanh Nien News: Complete Transcendence

Thanh Nien News: Complete Transcendence

“Mother and Children” fetched approximately USD 10,000 at Christie’s Hong Kong on May 26, 2013. Boi Tran is only the second Vietnamese female painter, the other being Le Thi Luu (1911 – 1988), selected by the two prestigious international auction houses Sotheby’s and Christie’s.
DestinAsian Magazine: Hungry for Hue

DestinAsian Magazine: Hungry for Hue

Many of the old culinary traditions live on, and today, Hue cuisine is held to be Vietnam’s most delicious and diverse. A visit to Ancient Hue, a home restaurant and gallery of an eccentric, elegant artist and chef Boi Tran, gives visitors an inkling of what a royal banquet and
Cultural Exchange: Singapore's Asian Civilisations Museum, The Peranakan Museum Founding Director Dr Kenson Kwok "Thank you for beautifully nourishing our bodies and souls" and the Singapore Home Affairs Delegation at Boi Tran Garden

Cultural Exchange: Singapore's Asian Civilisations Museum, The Peranakan Museum Founding Director Dr Kenson Kwok "Thank you for beautifully nourishing our bodies and souls" and the Singapore Home Affairs Delegation at Boi Tran Garden

Boi Tran Garden is privileged to host a cultural exchange between the representatives of Singapore Home Affairs, The National Heritage Board Museum, Singapore’s Asian Civilisations Museum, the Peranakan Museum, the National Gallery Singapore, the Singapore Embassy to Vietnam and the Delegation from Singapore Government.
Boi Tran, Ladies and Flowers by Nguyen Trong Tao

Boi Tran, Ladies and Flowers by Nguyen Trong Tao

I stopped by Minh Chau Art Gallery not only to contemplate the masterpieces of leading artists such as Nguyen Phan Chanh, Bui Xuan Phai, Nguyen Tu Nghiem, Nguyen Sang... or visit the young owner Minh Chau but to feast my eyes on her mother's paintings displayed to the art lovers