British chef Kirk Westaway is like a kid in a candy store as he wanders through a wet market in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City. Bristling with stalls loaded with live lobsters, crabs, frogs, and fruit and vegetables, the market has it all – but it is the fresh herbs that catch his eye.
Something the world can take inspiration from, says Westaway, is Vietnamese cuisine’s heavy use of herbs.
“They really go over the top,” he says, recalling fond memories of a bowl of pho he had a few years ago. The noodle soup, considered Vietnam’s national dish, came stacked high with herbs.
So intense was that moment that it inspired a dish at Westaway’s new restaurant, The Albion by Kirk Westaway, which opened this month on the 23rd floor of Hôtel des Arts Saigon – MGallery, in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City.
The Albion Tomato, Westaway’s favourite starter, comprises a heritage tomato served with a home-made ketchup and a basil and orange sorbet, finished with foraged sweet Vietnamese basil.