I reviewed Olam restaurant a few months ago, but this time I came back to try more delicious dishes. Olam specializes in popular Vietnamese dishes such as frog cooked with bamboo shoots, banana snails and bean curd, spring rolls, pho noodles, boiled chicken, fried chicken, sweet and sour chicken, fish dishes, spicy hot pot, Thai hot pot, mushroom hot pot and chicken hot pot. The restaurant space is clean and beautiful, there are many serving staff, and the prices are super reasonable. Overall, this is an ideal place for those who love Vietnamese cuisine with traditional flavors but still have creativity in the way it is prepared and especially the prices are reasonable, you don't need to spend a lot of money to still eat delicious food ahhaa.
What impressed me about Olam is the meticulous way the dishes are presented, however, each dish comes with a lot of dipping sauce. Looking at the dining table, you can tell that the staff will have a hard time washing the dishes. However, this also shows the meticulousness in each dish that the restaurant serves. This time, I ordered La Vong fish cake, mixed crab hotpot and fried pork with vegetables - all three dishes are the restaurant's best sellers. In total, each person only spent about $10 but ate until full. The drinks here are also surprisingly cheap, a glass of kumquat and aloe vera tea is only 15,000 VND (~$0.6), the tea is fragrant, the aloe vera is crispy in a pretty glass cup. If you go somewhere else, it would be at least $1! The restaurant also has many other types of drinks such as peach tea, lemon tea, coca, lotus tea, black bean tea, soft tofu dessert, etc. with extremely affordable prices, suitable for all customers.
Now, I will review each dish in detail:
Fried pork with vegetables: This is the dish that makes Olam's brand. I see them often run ads on Facebook about this dish, the advertising image and the real image are identical. Grilled pork belly with crispy skin, sliced thinly. The rolls include thin rice paper, pho noodles, herbs, pineapple, carrots, mango, cucumber... When rolled and dipped in the restaurant's special sauce, the flavor is very unique. I don't know what the recipe for this sauce is, but it is the highlight that makes this dish different. When eaten, each piece of crispy meat combined with the cool taste of vegetables and the sweet and sour taste of the sauce makes the dish extremely harmonious. This is really a dish worth trying if you come to Olam for the first time.
La Vong fish cake: Served on a small pan and mini gas stove to heat the fish. Served with dill, vermicelli, herbs, fish sauce and peanuts. The fish is marinated with turmeric and galangal, with a fragrant taste. The fish is hot, fatty but not dry at all, I really like it. The big plus point of this dish is the way it is served right at the table, diners heat the fish themselves and then roll it with vermicelli and vegetables. In particular, the accompanying dipping sauce is also very rich, adding to the deliciousness of the dish. I feel that this is one of the best versions of La Vong fish cakes I have ever tried.
Mixed crab hotpot: A crab hotpot for two costs only $10 but the ingredients are extremely plentiful. The hotpot has pork balls mixed with wood ear mushrooms, pork sausage, mushrooms, vegetables, beef and of course lots of crab. The crab hotpot broth is extremely sweet, cooked with dried onions to create an attractive aroma. When all the ingredients are put into the pot, just wait for it to cook and the aroma will make your stomach growl. Sitting down to eat a hot hotpot in the cold weather is truly a wonderful experience. If you go in a group, you can order other hotpot dishes such as mushroom hotpot or chicken hotpot, Thai hotpot to enjoy the diversity of Olam's menu.
In addition to these three dishes, Olam's menu is also very rich with many typical dishes of Vietnamese cuisine. Another thing I like about the restaurant is the attentive service of the staff. Even though the restaurant is crowded, the staff is always quick, enthusiastic and ready to recommend dishes that suit everyone's taste. The restaurant space is also comfortable, suitable for both meeting friends or family meals.
In short, I have eaten at Olam twice and both times I have been satisfied. The food is not only beautiful but also delicious, the price is very reasonable. I will definitely come back to try more dishes.