It’s Okay to Watch at Chom Chom

September 30th 2013, courtesy of our friends at NecesCity Like it or not, we live in a society that likes to watch. Our eyes are drawn to the beautiful, the sensational and the surreal. After all, humans are visual creatures. We’re hard-wired to appreciate magnificence, whether that comes in the form of a perfect body, a beautifully composed picture or a delicious plate of food. At Chom Chom, a lively new Vietnamese eatery in Soho, the open kitchen offers diners visual engagement as well as sustenance, as they watch Chef Peter Cuong Franklin whip up a range of simple, fresh dishes inspired by Vietnamese street food. With its origins in Bia Hoi dining, where locals enjoy home-made draft beers and simple snacks on a busy street corner while watching the world go by, Chom Chom dishes out a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach. On offer are rice paper rolls – try the spicy tuna or shrimp and roast pork – small bites like the VFC (Vietnamese fried chicken wings), and dishes from the charcoal grill like the succulent Shaking Beef (bite-sized pieces of tenderloin) and Cha Ca Hanoi, sole fillet served with vermicelli. The dishes are perfectly off set with a carefully planned drinks list – try the thirst-quenching Saigon beer, or the just-tart-enough Hanoi 75 signature cocktail, a well-balanced mix of Tanqueray, lemon juice and sparkling wine. Beauty for all the senses.

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