Bềnh Bồng, Aiii House Saigon’s third tasting menu, marked the restaurant’s first anniversary and signaled a pivotal shift in Chef Alain Pham’s culinary narrative - a turn toward Northern Vietnam’s wet-rice culture, where collective memory, folklore, and agrarian life converge.
Drawing inspiration from Vietnamese water puppetry, a traditional art form rooted in rural life, the menu adopts Tễu, the iconic folk character, as its symbolic guide. Rather than narrating directly, Tễu appears as a playful yet perceptive presence, leading diners through familiar cultural landscapes seen from a contemporary perspective.
“Bềnh Bồng” evokes the drifting movement of water - of waves, rice fields, and seasonal rhythms. This notion unfolds on the plate through ingredients deeply tied to wet-rice civilization: fish, crab, bamboo shoots, wild birds, young rice, and river herbs - elements long embedded in Vietnamese culinary heritage.
The menu opens with Têm Trầu, reimagining the traditional betel leaf ritual. Familiar components are reconstructed using unexpected ingredients such as fermented rice, native jujube, and green pepper, creating a multisensory introduction where cultural memory is activated within moments.
Subsequent courses expand the dialogue:
Mò Cua, a contemporary interpretation of crab roe, paired with house-made crab fritters, Gruyère cheese, and black pepper;
Cá Nước, inspired by wild river fish from the Đà River, evolving from the structure of Northern Vietnamese sour fish soup into a layered, modern expression;
Măng Mực, drawing from the enduring pairing of squid and bamboo shoots in the culinary traditions of Bát Tràng village, where land and sea meet through time-tested balance.
The main course, Chim Trời, stands as the menu’s centerpiece. Inspired by the movement of wild duck across the water stage in water puppetry, the dish explores the full potential of the ingredient, balancing gaminess with umami while preserving its natural, forest-born character.
The journey concludes with Ngũ Thanh, a dessert developed by Pastry Chef Trâm Anh exclusively for Aiii. A contemporary interpretation of Hanoi’s traditional sweet rice and dessert culture, it weaves young rice, coconut, lotus seed, black sesame, and ginger into layered textures, offering a gentle, reflective close.
Rather than retelling folklore, Bềnh Bồng examines how cultural memory moves and transforms. The menu reflects a matured voice - one that engages with Vietnamese tradition not through replication, but through dialogue, marking a defining chapter in Aiii House Saigon’s evolving identity.
