Review: Aalto, another ubiquitous woodfired concept in Ho Chi Minh?

From Hype to Hylo

It’s been a busy and trying two years for Hylo, previously HypeAsia (the group behind some of Saigon’s most well-loved nightclub concepts including Commas and Bam Bam).

Faced with one of the world’s strictest lockdowns, Hype took the time to restructure, rebrand and reborn as Hylo, a “culturally-driven food and beverage group” which includes Roka Fella, Godmother Bake and Brunch, Octo Tapas Restobar and now, Aalto. As for the group’s franchise-imported concepts (Am Dang Typhoon from Thailand and Beauty in a Pot (amongst many others coming soon) from Singapore), they will sit under the group’s parent company so as to “not confuse the market” according to Jonathan Kang, founder and CEO of Hylo.

According to Kang, “Hype dies out and that means you’re only hot for a moment, you know? Hylo is more meaningful and timeless - it’s a marriage of high tech and the local market because that’s what we want to do. It’s a balance between yin and yang”. With Hylo’s focus on building tasteful and timeless food and drink concepts in Vietnam, the group has been making active investments in the industry in a bid to cement its position as a go-to for lifestyle dining concepts.

After almost two years, Hylo (previously HypeAsia) is debuting its first official F&B concept under its new brand and unveiling a hitherto unknown Executive Chef.

Woodfired gastronomy with hints of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavour

Executive Chef Jimmy Garside and I at the newly-opened Aalto located in Thao Dien, District 2, Ho Chi Minh

No, woodfire cuisine is not new in Vietnam but Executive Chef Jimmy Garside, a native of Manchester, United Kingdom, is.

At Aalto, Garside masterfully infuses beautiful and intense Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavours into his dishes using a repertoire of smoke-kissed grills, ovens, billows of smoke and an entire arsenal of cooking techniques picked up from his time spent in the kitchens of Reubin Stubbs in Congleton, Cheshire and The Apollo and Mary’s Underground in Sydney. Of course, this was before he landed on our shores in Vietnam to introduce “Aussie cuisine with wine in a social space centred around a constantly evolving menu” that is unmistakably suffused with flavours of woodfire.

Photo courtesy of Aalto

Like all of Hylo’s concepts, the space is stunning and designed by the “Bali guys” as Kang calls them. Aalto is a Mediterranean-inspired oasis boasting bright bold splashes of white, blue and yellow against a lush and leafy al fresco area set in a playful and tastefully furnished villa. From its eclectic collection of wall paintings to its minimal and nude ceramic plates imported from Bali, you’ll be hard-pressed to find another space like Aalto in the city.

Order away and you’ll be generously rewarded

A quick glance at Aalto’s menu and you’ll be forgiven for thinking you’ve stepped into a fine dining restaurant. Obscure ingredients, unprecedented combinations and eyebrow-raising flavour profiles - it can be intimidating but order away and you’ll be generously rewarded.

Admittedly, I had to seek the help of the Aalto team to describe many of the dishes to my dining partner (a fellow F&B industry friend) and me so I reckon a photo menu, Instagram-worthy photos and a well-trained front-of-house team would really help. While cumbersome, I believe that’s the brunt that you have to bear when you’re a first-of-its-kind concept bringing something novel to a young and emerging market like Vietnam.

There is an unspoken agreement and responsibility that restaurants need to be aware of and willing to undertake in an effort to ‘educate the market’, especially when you’re doing some different on multiple fronts - dining behaviours (sharing versus solo, wine pairing etc.) as well as ingredients and flavours. The solution is simple: small, ‘risk-free’ and progressive steps that are easy to understand.

Photo courtesy of Aalto

Aalto’s food menu is divided into three sections - snacks, small plates and big plates - which suggests a sharing concept where the table is filled with an array of different plates best enjoyed in groups as also suggested by the restaurant’s interiors - booth seating (up to groups of four), large tables, generous al fresco seating and DJ booth.

However, the snacks arrive and they’re more similar to the likes of delicately-presented Hors d'oeuvre (2 pieces per serving) prepared with military precision that one would typically find in a fine dining restaurant and not a premium-casual restaurant. And, while the snacks were my favourite of the evening with each dish’s flavour profile truly impeccable, I reckon a different presentation, portion and price (the average price for each snack is approximately 230,000 VND, which is higher than the small plates) would be a lot more fitting and resonate stronger with the fun and flirty sharing concept.

Comte, plum and beetroot

To open, the Comte, plum and beetroot (165,000 VND) arrives as a Comte custard atop a sliver of sourdough coated with a dried plum leather flecked with beetroot salt. The rich and creamy Comte custard is so innately sweet and pairs beautifully with the sour-umami flavour and subtly sticky texture of the plum leather.

While it wasn’t what I was expecting and definitely not as a savoury snack (this winning combination is more common in tarts and desserts), I was very pleasantly surprised, impressed and smitten.

Chickpea, crab and saffron

Similarly, the chickpea, crab and saffron (275,000 VND) was a crowd favourite of the evening. Think two bricks of chickpea Panisse (chickpea flour fries) topped with a generous dollop of sweet and fluffy crab meat bosting subtle yet satisfying (and not a tad overpowering) hints of saffron.

Interestingly, the small plates arrive and are very ideal for sharing. My dining partner is Dutch and insisted we opt for the handmade wood-fired flatbread (60,000 VND) with beautifully-smoked blistered spots to accompany our hummus, zhoug (145,000 VND) (a Middle Eastern condiment made from a mixture of cilantro, garlic, chilli peppers, spices and olive oil) and egg dip. This aligns a lot more with the Mediterranean/Middle Eastern sharing concept Aalto is going for in my opinion.

Charred and crisp on the outside, I take a slice of flatbread and put down a generous smear of rich and leathery hummus with kicks of bold flavours on it. Each bite is nostalgic and transports me back to my time in the Middle East where I spent almost 6 years!

Blood cake, squid and salsa verde

I reserve my final praise for Aalto’s blood cake, squid and salsa verde (310,000 VND) - a menu standout and one I’d easily return over and over again for. It’s not every day that you see blood cake on a menu in Vietnam let alone in a restaurant like Aalto’s. But, I am a big fan of blood cake (pork or beef blood, cereal and either pork fat or beef suet), especially in a traditional English breakfast but paired with squid? I have my reservations.

Deftly executed and extremely moreish, the squid sits on top of the blood cake and adds an interesting crunchy texture while accentuating the rich and savoury flavours from the blood cake. To cut the intense savoriness, Garside serves a side of housemade salsa verde. Miss it at your own peril!

Last but not least, we pick the Piri Piri roasted chicken (450,000 VND) for our main, which arrives big enough to feed a group of 4 to 5 (or even more!). Hot and crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside, the chicken is brined, smoked and generously coated in a classic fermented Piri Piri sauce for that highly-addictive kick of spice. Yum.

To end, Aalto has all makings for a truly exceptional and unforgettable experience in Vietnam - beautiful space, star-studded kitchen team, warm and jovial service team under the leadership of Joe Juliawan from Bali, and impeccable food. However, like any restaurant during its soft opening, there are teething issues.

For Aalto’s case, certain elements of its concept - namely the menu, marketing and price - need finetuning and to align stronger together in order to establish a unique and clear identity in Vietnam’s food and drink market. My general rule of thumb is: if you can’t explain what you are in one sentence (5 to 7 words) it’s going to really hard to communicate and resonate with the market.

With two weeks left till Aalto’s official launch, fingers crossed that the team will buckle up and bite down on these issues. Till then, I’ll be looking forward to my return!

**Officially opening end of September, follow Aalto on Facebook for the latest up-to-minute updates!

• Address: 38 Tran Ngoc Dien Street, Thao Dien Ward, Thủ Đức, Vietnam

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aalto.vn

• Opening hours: 4 pm to 11:30 pm (closed on Mondays)

• Price per head (excl. drinks): approx. 750,000 - 1 million VND sans alcohol

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