issue 54 - AsiaLIFE Magazine

Bahdja
A District 1 restaurant serving authentic and high-quality North
African cuisine. By Claire Jowell. Photos by Fred Wissink.
This charming North African
restaurant can be found tucked
away in the centre of town and
is lovingly run by the Algerian
owner, Ahmed, and his wife,
Anna. The décor is simple
yet stylish, with locally-made
wooden carvings that replicate
an Algerian setting, coupled
with relics from Ahmed’s
hometown.
The couple was extremely
hospitable, quickly and
ceremoniously pouring us tea
from an ornate set. All their
dishes are cooked as they are
ordered and are made with
the highest-quality ingredients,
which Ahmed and Anna
say took a long time to search
out. Their homemade bread
is baked fresh every morning
and is served as an entrée with
an aubergine pate, harissa
paste and pickled gherkins and
chillis (all prepared by Ahmed).
The menu consists of five
starters, three different couscous
dishes and two tajines.
The mains are ideal for sharing,
as is the tradition in Algeria,
and larger groups can enjoy a
taste of all the dishes. To start
with we were served a platter
of all five of their starters:
tomato paprika salad, chicken
salad, tuna bourek, minced
bourek, and prawn salad. All
were delicious, but special
mention has to go to the fresh
and flavourful grilled tomato
paprika salad, which comes
in a parmesan basket (VND
90,000). The minced beef
bourek (VND 130,000) was also
flawlessly spiced and wrapped
in a light, crispy pastry. Next
we were given the slowcooked
beef, apple and prune
tajine (VND 250,000), which is
cooked for four hours until the
imported beef is tender. The
sweetness of the soft fruits was
offset well by the rich tomato
and onion sauce, and the meal
comes with their homemade
bread to soak up the sauce.
Finally we tried the fine,
golden couscous with an assortment
of meats, including
merguez (paprika-spiced sausage),
chicken, and succulent
lamb chops (ranging from
VND 220,000 to VND 390,000,
depending on the choice of
meat). Their couscous comes
Algerian-style, which means a
thick tomato-based vegetable
stew is served separate from
the couscous, which is served
separate from the meat. The
combination of flavours was
excellent and we finished our
meal extremely satisfied. Bahdja
is an intimate and charming
restaurant ideal for a romantic
date, a festive group dinner or
a private event.
87-89-91 Ho Trung Mau, D1
Ph: 12 27 63 12 61
Monday to Friday 11.30am to 2pm
and 6pm to 11pm, Saturday 6pm
to 11pm.
asialife HCMC 45