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The Chicago food scene is booming with a plethora of Italian, Mexican, and American bistros popping up. When was the last time you took a culinary trip to Vietnam though? The cuisine is rich in color, flavor, and, in the case of chef Thai Dang’s food, also rich in history! He first moved to Chicago with his wife/business partner Danielle in 2009, joining the then newly opened L2o Restaurant located inside the Belden Stratford Hotel. Three Michelin stars, and years working under chef Laurent Gras later, and he struck out on his own. Thai and Danielle partnered with friends to open their first restaurant, Embeya, which closed abruptly after legal issues with his former business partners.
Instead of giving up, they regrouped and opened HaiSous {1800 South Carpenter Street, Chicago; 312.702.1303} and Cà Phê Đá {1/2, 1800 South Carpenter Street, Chicago; 773.999.1800} in Pilsen. HaiSous literally translates to “two pennies,” which Dang says is “all we had left after being left with our business partner’s debts.” From those two pennies came amazing cuisine and a new love for their Pilsen family. The heart of HaiSous is a representation of “how fortunate we were to find a way to try again.” Now, on the heels of the continued success of HaiSous, Dang is telling us what makes the restaurant special, and what he’d order if he were dining there…
DiningOut: What sets HaiSous apart?
Dang: Our past experience led us to see many sides of the restaurant business. We decided to be part of the change. We sought ways in our workplace to promote respect among our team, uphold standards and self-confidence, teach core values in service, hospitality, food, and flavors, and find ways to pay respectable wages.
Danielle is an architect by trade and was really able to shine on this project by sourcing our décor and plate ware directly from Vietnam. The interior design highlights my culture and food and creates a warm, chic environment.
It was not only immensely important for us to hire local staff upon opening but also to hire local builders to revive our 125-year old landmark building. We took it as an opportunity to help some of who we hired get certified along the way. Danielle helped them build their business and created branding and business cards for them. HaiSous’ opening was a community effort. The core of HaiSous truly came from the depths of our hearts. Our guests feel that when they dine with us. They feel our hearts in the food, service, and environment.
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How have you put your own spin on Vietnamese food?
I tell my kitchen team, “If you don’t have the foundation and know the fundamentals of the cuisine or of cooking, you can’t keep building.” For me, I take what Vietnamese people use so much of, like fish sauce, and I master how to manipulate it and transform it into a great technique that even my family members are astonished by. Take my wings for an example—Vietnamese cooks marinate the wings in fish sauce, garlic, and chilis, then fry it. To me, it’s dark and not as pleasant looking. But you have to understand why and how. With the lack of refrigeration and modern equipment and tools, ethnic techniques tend to stay the same and get passed down from one generation to the next.
For me, I wanted to take it to the next level. I took the same ingredients and turned the fish sauce into a glaze. Then I fry the wings and toss the sauce over them. So, when you get the wings, they glisten with this sauce full of garlic, chili, and fish sauce, making it 100 times better than the original almost archaic way. I’ve done nothing to compromise the integrity of the dish, I merely took the nuance of the flavor and texture and elevated it with new technique, creating a better version. I love the reactions of hardcore Vietnamese guests who dine here and when they look at it, smell it, and then after the first bite, you see the wall crumble right there. And a satisfied look comes out.
What are some of your favorite dishes right now?
Some of my favorite dishes right now, and since the beginning, are the wings, Octopus Salad, and Whole Fried Fluke. In our cafe, you have to get the Cơm Gà chicken and rice dish and Phở Gà. It’s so Vietnamese but Vietnamese T-Dang style. That’s what cooking is all about!
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What are some traditional, regional dishes guests should also be sure to try?
The Bò lá lốt, a ground beef wrapped in betel leaf. You can enjoy it as is or dip it in a sauce made from Mắm Nêm, an unfiltered and more pungent fish sauce, mixed with chili, and lime juice. Bún Thịt Nem Nướng is also great. It’s influenced from Northern regions of Vietnam, where my parents are from. They migrated after 1954 when Vietnam gained independence from the French, and it inspired me to make a Northern-style pho. You have to come for weekend brunch to have Phở Bò, a beef broth noodle soup. There’s no filler, just really well done broth and slices of rib-eye. And Phở Gà, a chicken broth noodle soup available all day at Cà Phê Đá, our street food-inspired coffee shop with a full bar. There’s no coffee shop like it, or Vietnamese coffee shop/bar this fun and unique.
What do you offer in terms of catering and special events menus?
We offer our entire menu to our guests. It’s their event and we want to do whatever it takes to satisfy their needs and expectations. We have a few weddings already lined up in the coming months at HaiSous as well as an upcoming off-site catered wedding, which is always fun for the team. And it’s our guest who enjoys it so much they want to share it with their family and friends on their special day. That, to me, is true hospitality. We’re honored they chose us, so we do our best to cater to their needs.
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How does HaiSous fit in and contribute to its own neighborhood?
Danielle and I have lived in Pilsen for years now. It is so vibrant and diverse! We are proud to have brought new life to this space that, while most recently was condemned, housed so many lives before us. We preserved all that we could of the original integrity of the 19th century building and ensured the space could forever be accessible and coded for all. I like seeing the locals use the bench we built for them on our corner as they wait for the bus. Danielle came up with a genius idea; pour extra concrete to the ledge that leads to the entrance. Thus, providing a bench seat against our building for the riders. We love the old man with his corn cart outside. We bought him a heater and ran an electric cord from our back door for the long cold winter days. We share great partnerships with many new and old businesses that surround us and have made many friends with our neighbors. All of the local schools, sports teams, charities can always rely on us for gift cards, donations, care packages, and any other things that provide for others and ultimately makes our hearts warm.
What is next for you and the restaurant?
The start of 2019 will be a busy one for us. Danielle and I are food tour guides for Chicago-based travel agency, R. Crusoe. We are hosting a group of 20 guests and will travel up and down the coast in search of amazing food and experiences within Vietnam.
We are also thrilled to be taking members of our team, also local to Pilsen, to Hong Kong for an amazing opportunity to do a HaiSous pop-up dinner with Blacksheep restaurant group. It will be the first time for some of them traveling outside the country and we couldn’t be more excited to share the experience with them.
Interview by Kaleigh Glaza | Online Editor
The post In the Kitchen with Thai Dang from HaiSous appeared first on DiningOut Chicago.