Marcel magazine with cover

O
ne of the first things you
will notice at the entry
of Cafe Marcel is Chef
Brian Chu – the head
chef of the French-
style restaurant chain
Marcel and Café Marcel –working
from the kitchen window. Having
interacted with French cuisine from
his very young age, Chef Brian has
been in the profession for over 13
years, without having been to any
culinary school.
Fresh ingredients found in
Vietnam are the sources
of creativity and the
foundation of our Chef’s
personal culinary style
Making authentic French
dishes with Vietnamese
fresh ingredients. This
has always been the
principle of Chef Brian
and the Café Marcel
team. Organic and
seasonal local products
are carefully selected
among trusted
Vietnamese suppliers.
The team even goes
as far as making their
We’re Café Marcel
Hi, haven’t met you before!
From the sun-filled and
breezy cafés of southern
France, Café Marcel has
arrived in Saigon, bringing
the homemade and fresh
Western taste to the
hustle and bustle city
4

own ingredients when they cannot
find standard products. Only in
Café Marcel can foodies find freshly
rolled pasta, newly baked buns, fully
stuffed sausages, etc.
As Chef Brian stated, “I don’t
want to be too rigid in combining
ingredients and using too many
imported products. Instead, I like to
take advantage of fresh ingredients
available in Vietnam to combine
with cooking techniques in French
cuisine. This not only helps support
Vietnamese agriculture and farmers,
but also makes me more comfortable
in creating and building a personal
culinary style.”
Always in a search for a further
“twist” to already delicious
homemade-standard recipes
At Café Marcel, the emphasis
is placed on harmony and
delicacy from taste to color
in each dish, making
your day with the
homemade-standard
brunches. A lot of Da
Lat grown vegetables
and fruits have
been used to make
the dishes healthier
yet still tasty. Chef
Brian believes,
“In today’s world,
where the quality of
the environment is
decreasing, I want
my guests to have as
many opportunities as
possible to enjoy the
healthiest food.”
The story behind
every garish and
flavorful dish lies in the
art of using various
unique combinations
and cooking
techniques.
One of the most
harmonious tastes
recommended by Chef
Brian is his sea-and-land
combination: pan-fried scallops
and smashed avocado. The Chef’s
favorite cooking technique is slow-
cook method, serving you the soft
and flavorful meat, but still
juicy while retaining its shape.
“La Marcel Family”: one
team, one spirit.
Brought to Vietnam in 2017
by a small team of French
food connoisseurs, Café
Marcel carries over the
homemade and fresh
philosophy, with twisted
brunch menu and
story-driven concept.
5

6 | Introduction on Café Marcel
From sunrise to sunset,
familiar confamiliar brunch
dishes in French cuisine are served
in a little sun-bathed corner of
Saigon. When the night comes, this
place transforms into a rooftop bar
with signature cocktails relieving the
stress that has accumulated throughout
the day.
Behind this significant concept is “La
Marcel Family”, who is like-minded to put
all their effort in the kitchen and go an
extra mile in the service. The team is driven
by bringing homemade recipes to a better
level and create memorial tastes in every dish.
They love to give their customers advices to
customize brunch in their way and bring them
good time when enjoying in the restaurant. Here
in Café Marcel, good vibes are what the team
can always offer you, whenever you need a
break in the bustling city.

BEHOLDthe
EGGS AND SIDES
As the backbone and the symbol of Café Marcel, eggs and
the sides are what you will be recommended when looking
for a brunch twist. Because here in menu, the team spares
you a space to play around and build your own “Eggs
and Sides” plate. With your favorite combination of fresh
ingredients and the team’s dedication in cooking technique,
you will be surprised how brunch can turn out flavorfully
yet excitingly
Having no idea how
to order?

“mouillettes” (sodiers) – the bread with
butter, often recommended with the
sourdough. The eggs are seasoned
directly and dressed up with some
paprika and spring onions.
Scrambled eggs: cooked
in the French way, with
no ingredients added
except the butter.
The secret to the
really moist texture
is to whisk it properly
before cooking it
slowly with low heat.
*DON’T FORGET: you
can always ask the Chef to
cook it your way, even when it’s not in
the menu.
Then, move on to the homemade breads.
Sourdough for the sour and crunchy
lovers, which is made from homemade
yeast with some pumpkin and
sunflower seeds.
Muffins to pamper the fluffy and
floury addicts.
Bagels bringing the crunchy and
chewy taste, which is creatively boiled
in the water, not cooked in the oven.
Pain au lardon and emmemtal are
served as white bread base, with some
ememntal cheese and bacon on top.
Feeling the temptation yet? But
hang on! What are heroes without
sidekicks! It’s time you level up your
brunch with creative sides.
Like the ham to the burger, the
sides spice up and perfect your
The free-range eggs from Mekong Delta
are carefully chosen to meet the standard
of being the stars in your dish. The team
comes up with 4 different ways to inspire
you with eggs.
Sunny-side up eggs: as known as
the one-side-fried-
and-never-flipped
eggs, these still
remain the liquid
yolk and the
barely-set white
surface. If you
prefer, you can
also order fried
eggs, or even over-
easy eggs.
Eggs parfaits: or referred to as
a 63° egg. In Café Marcel’s version of
poached eggs, they are cooked at 65°C.
The egg is placed in a water bath at
63°C for around 40-
45 minutes, to the
point at which
the egg white
is just cooked
but the yolk is
still deliciously
creamy. This
technique keeps
the texture a bit
more moist and
runnier than usual.
Oeufs à la coque: literally
means “eggs in the shell”.
This is the Frenchiest
way to eat eggs: soft
boiled eggs served with

eggs. Brunchers at Café Marcel are
offered to indulges in many different
homemade sides:
Sauteed mushrooms and grilled
tomatoes is the “go-to” side. Who
doesn’t want to add a bit of veggies and
some freshness to their eggs?
Cheese hashbrown satisfies your
potato cravings. The potatoes are
thinly sliced and pan-fried to keep
its crunchy and crispy texture, final-
touched with some emmental cheese.
Everything is better with cheese, right?
Smashed avocado
is always favored by
healthy brunchers.
As it’s not always
the right season
for avocado, the
team choose to
smash it so they
can correct when
the avocado’s
texture is not right.
Bacon and sausage
are recommended for homemade-
recipe lovers. The bacon is
cured with soy sauce, bay
leaves, and juniper berry,
while the sausage is
made with pork belly, pork
shoulder, pork fat, fennel
seed and paprika.
Salmon gravlax is also
homemade. The gravlax is
cured with salt, pepper, sugar,
dill, and sunflower oil, serving you
the Mediterranean taste to the
fresh salmon.
Cannot decide which are your
besties yet? No worries. Keep pairing
until you find your perfect harmony.
A tasty dressing is a must to perfect
the Eggs and Sides. Café Marcel
gives you various sauces, from
sweetness to savory, to choose from:
The hollandaise is the heaviest
yet most famous sauce, with egg yolk
emulsion and melted butter, twisted
with lime.
The yogurt is the lightest
sauce, with homemade yogurt,
added with some red onions and
sweet basils.
The burrata sauce is a
mixture of stracciatella cheese
and whipped cream, with a bit of
seasonings.
The mushroom sauce is
made with shiitake, garlic, onion
and cream.
The pesto sauce is vegetables
base, including spinach, long
coriander, Vietnamese mint, spring
onions, vinegar, sunflower seed,
sunflower oil and olive oil.
Have you smelled your brunch yet?
Last but not least, name your Eggs
and Sides and Instagram it!
The journey is promised
to be worthy.

Café Marcel got you, lazy brunchers!
Whenever you don’t feel like putting
effort in your Eggs and Sides, just
simply pick an “Everything on a Toast”.
Scramble eggs is the star of the
dish. It’s the team’s favorite in terms
of taste and texture.
Sourdough bread is
accompanied, obviously.
The sides are a combination of
a mushroom duxelle (diced shiitake
and shallot with a bit of cream), crispy
oven-baked Bayonne ham, a bit of
truffle paste and truffle oil, and a lot
of shaved parmesan.
Finally, they top it off with some
hollandaise sauce.
FYI, it’s not for the fainted heart!
Too lazy?
Get a “Everything
on a Toast”

E
njoying the lingering after
taste from the first of the
day sip of Espresso while
waiting for a dish of eggs
& sides, one’s mind begins
to wander away from the sun-filled
rooftop to a lot of things, but never
the origin of this wonderful meal that
you’re waiting for. But that’s
going to change because
today we’ll explore
together just that topic.
First, we must
discuss why this
wonderful meal is called
what it is: “Brunch”. With
just a few taps on the
screen asking our favorite
know-it-all, Mr. Google,
and you’ll know right away it’s
a playful blend between the word
“breakfast” and “lunch”. And as the
name suggests, brunch is usually
enjoyed late in the morning, from 11
AM until 3 or 4 PM in the afternoon,
You might or might not
admit it, but brunch is no
doubt addicted, and it’s
growing on you like how
it’s fast becoming the next
trendy way to spend your
weekend morning. Brunch
is officially the new black,
but have you ever bothered
yourself about since when
was this amazing Sunday
delight born?
indicates that this meal is indeed
tailored made for us lazy bunch who
rarely have any ideas about what
the morning sun looks like. For many
years, brunch has become a staple
meal for American and British families
and it dates back to as far as the
early 19th Century. But from where
did it originate?
While many historians and food
experts are still in heated debates
about where brunch came from,
its true origin might have already
been known...
Like most dishes in the
world, Brunch doesn’t
have a clear, concrete
origin. But as you
indulge your palate in
the freshly made portion
of sunny side eggs
with sourdough bread
and homemade sauteed
mushrooms - now that’s a
mouthful, and wordplay intended
- you don’t really feel the urge to
find out. You only feel a deep grateful
sense that such a brilliant meal was
ever bought to the table.
Still, we must know at least some

ideas about when this
meal was invented so
we can be the ones to
enlighten our friends
the next time we take them to brunch.
As you’re savoring pancakes from our
sun-filled rooftop, somewhere else
in the world food historians are still
in heated debates about its origin.
Some contend that they first began
as hunt meals in England, eaten after
a successful hunt by local nobles.
Others determine that they began
as midday meals after a
fasting period. There are
even those who argue
that brunch started to
bloom as the number of
dining spots in the city
of New York bloomed,
subtly implement that
it is of American origin.
Anyhow, we can safely say that the
first mentions of brunch started to be
circulated in the 1890s in England.
‘’Brunch is cheerful, sociable and
inciting,’’ says British author Guy
Beringer in “Brunch: A Plea.” ‘’It is
talk-compelling. It puts you in a
good temper, it makes you satisfied
with yourself and your fellow beings,
it sweeps away the worries and
cobwebs of the week.’’ So although
the exact origin of brunch is still not
yet clear, we can most definitely
confirm that it came from our
desires for good food,
good times and good
vibes, especially when
you just finished
your hearty eggs
and sides.
Brunch has evolved continuously
throughout history, but its spirits
and values stay the same and are
upheld every day here at Café Marcel
Brunch has come a long way from
when it was first eaten. From simple
hunt breakfasts consist of just eggs,
stews, fruits, and sweets, we now see
an explosion of brunch restaurants
with lavish brunch buffets and more
luxurious dishes like lobsters and
smoked sturgeon. The introduction
of alcohol into brunch menus also
brought to this already
wonderful meal a distinct
style and vibe: Sipping a
glass of Mimosa on a cozy
rooftop while glancing
down the bustling streets,
imaging yourself as Ms.
Hepburn in her iconic
black dress as you put on
your sunglasses, and maybe light a
cigarette or two. Now that’s THE way
to enjoy your lazy Sunday morning!
Although brunch has changed
significantly, at Café Marcel we still
believe and hold up to the values
that had made brunch to become
such a staple meal. All of our
ingredients are purchased from the
best local Vietnamese suppliers, and
when we can’t find products to our
standards, we make them on our
own! Embracing the free-spiritedness
and the casualness of brunch, Café
Marcel strives to bring you the spirits
of brunch through our simple and
traditional Eggs and Sides, but with a
little modern twist by Chef Brian Chu
to keep you surprised.
‘‘Brunch is
cheerful,
sociable &
inciting’’

17 | Introduction on
Café Marcel
Are you ready
for Café Marcel,
because we are
eager to go the
distance to give
you a good time at
our café?

A 101 GUIDE
Saigon Tourist Attractions:
f you’ve done your
proper research
before coming
here, you’ll surely
know where to get
a decent sim card,
applications to book transportation
or deliver foods, how to get around to
some of the iconic tourist attractions,
and all sorts of fundamental yappity
yap. But aside from that basic
knowledge, Saigon is still a place
to be discovered. Littered around
the city are interesting nooks and
crannies even the typical Saigonese
might not have even heard of before.
Of course, we French foodies dare
not compete with the residents of
this wonderful city but let us share
with you the little knowledge that
we’ve managed to pick up from living
among the locals of “Sai Town”.
CROSSING THE STREETS IS SO LAST
SEASON… CUTTING THROUGH BACK
ALLEYS IS THE NEW BLACK NOW!
With the countless traveling articles
and blogs written about this
wonderful country, surely you’ve
heard or read about how crazy the
traffic is in Saigon - not even the
holy sanctuary of the pavement can
save you from the massive horde of
rampaging motorcycles! That’s their
territory, how dare you even walk on
it! Dangerous though it might be,
crossing the streets in Saigon is
a must-try activity for newcomers
to get a first impression of this
bustling town. But if you’re looking
to be immersed in a truly local vibe,
try cutting through the alleys and
backstreets.
Local Saigonese has a habit
of cutting through alleys and
backstreets to travel quickly between
the districts. We can even say that
this common practice serves as
I

ON HOW TO STAY AWAY FROM THEM!
a scale to grade your knowledge
about Saigon: The more backstreets
and alleys you know in the back of
your head, the closer you are to the
local’s way of life. While the busy
streets reflect the fast living pace
of Saigon, the alleys will show you
a much more peaceful and relaxed
side of this city: shirtless old folks
smoking and playing Chinese chess
while others watch and discuss,
old noodle selling carts that attract
people’s attention by the unique
snipping sounds of scissors, or if
you’re really lucky, a fight between
the neighbors living in that area. Now
that’s a Saigon specialty right there,
but be careful though, sometimes
a simple shouting contest
between the neighbored
housewives can quickly
turn into a no hold barred fight,
and weapons included!
You might even come across the
backstreet markets - marketplaces
that the local started-up
themselves to
trade goods
with other
people living in the neighborhood.
If you’re a newcomer in the game of
cutting through backstreets, you can
start practicing in central D1 where
the alleys are still somewhat easy
to navigate, interesting shops and
corners are plentiful and most people
there know how to speak English. But
if you want a decent challenge, try the
spider web network of back alleys in
D4 or Binh Thanh district where even
Saigon residents get lost sometimes!
FORGET TOURIST ATTRACTIONS,
WHY NOT VISIT THE “LOCAL
ATTRACTIONS” INSTEAD?
While you’re in the alleys, why not
explore the street markets? Big
markets such as Ben Thanh market
or Tan Dinh market are all famous
tourist attractions now, which means

the “local vibes” that you’ll get from
these places are going to be a bit
“artificial”. So while you’re exploring
the nooks and crannies, and happen
to come across a back alley local
market, do not hesitate to explore it!
It’s where you’ll truly feel the local’s
way of living life in Saigon.
The things that you can buy there
will also be cheaper, but get warm-up
on your bargaining skills just in case.
Because these places are not tourist
attractions so you might not find
anything that can serve as souvenirs
there - items for sale are often
just daily necessities or common
Vietnamese dishes for people living
in the area. But a bowl of locally
flavored “Banh Canh” that we know
for sure you will enjoy is still better
than any wooden Ao Dai
figurine, right?
But still, just
wandering around and feeling
the local vibe is a fun experience.
If you have an interest in street
photography and want to have some
impressive close-up shots of the way
of life in Saigon, this is your chance!
EXPLORE SAIGON’S MOST EXCITING
STREET FOOD HUB! DISCOVER THE
SPECIAL INGREDIENT IN EVERY
LOCAL’S FAVORITES
Street foods in Saigon are also
must-tries! But similar to what we’ve
written above, instead of going to
tourist attractions, try a street called
Ton Dan in D4!
From basic Vietnamese foods like
Pho, Bun, and Com Tam, there are
also dim sum, dumplings, “Banh Trang
Nuong” - rice paper with a bunch
of toppings, “Banh Trang Tron” -
rice papers cut into small pieces
and mix with other ingredients like

dry beef, quail eggs, and different
sauces. There are expats-oriented
restaurants that have Vietnamese
street foods in their menus now. But
a glass of smoothie drank in a bar
can’t be compared to a cup of the
same thing but enjoyed from the
pavement of a crowded street.
The reason as to why street foods
are tasty is mainly because of the
atmosphere - an unexpected yell for
“Em oi, tinh tien” mixed with buzzing
chatters from a group of youngsters
sitting next to you and topped with
blaring sirens from people riding
around looking for something to fill
their night cravings. Those are the
unique ingredients that no fancy
restaurants can ever offer, and
street foods are more memorable
because of so! So take our advice
and Google Map your way to Ton Dan
street in D4 now to enjoy some of the
best local dishes that Saigon has to
offer. A few other places that you can
also give a try: Van Kiep street,
Binh Thanh district, Phan
Xich Long street.
EXPERIENCE A LOCAL
DRIVE AROUND LIKE NO OTHER
But in order to do all the things above,
you’ll need a way to get around the
city. Ridesharing mobile apps are
quick ways to book your vehicles for
a cheaper price. But if you have some
spare time and are not in a rush, try
the traditional “Xe Om”.
To your surprise, most
“Xe Om” drivers know how
to communicate in English,
especially those in D1 and D3.
More than one occasion
have we seen a Western
tourist excitedly converse
with a “Xe Om” driver on the
streets. While most drivers
for ridesharing apps are young
people, “Xe Om” drivers are mostly
people from the last generations,
which means they will have a deeper
knowledge about the city and can
guide you to some interesting spots
that are not tourist-filled and give
explanations about some interesting
corners along the ride. But before
booking a “Xe Om” remember to
bargain! If both you and the driver
can come to a happy agreement, the
ride will be much more enjoyable!
Saigon is an exciting and fun city
to explore. Sure, its traffic might be
a bit chaotic and the streets might
be cacophonic at times, but when all
of those elements come together, it’s
simply one wild and amazing Saigon,
waiting for you to explore.

WHEN HAPPINESS COMES
AT HALF PRICE
APPY HOU
H R
Saigon is in its best when the sun almost
sets. Have you ever enjoyed this very
moment of the city in a sunny rooftop
corner? That’s how things are preferred
in Café Marcel. Imagine your group of
besties, playing cards and making jokes
while sipping cocktails in the sun-bathed
tables. You have pictured Café Marcel
right in its happy hour – 4 to 8 PM

W
hen you reached this
sentence, you are
probably thinking
about being well-
seated at one of the
southern French-
inspired tables. All happiness comes
with a hefty price, but not at Café
Marcel, where happiness always
comes banging in with a whopping
50% discount! Yeah, you heard it
right! Café Marcel is giving away all
of their cocktails at half price every
day from 4 PM to 8 PM (except for
Monday because that’s their lazy
day), and even more:
Order any cocktail, glass of wine,
or beer, you will get any appetizer for
80k, or any side for 60k.
With any bottle of wine, get
a complimentary basket of
Savory Pastry.
But that’s not what this
article is all about. It is here
to let you in on how to get
the most out of the Happy Hour
promotion: what to order, what food to
pair with what drink so that you don’t
have to risk your palate, and your
ahem...purse...ahem, exploding trying
different combinations. At this
point, you may ask:
“So you’re showing
us how to take
advantage of Café
Marcel?” Sounds
crazy, right? But
that’s just how they
do it here, always
go the extra miles to
satisfy all those who
come!
Ventoux, 2016
+ Homemade
Terrine, or
Polenta &
Mushrooms
If you’re a fan
of dry and
smooth red wine,
try the Ventoux
2016 and pair it
with Homemade
Terrine, a paté vmade with pork
belly, chicken and pork liver, perfect
to entrance your taste buds. Or if
you prefer a creamier dish, Chef
Brian Chu’s signature Polenta &
Mushrooms is also a fine choice
with oysters, enoki and shiitake
mushrooms, added together with
some swiss chard and shave
parmesan to further enhance
the flavors with your glass of
Ventoux.
Rioja, 2017 + Cold Cuts and
Cheese Platter
This is a perfect combination for
all cheese lovers. Café Marcel
recommends a bold and tannic drink
to pair with their Comté cheese,
Camembert cheese and cold cuts: Rioja
2017, which is a Tempranillo from Spain.
Not-A-Banh-Mi + Savory Pastry
Another interesting combination that
you can try if you prefer
to go with small bites:
one set of Savory
Pastry with a glass of
sweet cocktail, preferable the
Not-A-Banh-Mi - a mixture of
tequila, triple sec, cucumber,

coriander, lime juice and a touch of kimchi syrup
for some spiciness to stimulate your palate!
Thyme Tonic + Melon, Ham and Mozzarella Bites
With melon from Da Lat, Bayonne ham, and local
mozzarella, these fresh bites would go well with
one of the fresh cocktails: Thyme Tonic. This
drink is a twist on gin and tonic, with thyme
syrup and thyme garnish.
Chardonnay, Moulin de Gassac, 2017 +
Asparagus
In the mood to go green? They have a
suggestion for that as well: try pairing the light
and dry white wine – Chardonnay, Moulin de
Gassac, 2017 – with Asparagus, Hollandaise,
another dish of Chef Brian’s creation. This is a
green vegetable starter with egg parfait in the
middle, dressed with butter sauce.
Pomelove + Stracciatella & Orange
If you choose to go a fruitier path, the
Stracciatella & Orange paired with Pomelove
cocktail is the direction you should head for.
The Stracciatella is the creamiest part inside
the burrata, added with some juicy oranges
and lavender oil. This goes perfectly with
a sweet cocktail and citrus notes:
Pomeloooooove, which includes pomelo
and Cointreau.
There is no better way to spend a
late afternoon, isn’t there? Grab your
besties and book a table now, while
the sun still shines.

5
FANTASTIC
DISHES BRUNCH
THAT DIDN’T COME FROM
THE FREEZER
Remember the
2017 Oscar?
Remember the surprising
looks on everyone’s faces
when the hosts announce
the wrong winners? The
audience was booing,
everyone was confusing,
and Jimmy was, like, what
the fudge? Yeah, that’s
how we reacted as well
when we found out that
Café Marcel doesn’t have a
freezer to store food.
“A
ll of our dishes are made
with products bought
from local suppliers to
support them, and also
for us to have fresh food
every day”, said chef Brian Chu. “The
only food that I keep frozen in my
kitchen is beef. Other than that, I don’t
use a freezer to store any of my other
ingredients. We try hard to differentiate
from other restaurants by not having
pre-prepared dishes, and keep
ingredients for a maximum of only 3
days to always guarantee freshness.”
It was a lovely Sunday morning
that we got this chance to sit with
the man behind Marcel Gourmet
Burger, and now Café Marcel to
converse with him about some of his
finest creations. In this article, we’ll
share with you just what chef Brian
has enlightened us with: five most
noteworthy brunch dishes at Café
Marcel that you must try at least
once, and then many times more!
HOMEMADE TERRINE: well
-known by many, loved by all!
Terrine can be understood
as a type of paté. In
Vietnamese, it can be
compared to a popular
dish called “Thit Đông”.
The Terrine’s base is
made from pork, but at
Café Marcel chef Brian
also mixes it with pig liver,
bacon, mushrooms,
chicken liver to bring a
more layered flavor. It’s
often served cold with
a salad or pickle side and

sourdough bread to
counter the fattiness
of the pork base.
The perfectly
executed Terrine
according to chef
Brian, is that it
must retain a nice
pink color when
cut open, which
indicates a perfect
balance between fat,
meat, and other ingredients.
To achieve this, first, chef Brian uses
a bain-marie, a specifically made
pottery mold to cook terrine. Then the
next trick is to use a thermometer
to measure the heat inside the oven
while cooking. Once the heat reaches
60 degrees Celsius, the terrine will
have achieved his desired pinkish
shade. “At that heat, the natural
gelatin within the pork’s fat will have
been all extracted,” said chef Brian.
“Other restaurants sometimes add
extra gelatin into the dish, but at
Café Marcel I prefer to keep it
fresh and natural because after
all, it’s a traditional dish!”
FRENCH TOASTS &
RASPBERRIES: a modern
take on a favored classic
The original idea for the
French Toast, or pain
perdu in French, comes
from the practice of
creating another meal
from leftover bread. The
bread would be dipped in
a mixture of eggs, milk,
cream, and honey and
then fried. It’s not just great
as a starter but also as a
nice dessert to wind up
your meal.
At Café Marcel, not
only does chef Brian
use homemade brioche,
the same type of buns
used at Marcel Gourmet
Burger, for the French
Toast, he also incorporates
Kusmi tea into the dish. The
“twist” here is that chef Brian
will infuse the Kusmi tea within the
milk and leave it for one day to fully
extract the herby and flowery flavor
into the milk, which will then be
used to make the whipped cream for
the dish. To go the extra mile and
add another Marcel certified touch,
chef Brian also adds into the dish
fresh Raspberries from Da Lat and
Raspberry coulis, which are marinated
with sugar and lime peels to add “a
kick” of freshness and balance out
the sweet and buttery flavor of the
brioche buns.
“The sugar crust of the French
Toast is really hard to get right,” said
chef Brian. “But its golden color goes
really well with the whipped cream
and raspberries.” And we knew that
is indeed true when a kind waiter
placed a dish of French Toast that we
ordered earlier on our table.
SPICY SHAKSHUKA: Mediterranean’s
finest with a local twist
Originally, this eggs-
cooked-in-tomato-
sauce dish
was popular

among Arabians and Morrocans as
breakfast, but without the spiciness.
The spicy touch was added in during
menu creation to bring the dish closer
to Vietnamese people’s taste.
For this dish, chef Brian uses red
and green peppers among other
ingredients like onions, cumin,
smashed avocado, and Feta cheese.
But instead of cooking the peppers
within the sauce, he would put them
with the salad topping. “When cooked
over a long period, the peppers
will lose their crunchiness, so I put
them with the salad instead. The
twist in this dish is how we
combine the ingredients to
still bring a very authentic
Mediterranean taste to our
customers.”
Homemade Chorizo
by Café Marcel is
also used, and it’s
the source of the
spiciness found in this dish. To go
even further and bring a touch of
herbiness and freshness, our chef
adds a bit of parsley and mint to
the Shakshuka, which then will be
dressed in Tahini yogurt to enhance
the nutty and creamy flavor.
CROQUE-MARCEL: the Frenchiest
French dish at Café Marcel
But at Café Marcel, this dish
is called Croque-Marcel,
indicating a certain
twist right from how
it is named! Croque-
Marcel is made from
sourdough bread,
with Bayonne ham,
Emmental cheese, and
a béchamel sauce
made with butter, milk,
and flour.
The Marcel twist
lies in the béchamel
sauce, which is added
with a touch of truffle
to enhance its quality
as well as flavor. The
sauce is then filled
inside the sandwich
and an espuma - a cooking
technique to create a “foam-like”
quality for sauce and make it lighter
- of the béchamel is also served on
the side. “Traditionally, the béchamel
sauce is very sour and creamy,”
said chef Brian. “So when serving
the sauce separately, you won’t feel
like the sauce is too much or too
fatty.” The sunny side egg on top of
the Croque-Marcel is also special,
as it is gathered from

naturally raised chickens in Vietnam,
which further reinforces our chef’s
philosophy of using fresh ingredients
from local suppliers.
TRUFFLE TAGLIATELLE: simple
ingredients for elaborate flavors
The trick in cooking the Truffle
Tagliatelle, as chef Brian revealed,
is similar to what any Italian would
tell you about cooking pasta: keep it
al dente - which literally means “to
the teeth”, a satisfying feeling when
you bite on food. The tagliatelle at
Café Marcel is also homemade
from eggs, flour, and olive oil
without any preservatives, so
they can only be used within
three days. At this point, we
totally understand why chef
Brian doesn’t use or need a
freezer in his kitchen.
As simple as this
dish might look, it
actually consists of
many different flavors:
creaminess from the
butter sauce, then
a bit of nuttiness
from hazelnut, and
some earthly scent from the
highly valued summer truffle.
Summer truffle also serves
as the twist in this dish, as it
enhances the overall quality
of the tagliatelle with its prized
nature. “The purpose of this dish
is for Vietnamese customers to
be able to experience a high-class
cuisine,” said the c hef. “But overall,
this dish looks really friendly, as I
also want to create a ‘welcome home’
feeling for everyone who steps foot
into Café Marcel.”
Our little chit chat came to an end
as the sun hit the mid-day mark to
allow chef Brian to go back to his
hungry customers. Are we satisfied?
Definitely, with both the dishes the
little knowledge we gained! As for you,
which dish will you choose for your
next brunch at Café Marcel? A creamy
Croque Marcel, a spicy Shakshuka, or
something Italian like the Tagliatelle?
Whichever dish that you might choose
afterward, you can
rest assured it didn’t
come overnight from
a freezer!

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