Quan Ngo: NHÂU
Bushwick Pop-Up, Brooklyn
Just glancing at Chef Quan Ngo’s resume, one would expect a well-seasoned industry veteran. Turns out experience/age is just a number. Though he has cut his teeth at Bird’s Eye Viet, Lucy’s Vietnamese, and Di an Di he is only 27. By pure drive he was able to create a path for himself, paving the way to showcase his interpretations of Vietnamese-Chinese food in New York. We popped by NHÂU, his Viet-Chinese pop-up held at Bushwick’s Little Mo’s last week. Walking in, suddenly we were smelling, seeing, and hearing his Chili XO sauce. By the time we got our main course, Dungeness Crab, we were salivating. Everything about the experience was top-notch: the sauce, the presentation, the atmosphere. The only thing we wish is that Ngo could promise us his next pop-up date. Our gloves on and napkins are already prepared to go face first into a tray full of crab, prawns, Com Chay and assorted pickles.
Full name, age, where are you from?
Quan Ngo
27 yrs old
Flushing, NY
What was growing up like for you and did you have family meals growing up?
I was the youngest of five kids so lots of mouths needed to be fed. I’d always be right next to my mom and dad when they cooked, as early as the age of five, going double cleaver action on some shrimp for cha gio (spring rolls), to braising ribs in caramel. When my parents were too busy at work, I would cook for my siblings, and so I ended up taking up the role of cooking family meal.
What are your earliest memories of dining out?
My pops made an effort to bring us out to eat as much as possible. When he came to this country in the 80s, he wanted to explore cuisine and food in other regions that weren’t Vietnamese. We lived in Queens so we were adjacent to so much variety from Greek, Korean, Chinese, French, Singaporean, and Indian cuisine.
Dining out meant the only time that we all as a family (and there were a lot of us) could come together and talk about our days while eating dope ass food. We grew up dining out as much as eating in, just for the pure fact that my mom and dad loved food, so they passed that love and curiosity onto us.
Was there a definitive moment or person that drew you to the restaurant industry?
I have two mentors who are the reason why I’m in the industry, Johnny Huynh of Lucy’s Vietnamese Kitchen, and Dennis Ngo of Di an Di, both of whom I’ve worked with since I was 17. Johnny taught me the hustle mentality, that as long as you can outwork someone and handle any fires that come your way, you can stand out of the pack. Dennis brought out my love for food and leadership, showing me that we can make a mark in Vietnamese food within our industry, and bring to light the story behind the dishes we grew up with.
If you could give a piece of advice to someone who wanted to pursue your career, what would it be?
Be curious and question everything. I never went to culinary school so curiosity drove me to find other avenues to learn, whether it was cookbooks, YouTube, Martin Yan breaking down a chicken in seconds, and the people that inspired me to cook. Learn as much as you can, even if it seems mundane at first, because you can get so much in between the lines.
What do you think working in this industry during this time has taught you?
That you need to find that work/life balance. It’s great to be a passionate cook that grinds out 70+ hours a week, but your life and people around you matter as well. Cooking is taxing, mentally and physically, so you got to make sure to have time for yourself outside the kitchen, and for the loved ones around you.
What's your favorite dish/drink on the menu?
Haha, well this was my first pop-up but I’ve been making this Jasmine Chili Crab dish only for special occasions prior to this event. I first developed the Chili XO sauce with a combination of a traditional Singaporean style as well as a Vietnamese chili tamarind sauce that goes with lots of seafood. The jasmine tea/ essence came into play after sipping on some tea after tasting the sauce so many times so I wanted to refresh my palate after tasting all the rich notes to the sauce. The sauce is key so it needed to be good enough to eat on its own, so the jasmine tea added a floral-ness and lightness to make the sauce addictive and not get tired on the palate so quickly. I’ve done this dish with Lobster (with the tamale), Mantis Prawns, but this Dungeness Crab, w/ the roasted crab fat mixed in, has been something that my Dad’s been making for a while, so it is a little ode to him.
What is your number one place to go out and eat, what are you ordering?
Nyonya or Jaya 888 ( Malaysian food is my comfort food). I’ve ordered the same thing since I was 12 and I’m ordering for the whole table:
Roti Canai, Hainanese Chicken (whole), Kang Kung (or Okra) Belacan, Hokkien Char Mee, Sambal Stingray, Beef Rendang, Pattaya Prawns. Finish off with an order of ABC (Malaysian Shaved Ice) for Dessert.
Word Association
Caffeine | Addiction
Munchies | Totinos Pizza Rolls Extra Crunchy
Shots | Mezcal
Condiment | Maggi Sauce
First Date | Lovers of Today
Home | Momma Thi’s Bun Mang Vit
Vice | TikTok
Future | Endless Possibilities
PHOTOGRAPHS BY KENNETH BACHOR
