A puerta cerrada is essentially an intimate dinner at the chef's house. The restaurants are usually only open on specific days of the week or month and offer a pre-fixed menu to a limited number of reservations. Prices tend to be higher than a "regular" restaurant but at a puerta cerrada you're also paying for more attentive service and a deliciously unique experience.
I recently had the opportunity to dine at A Little Saigon, a closed door Vietnamese restaurant in Buenos Aires. Having learned about both this restaurant and the concept of a puerta cerrada at the same time when I first arrived in BA, I had been eager to try it. My mom's visit mid-August was the perfect opportunity. A Little Saigon is open every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for AR$100 per person, with a different theme each weekend. With only 12 seats available each night I made sure to make my reservation for the August 15th "Meat Lovers" dinner ahead of time. Thuy, the chef, immediately responded with a confirmation. We were good to go!
Saturday evening arrived and although my mom and I didn't know exactly what to expect, we were both very excited to visit A Little Saigon. We both love to cook, eat, drink, and socialize so were interested in this uncommon dining situation that neither of us had experienced before. We arrived at 9PM and Thuy's fiance, Ben, greeted us at the door and after we took our shoes off (a Vietnamese tradition and show of respect) he poured us each a glass of wine while Thuy cooked in the kitchen. The dinner table was set up in their living room, right when you walk in 
the door. Lighting was low, candles were lit, the table was set already, and flowers floated in water filled vases. Only 2 other reservations had been made for this evening, so we waited for them while we chatted with Ben. The first starter was brought out, flavorful pork dumplings with soy sauce. It was time for the next course, but the other reservations had not shown up yet. Once it became clear that they were probably not coming, it was decided that Thuy and Ben would join us in eating dinner, and they began to bring out the rest of the meal.
We sat down and enjoyed the scrumptious appetizer of chicken rice chowder, probably my favorite dish of the evening. The main course was then served family style and included jasmine rice, caramelized pork ribs, sweet and sour shrimp (which I was especially excited for considering seafood is majorly lacking in my diet here in Argentina!), and spicy beef (which was actually spicy, not Argentine spicy). It was all incredibly delicious; Thuy is a great chef.
After the main course, dessert was served in the form of jasmine tea and cassava cake, a flourless cake made with cassava root. Neither my mom or I had ever tried it before but it was very tasty.With all the beef, empenadas, and pizza we eat in BA, the Vietnamese food was a great break. The food was amazing, but the company was also fantastic. Thuy and Ben were so nice to welcome us into their home, and my mom and I were so happy that they ended up eating dinner with us. The 4 of us chatted like old friends all through dinner. They made us feel so welcome; we felt like we were just at our friend's apartment for dinner, minus paying! I look forward to trying other puertas cerradas in BA, and hopefully revisiting A Little Saigon.
For those of you who aren't in BA and don't have the privelage of visiting A Little Saigon, here is the recipe for Thuy's delicious Cassava Cake:
INGREDIENTS
1 lb cassava root
400 ml (1 can) coconut milk
100 ml water
2 tablespoons butter
3 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon talk
METHOD- preheat oven 345
- grate cassava root to acquire 4 cups
- combine eggs, butter, sugar, and salt. beat until frothy
- add coconut milk, water and cassava. mix well.
- pour mix into buttered 8X8 baking dish.
- bake 30 minutes, let cool before serving.
Visit A Little Saigon's website or e-mail Thuy for more information or to make a reservation
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