It’s Tempting To Eat Dessert First At This Innovative Vietnamese Restaurant

Ramie is a contemporary eatery on Seattle’s Capitol Hill where classic Southeast Asian creations take a decidedly modern turn. That’s especially true on Trinh Nguyen’s inventive dessert menu. Here’s what you need to try and why.

Going down the pastry path

Trinh and Thai Nguyen, the brother and sister team behind the popular Bar Sa on Bainbridge Island and Pho T&N in Poulsbo, opened Ramie in May, a determined goal clearly set: “At Ramie on a mission to reimagine traditional Vietnamese cuisine by infusing it with innovation and creativity. Ramie is all about celebrating the rich diversity of Vietnamese food culture while pushing the boundaries with inventive twists on classic dishes,” it states on the website.

For a delicious example of what that means, let’s start with the Gỏi Cá, a fish dish finished with a salty sweet sorbet that gets a blast of umami from nuoc cham, aka fish sauce. Or, how about the beer battered wings? Those beauties are elevated by the appearance of foie gras. And, yes, you can add caviar to that shareable small plate for $15.

The compelling list of savories sets the table for the final course, the Tráng Miệng. It can ring cliche to describe desserts as works of art, but in this case, it’s absolutely true thanks to Trinh’s attention to detail and willingness to push the envelope. Bet you didn’t know you liked the infamously stinky durian until you’ve tried the signature Chè Thá.

Trinh dishes credit for taking this direction to the intensive French pastry program she took in 2023, a course that pushed her in many surprising ways. “I got my degree in finance and during the pandemic, I was sitting at the bar one day when I had this crazy thought. When this is over, I’m going to do a pastry program,” she said during a recent interview. “It sounds like a dream, but it had its own challenges.”

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Paris or Vegas?

When the dust settled from the painful era of lockdowns and social distancing, Trinh decided to pursue her dream. “I had two choices, an intensive course in Paris or one in Vegas.”

Of course, she chose France. “It sounds like a dream, but it had its own challenges. For one thing, I didn’t speak a word of French,” she said, laughing.

Fortunately, she had an instructor who was patient and she was thrilled to absorb an incredible amount of information over a nine-week period: “I had so much fun. Every day was like living on the edge.”

After deep dives into sugar work, chocolate, the art of dealing with various types of dough and making every kind of croissant, for the final assignment, students came up with their own creations. “I told my teacher I wanted to make a sweet corn dessert, something like I had grown up eating. He said I was crazy, that corn was a vegetable. When they said I couldn’t do something like that, I thought, just watch me.”

Through some trial and error, Trinh created a showstopper, a sweet corn cake with coconut mousse wearing dried corn silk. Everyone wanted a piece. “The more I did this kind of work, the more I realized it was my path, my Zen.”

Enter Ramie

When it debuted in May, it’s safe to say there was nothing in Seattle quite like Ramie. Yes, Ba Bar and Monsoon have elevated Vietnamese food for a couple of decades and high fives to the next generation at Pho Bac for taking diners to into deeply delicious territory. Plus, merch-wise, it’s tough to beat those Phởcific Northwest sweatshirts.

At Ramie, it feels so Next Level. Beyond the sophisticated dining room, the extensive cocktail program and the intriguing lineup of savory dishes, those desserts truly stand out. Top of the must-try list? Chè Thái has nine elements and takes several days of prep to pull it all together.

It starts with the coconut pavlova – think of a slightly chewy meringue – decorated with durian pastry cream and a fruit milk ice cream. A brilliant jackfruit veil is draped on top, finished in a sprinkle of shiso dust. It’s a superstar on Instagram, but this creation isn’t just food porn gorgeous. It tastes tremendous, complex layers of flavor that play well together. Bite after memorable bite, dessert enthusiasats might search for the appropriate adjectives to describe it. Don’t struggle. Just give into the pleasure of this remarkable preparation.

If you’re from the one-of-everything rule when it comes to desserts, there’s also the Chè Đậu Đen, a Black Bean Mousse accompanied by a peanut miso praline, hibiscus coconut champagne foam, a tapioca chip and roasted sesame. And ice cream lovers will cheer the Kem Đậu Xanh, a vegan mung bean ice cream, topped with a peanut crumble, a coconut canoli on the side.

This short, sweet lineup will change seasonally, but diners should lobby for the permanent installment of that magnificent signature creation.