Good Evening, Vietnam! A Nightingale 9 Q&A

The team behind Seersucker and Smith Canteen opened their third establishment in Carroll Gardens last month: Nightingale 9.

A departure from Chef Robert Newton's trademark Southern fare, the restaurant serves Vietnamese rice noodle soups, vermicelli bowls and jasmine rice dishes. Having longed to cook this food since his days of culinary school, Newton along with his partner Kerry Diamond took a summer reconnaissance trip to Hanoi, Hoi An, Dalat, Hue, Phu Quoc Island and Ho Chi Minh City—all cities known for their exceptional cuisine—to try as many different dishes as possible and begin crafting the menu he would bring back to Brooklyn.

Upon returning to the U.S., Newton then worked to combine the flavors of some of his experiences with the local Hudson Valley produce he is also a proponent of. To wit, his Caramel Berkshire Pork uses protein sourced upstate that has been dressed in black peppercorns from Phu Quoc island off the coast of mainland Vietnam, lemongrass, and coconut water. 

Early reports from across the blogsphere indicate that nothing delicious has been lost in translation. Here, Newton and Diamond share what it's like to serve pho on Smith Street.

Nightingale 9 is the first Vietnamese restaurant in Carroll Gardens. In conceiving the menu and ambience were you trying to create a 'neighborhood joint' or a destination dining locale that would attract diners from outside of the 'hood?

KD: I would say both. We definitely wanted a restaurant the neighborhood would embrace. We like to create places that we would want to frequent. But it's always nice to draw folks from outside Carroll Gardens. It's a good feeling when people are curious about what you do and like the food and atmosphere you're creating.

RN: Agreed... I simply wanted to take our sensibilities about style, design and sourcing of ingredients and apply it to a cuisine that I have been passionate about for over a decade.

The name Nightingale 9 has historical relevance, referencing an old Brooklyn phone exchange. Do any other elements of the restaurant have a connection to the borough or to Carroll Gardens, in particular?

KD: Previously, this location was a frame shop and before that a florist. When the frame shop signage was taken down, it revealed the outline of the florist's sign: Benevento Florist. We decided not to paint over that. If you stand across the street, you can see it. And inside the restaurant, there's a beautiful floral medallion built into the floor. We left that as well. It's always nice to have a nod to the past. 

We're told you've been collaborating with Caputo's to create a custom banh mi for your forthcoming spin on that popular sandwich? Can you describe that process a little? 

Rob: We have worked with Caputo's for a couple years now. We have a relationship with them and the make other breads for us as well. We simply called them and gave them the specs on size, etc. and started testing/tasting. It was pretty simple and only took a couple runs.

At Seersucker, you are very active with the P.S. 58 Vegetable Garden. Will you be introducing any Southeast Asian greens to the garden or incorporate Vietnamese cooking into any future cooking classes held with students?

KD: The P.S. 58 initiative will remain a Seersucker project, as will the Red Hook Teen Chef project. Each of our locations has a specific community initiative. (Smith Canteen is a sponsor of Friends of Carroll Park.) We'll be announcing the Nightingale 9 project in a few months.

You're also a fan favorite at the Carroll Gardens Greenmarket. When can we expect a demo from Nightingale 9?

RN: I will get out there eventually but not until we get everything running the way I want at Nightingale 9. Probably in the summer.

I see. So, generally, how do both of you plan to divide your attention between the three properties: Seersucker, Smith Canteen and Nightingale 9?

KD: Carefully! That's the nice thing about having all three so close. You don't feel that you are neglecting one and spending more time at another.

RN: It is a big challenge for me. For now, I am very focused on Nightingale 9 due to it being new, obviously. But the cuisine is also new to many people on staff and requires a lot of education. Eventually I will get back to spending time in each place every day and rotating my time. 

Lastly, what were the top three things you tasted in Vietnam and how are you translating them for Carroll Gardens neighbors?

RN: A raw sardine dish I had on Phu Quoc island that involed rice paper, coconut and herbs. A saute of thien ly flowers that I had in HCMC. Tastes like broccoli rabe a bit. In Hanoi,  I had a banh quon with an egg cooked into it and a dipping sauce that consisted of fish sauce and pork stock. Amazing...

Nightingale 9 is located at 345 Smith St., and is open for dinner on weekdays from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. (closed on Wednesdays), and from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on weekends. Lunch service will begin in the near future.