Baguette with Grilled Iberico Pork Chop.
A perfectionist when it comes to An Viet’s Vietnamese fare, Caren Poon has spared no efforts in upholding the restaurant’s philosophy.
She believes in serving dishes made from scratch using market-fresh and quality ingredients. Both Poon and her husband,
William Tan, are the quality controllers, dividing their time between all six An Viet outlets to ensure standards are consistently maintained.
Hanoian-style grilled pork with vermicelli. — Photos: ALICE YONG
That’s why the Sugarcane Prawns (RM12.90) at An Viet is made from 100% minced tiger prawns.
Wrapped around skewers of locally sourced fresh sugar cane, it is one of the restaurant’s most popular crowd-pleasers.
Springy to the bite with subtle sweetness from the sugar cane skewers, the plump drumstick-shaped morsels are delicious eaten on their own or dipped into nước chấm (Vietnamese dipping sauce).
Sugarcane Prawn (left) and Vietnamese Fried Chicken Wings.
We also tried Vietnamese-Style Fried Chicken Wings from the new seasonal menu.
Coated in sticky caramelised fish sauce and crunchy fried pork lardons, the delectable chicken wings had us picking the bones clean.
The seasonal offerings of Mini Savoury Vietnamese Pancakes and Sautéed Tonkin Flowers with Black Fungus should pique the interest of new and existing An Viet customers.
Sauteed Tonkin Flower with black fungus.
The little bowl-shaped turmeric and coconut pancakes topped with prawns and minced pork, which comes together with fresh lettuce, herbs and Vietnamese dipping sauce, proved irresistible.
The simple, tasty dish of tonkin flowers stir-fried with crunchy black fungus was a rare treat to sample.
Crispy on the outside and cottony-soft inside, the Vietnamese Baguette with Grilled Iberico Pork Chop (normally RM15.90, an additional RM10 for Iberico pork – seasonal availability) got the thumbs up for its flavourful filling – juicy, tender grilled Iberico pork slices, tangy house-made pickles, creamy smooth pate, shredded fresh vegetables, mayo and the restaurant’s zingy house sauce.
Vietnamese Beef Noodles.
Sautéed with garlic and lemongrass then simmered in fresh coconut juice with cherry tomatoes and chilli, we found the signature dish of plump, sweet Clams in Coconut Broth (RM17.90) superbly appetising.
Reminiscent of hearth and home, the Vietnamese Style Braised Beef (RM22.90) promised hearty satisfaction with chunks of fork-tender beef braised with tomatoes, radish and carrots. Goes well with rice (add RM2) or Vietnamese baguette (add RM3.90) to soak up that delicious gravy.
Grilled pork belly slices and juicy mini pork patties immersed in a naturally brewed, first-draw Phu Quoc fish sauce for the Hanoian-Style Grilled Pork with vermicelli (RM19.90) is another winsome offering. Complemented by rice vermicelli, fresh vegetables and herbs and zingy homemade pickles, it’s a well-balanced, tasty meal with bold, complex accents and different textures.
Served piping hot in super beefy, MSG-free broth simmered for hours with two types of beef bones and secret spices for 12 hours to extract its unadulterated goodness, the Vietnamese Beef Noodles Special (RM24.90) bowled us over at first taste. A self-service fresh condiment bar laden with basil, lime wedges, coriander, beansprouts and house-made sriracha sauce is available for diners who wish to customise their pho further.
We liked how the premium raw Aussie beef slices literally melted in the mouth; the handmade pure beef balls had a toothsome bite to them whilst the tender brisket and honeycomb tripe contrasted nicely with the silky-smooth rice noodles.
Mini savoury pancakes.
As for the broth, its natural beefy sweetness had us slurping up every last drop. Voila, no food wastage!
Several new drinks such as Iced Tamarind and Roasted Peanuts (RM9.90), Sparkling Vietnamese Plum Drink (RM10.90) and Vietnamese Roasted Bean Tea (RM14.90) were among the more interesting thirst-quenchers we tried.
The tangy tamarind-roasted peanuts drink is strictly for nut lovers whilst the sweet-tangy plum drink is similar to our local asam boi-calamansi lime version.
Clams in coconut broth.
The roasted bean tea tasted earthy and nutty, reminiscent of roasted barley tea.
Different from the usual pho menu, there’s so much more to explore at An Viet – it warrants a few more visits to try all the different dishes!
