Sun Chuk Yuen Vietnamese Restaurant

2 Landale St, Wan Chai
Visited 30th January 2010 A mate and I decided we needed a little substance before heading to Chai Wan to watch the HK Senior Challenge Shield final. Meeting in Wan Chai he suggested we head to Sun Chuk Yuen Vietnamese Restaurant, a little place hidden away with all the other little places on Landale St. Inside it was all pretty basic and we grabbed a table squashed amongst all the others.
I enjoy really the freshness and vibrancy of Vietnamese food however the menu here seems to be all about plates of rice. We decided to share satay beef noodles, spring rolls and pork with mint. I know they're unadventurous, but I love Vietnamese style fried spring rolls. The ones we got were good - crisp, but not oily - the little nuggets of love went down a treat wrapped in lettuce and accompanied by tasty homemade dipping sauce. Next were the noodles with satay beef; the big serve of rice noodles came in a clump topped with the beef, capsicum and onions that had been tossed with a satay sauce. This dish was just OK as the sauce lacked flavour and whole thing was pretty bland. Next was a plate of stir-fried chicken with 'mint'. Fresh herbs are one of the things I love most about Vietnamese food and here they helped to add vibrancy to the dish, though it was basic it was pretty tasty. We were told that they didn't sell beer so made do with a can of soft drink. Our lunch at Sun Chuk Yuen Vietnamese Restaurant was pretty good. The food was certainly nothing special, but offered a pretty filling feed and I was only really unimpressed with the satay noodles. The service was efficient enough and $75 we each paid for lunch seemed fair, though not necessarily a bargain. Though everything about Sun Chuk Yuen Vietnamese Restaurant was kind of OK I can't really see the point of returning; there must be more interesting Vietnamese places around Wan Chai?

Nahm

Shop 1045, 1/F Elements, Kowloon
Visited 3rd December 2009

A midweek movie at Elements and we decided to try somewhere new for dinner. When cruising the water zone I normally find it pretty hard not to head to the roof for tapas at Olive, but I was a little more willing to experiment when I discovered that Nahm is bought to us by the same crew; the good people at Dinning Concepts. It's an upmarket Thai and Vietnamese place that's dolled up to be a step above your average pad Thai joint. The restaurant is fronted by big 'windows' that open onto, well onto a shopping centre... The decors slick though I couldn't find a picture of his Majesty Rama IX.

There are plenty of the usual Thai and Vietnamese favourites on the menu, but also a few dishes that I hadn't seen before and a selection of 'main courses' that seem more aimed towards individual munching rather than sharing. We went for the 'signature' spicy beef noodles, smoked eggplant and roasted game hen. The rice noodles came with a generous amount of beef and oozed fresh flavour from a mountain of chilli, basil, fried garlic and lime. The peeled, smoked eggplant was served with a chilli and vinegar dressing. I really liked this dish, though its flavours were pretty subtle and got a bit lost amongst the wild aromatics of the other two dishes; Joey however wasn't a fan and found it too sweet. The roasted game hen was half a smallish bird, stuffed with fragrant rice that helped keep it really moist. This Thai version of a Sunday roast was served with potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower; it was sticky, sweet and obviously flavoured with turmeric.

Our visit to Nahm was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. I liked the food, I liked the setting and to top it off the service was excellent. Impressive touches like cloth serviettes and constant refills of iced water went a long way to impress me. Our tab came to very reasonable $235, which I thought was a bit of a bargain, though looking at the menu I think you could spend a fair bit more if you got stuck into the booze and seafood. Nahm; I'm now a damn fan.
Visit restaurant website.

Hanoi Vietnamese Restaurant

100 Kin Yip St, Yuen Long
Visited 17th September 2009
This tiny Vietnamese joint has become a bit of a favourite for a meal after Thursday night tennis. Yuen Long has a fair selection of Japanese, Indian and Thai joints, but Vietnamese restaurants are harder to find; does anyone know of another in Yuen Long? Hanoi Vietnamese Restaurant is situated opposite Bill Kee Noodles on Kin Yip St. It's small and basic, with only seven or eight tables and walls adorned with faded prints of Hanoi's tourist sites.

A readable menu goes a long way and I'm happy to report that that at Hanoi Vietnamese Restaurant there's well translated English sitting proudly alongside the Chinese. Our group ordered a feast that included fresh rice paper rolls stuffed with prawn and chicken, cold vermicelli noodles with lemon grass pork, a beef brisket curry and two serves of the house 'special' pho. The homemade rice paper rolls were packed with fresh flavours and came with lovely homemade fish sauce. Laced with shredded carrot, lettuce, cucumber and coriander the tasty vermicelli noodles were again all about freshness. Served bubbling and sizzling from the oven, the curry was laden with tender beer and plenty of tendon that gave it a thick, fatty richness. It came with a stack of garlic bread. The serves of pho were massive and packed with different cuts of beef including fillet, tendon, tripe and beef balls, that came floating in a good beef based soup.
Though we ordered way too much I was really impressed with the food at Hanoi Vietnamese Restaurant. The quality was good and the obvious freshness of the dishes a noticeable contrast to typical Cantonese cuisine. Our bill was a reasonable $90 a head, but with big bowls of pho for only $48 you could get away with paying less. The friendly bloke running the show was welcoming and more than happy to make recommendations. They're not licensed to sell alcohol but let us BYO. Offering authentic Vietnamese food at good prices, Hanoi Vietnamese Restaurant is a great option for something different in Yuen Long.

Pearl Vietnamese Restaurant

7 Wo On Lane, Central
Visited 26th June 2009
I don't often get a chance for lunch in Central so was a bit surprised when my friend stopped outside the shabby exterior of Pearl Vietnamese Restaurant. This little joint has a good reputation for serving up tasty and authentic Vietnamese grub to the seething lunchtime masses that descend from all the glittering towers. Inside its pretty basic and the second floor dining room is found up what could be the steepest and most dangerous staircase in Hong Kong.

The menu is simple, but packed with all the expected Vietnamese favourites. We went for pho with fried lemon grass chicken wings, rice with beef and a serve of spring rolls. The pho were good and served in a tasty soup base, while the accompanying chicken wings were crisp and sticky with obvious lemongrass flavour. The rich beef was good though the short grain rice it came with was a bit dry. I like Vietnamese spring rolls and the crispy little guys we got came stuffed with vermicelli, herbs, pork and mushrooms; a tasty treat. To drink it was iced lemon tea.
I enjoyed my lunch at Pearl Vietnamese Restaurant. The food was fresh and tasty and at under $70 for two of us was pretty good value, especially considering it’s cheaper than a meal at McDonalds. Simple, but tasty and good value Pearl Vietnamese Restaurant is worth a visit.