Em Hanoi, Desa ParkCity

Lunch at Em Hanoi might seem a somewhat strange affair: Slurp on spicy beef pho (RM29), made fiery unmistakably with mala-style Sichuan peppers, while sipping Vietnamese beer and listening to a soundtrack of 1990s Korean pop. The reason for this riddle: Em Hanoi's founders are reputedly South Koreans who previously lived in Vietnam.

Em Hanoi

B-G-08, Plaza Arkadia, Desa Parkcity, 52200 Kuala Lumpur. Daily, lunch and dinner.

This post first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com

Ăn Viet: The Beefiest Phở

What makes a bowl of phở that hits the spot, from the first slurp of the slick noodles to the final sip of the soothing soup? For Ăn Viet, the soulful secret might rest in its beef, whose essence is in every spoonful of its newly revised recipe - the slices swathed over the surface, surrounded by all our favourite beef parts, with bones infused slowly but surely into the very broth.

Ăn Viet launched this elevated version of its much-loved phở in early August, so if you haven't been back to this restaurant recently, this is the one to order next - especially if you're here on Tuesdays, when Ăn Viet is currently offering up to 50% off the phở once a week to celebrate this new rendition (more details below). Dubbed the 'Beefiest Phở You'd Love,' it lives up to its name for one of the most beautiful bovine creations you'll find at any venue in KL for Southeast Asian cuisine.

We had a glimpse at how each bowl is assembled, starting with the familiar flat rice noodles, a smooth, safe base for the beef galore above, the clear stars of this show. As Ăn Viet's fans know, patrons can choose their personal noodle portion - 100, 150 or 200 grams - to accommodate their own appetite and avoid food wastage.

You have three main customisation options - for the works, the Vietnamese Beef Noodle Special is loaded with handmade 100% beef balls, premium raw rib eye beef, beef brisket, tendon and honeycomb tripe. Alternatively, the phở can be savoured simply with raw beef and beef brisket for a pure, full-bodied meaty experience, or with raw beef and beef balls if you're not a lover of offal. You can also choose your own add-ons if you have your favourite parts, like the tendon.

After nearly half a decade, Ăn Viet has fine-tuned its phở to ensure an enjoyable experience. The beef balls are naturally textured with a nice tenderness; the rib eye, served raw before the steaming-hot broth is poured over, is delicately luscious (leave it lightly cooked); the brisket is fleshy, the collagen-rich tendon is clean-tasting, and the tripe has been upgraded to the most coveted honeycomb. Every component plays its part capably - beef buffs should be pleased with the protein.

What brings it all together is the precious broth, which we'd happily drink a bowl of, even on its own. Ăn Viet now relies on a variety of bones, from the neck for a sweeter flavour to the marrow for a richer texture. It's MSG-free, so what you taste is the goodness extracted from beef bones, simmered for hours with traditional Vietnamese spices and seasonings.

You can also harvest fresh basil leaves from Ăn Viet's live plants (at The Gardens Mall, Sunway Pyramid and Paradigm Mall) and select assorted condiments to brighten your meal.

From now until 30 September 2020, Ăn Viet is offering a special promotion every Tuesday - order one serving of the phở and enjoy 10% off the price; order two servings and enjoy 15% off; order three servings and enjoy 25% off.

Ăn Viet's subscribers can enjoy double the discount, up to 50% off. Subscribing is easy and can be completed instantly at any of Ăn Viet's restaurants (in The Gardens Mall, Sunway Pyramid, Paradigm Mall Petaling Jaya, or Gurney Plaza in Penang).

You can also subscribe through this link: http://bit.ly/EDKL-AnViet

The phở is more than sufficient for a complete meal, but we can't help indulging every time we visit Ăn Viet - from appetiser platters of rice paper and green mango salad, sugarcane prawns, and fresh and fried spring rolls with tiger prawns, to dessert of Viet-ffogato (Vietnamese coffee with coconut ice cream), Ăn Viet shines in putting its best into each preparation.

Ăn Viet also has a genuine heart for the community and the environment - be sure to finish all the food you order and Ăn Viet will donate 10 sen per meal to the Food Aid Foundation as part of efforts to curb food wastage and feed the hungry (about 200,000 meals were finished at Ăn Viet last year!).

Many thanks to Ăn Viet for a phở-nomenal lunch.

Find Ăn Viet at:

The Gardens Mall (LG-203B)

Paradigm Mall PJ (Lot LG 02-03A))

Sunway Pyramid (LG2.127)

Gurney Plaza (B1-32A)

FB: https://www.facebook.com/anviet.my/

IG: @anviet.my

Website: www.anviet.com.my

Nam, Republik Damansara Heights

Weaving together Vietnamese, French and Chinese inspirations into a tapestry of pho, pâté, poached chicken rice and more, Nam finally launches this month - one of our most-anticipated restaurants at Damansara Heights' Republik F&B enclave, this is another dynamic destination by the founders of Kenny Hills Bakers, Kenny Hills Bistro and Nourish, who continue to craft some of KL's most worthwhile fare, skilfully turning top-drawer produce into terrifically enjoyable recipes.

Nam's repertoire is extensive enough to merit multiple visits; consider starting with the smoked salmon pâté, which showcases thick, tender slices of sourdough bread, meant to be slathered with a luscious spread of fresh-textured, clean-tasting salmon, studded with trout roe for an amplifying punch of flavour, a beautiful representative of why Kenny Hills Bakers and its spin-offs have become so beloved throughout nearly five years now.

Onion soups and crêpes Suzette also beckon for Francophiles, but save space for the Chinese selection, spanning Sichuan salt-and-pepper squid to roast duck and poached free-range organic chicken - the truffle egg noodles with braised mushrooms make for a soulful vegetarian meal, featuring firm noodles saturated with sumptuous earthiness in each slick strand (RM32); alternatively, the egg noodles can also be coupled with Nam's house-made char siew lamb, which we somehow missed on the menu but would certainly have otherwise ordered.

Ultimately, true to the restaurant's name, it's the Vietnamese variety that makes Nam most distinctive (considering the influence of French colonialism and Chinese domination on Vietnam, this makes for a coherent trio of cuisines for the restaurant to serve).

The beef pho is ph-abulous, thanks to the triumphantly supple beef short ribs and brisket that take centre stage in a bowl of sweetly mellow broth (RM32). And while the grilled chicken banh mi with duck liver pate might not instantly transport customers to the streets of Saigon, it's still a sandwich to savour, a pleasure to sink the teeth into (RM24; a soft-shell crab banh mi is also available).

Nam's twists on familiar favourites might pull patrons in for the first time - its meat-free take on bun chay is a tangy, toss-everything-together temptation of caramelised tofu with vermicelli, lively herbs and pickled vegetables (RM28), while its bahn xeo pancake comes plumply packed with a rich stuffing of aromatic crispy duck, watercress, pomelo and burnt orange aioli (RM36) - but its kitchen's capable, confident execution will keep them coming back. Wash it all down with revivingly hot Vietnamese coffee (RM15; cortados and cappuccinos are also offered, prepared with an Italian-constructed, copper-plated espresso machine) or a refreshingly cool water chestnut beverage (RM15).

Nam
G-02-02, Republik, Jalan Medan Setia 1, Bukit Damansara, 50490 Kuala Lumpur. Daily, 11am-11pm. Tel: 03-2011-2992

This post first appeared on eatdrinkkl.com

Saigon Avenue, Tropicana Avenue

With founders who reputedly hail from Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon Avenue does delicious justice to the Vietnamese culinary repertoire: The pho bo is hearty and heartwarming, brimming with beef tenderloin, shin and meatballs (RM17), while the banh mi stuffed with barbecued beef is robustly flavourful, a very worthy lunch for RM11. Beyond beef, we'd return for classics like the stuffed squid, crispy pancake and lemongrass chicken with vermicelli; round out your meal with hot or cold Vietnamese tea.

Saigon Avenue

P-G-29, Tropicana Avenue, Persiaran Tropicana, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Daily, 11am-930pm.

Lucky Quan @ Kuchai Lama

Lucky Quan does a creditable job of bringing the flavours of Hanoi to customers - the extensive menu encompasses interesting recipes that range from ark clams that pack a firm bite (RM25) to noodle soups swimming with baby octopus and pork blood curd (RM13.80), savoury frogs braised with coconut milk (RM28) to a sweet, textured purple yam soup with minced pork (RM15). The food emerges fresh, hot and hearty, bearing a reassuring ring of authenticity. Wash down with apple-bittergourd juice and herbal tea.

Lucky Quan

2 Jalan 8/116B, Sri Desa Entrpreneur Park, Kuchai Lama, Kuala Lumpur. Daily, 1030am-11pm.

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