Sitting under the swinging lanterns at Le Vietnamese Kitchen you could be in a back alley of Hanoi instead of on Ponsonby Rd. The kitchen of this newly opened Vietnamese eatery is headed up by award-winning Vietnamese chef David Gao who comes from a family of Vietnamese cooks, his parents cooking for the French during the Vietnam War, and he himself a professional chef of over seventeen years experience.
Gao's menu features plenty of street eats in the banh mi, pho, spring rolls and more, alongside more sophisticated French-influenced dishes like bo sot vang, a stew of beef braised in red wine served with a crusty baguette to mop up the juices and that dish that never fails to please, shaking beef, or bo luc lac; chunks of angus eye fillet tossed furiously with watercress, onions and black pepper. With Vietnam such a hot food destination right now, we couldn't be happier to find an escape into this world of flavour much closer to home.
• Le Vietnamese Kitchen , 107 Ponsonby Rd. Open for lunch & dinner, ph (09) 376 6107.
- VIVA
