Nam Phương Restaurant

Uschi and Satyia invited me to their new Vietnamese restaurant at Harbour View Hotel and tonight I only had an early class, so it was an ideal opportunity to accept. Khánh picked me up at VAIE and came too. What a treat!  delicious food in an exquisite setting.... 

When I think of dining on authentic Vietnamese food, I imagine little blue stools, rubbish on the floor, lots of noise, diners crowded together and the ritual of taking a napkin and cleaning off the bowls and chopsticks before using them ... and delicious food.

But tonight I had the pleasure of dining on delicious, authentic Vietnamese food in a restaurant that is elegant and spacious, yet intimate and relaxing. Nam Phương Restaurant, in Harbour View Hotel is a treasure. Decorated with charming artefacts, (I love the fabulous figurines...) the room is arranged so that each table has its own space, apart from the others. The chairs are comfortable, the table settings are spotless and picture perfect. No cacophony from other diners here, just soft Vietnamese music in the background. No need to call out “Em oi!”, the waitresses are on hand to serve.  Beautifully attired in áo dài’s, they serve with gentle grace – and they speak English.

Uschi introduced me to their mint cocktail ... so refreshing!

The menu has over sixty dishes to choose from – a delicious array of flavours and taste sensations from all over Vietnam. The food is presented beautifully as you would expect. There is an extensive wine cellar as well as fresh fruit cocktails to accompany your meal. 

We started with the crab soup. 

Palmello and prawn salad,   and banana flower salad.

Grilled fish rice paper wraps 

Salted chicken...

with caramelised mangos and ice-cream for dessert.

Tasteful elegance, excellent service, and delicious food in an atmosphere that invites you to relax and linger – an entirely pleasurable dining experience in Hải Phòng.  We had such a pleasant evening feeling pampered and thoroughly spoiled!