Take a culinary Voi-age to Vietnam

Entering Voi through the imposingly huge but discreet white doors is a little how it must have felt to walk into Versailles for the first time, albeit with far less likelihood that halfway through dinner someone would nick your crown and boot you off the throne.

With its sky-high ceilings, oh-so chic decor, sparkling chandeliers and mirrored columns, make no bones about it, this is a seriously dressy affair. And with the relaxed ambience soundtracked by the clink-clink of chopstick on porcelain and the mellow house music playing in the background, it’s très ‘Let them eat Vietnamese!’

With a menu steeped in the culinary traditions of the South-East Asian country, you’ll find the five senses of taste that are represented in Vietnamese cooking – spicy for metal, sour for wood, bitter for fire, salty for water and sweet for earth. Go à la carte, or choose the Grand or Experience menus featuring seven and six courses and priced at Dh595 and Dh395 respectively.

As we ponder the menu, Diane our server is on hand to tell us all we need to know about the dishes, as a selection of breads, including rye and steamed buns, arrive at the table accompanied by the most sinfully rich French butter we’d ever tasted. And it’s in the smaller but vital details – the service, presentation style, champagne and butter – that the Gallic influences come through.

We soon discover, her encyclopaedic knowledge of the dishes aside, that Diane also speaks three languages – three! Surely her appointment as Under-Secretary General of the UN is but moments away?

The menu isn’t packed to the rafters, but rather features a thoughtful selection, from which we chose a Young papaya salad and Blue prawns from the ‘Start fresh’ section, followed by Crispy tofu and Voi crêpe from the ‘Keep warm’ selection. The papaya is a crunchy, cashew-accompanied taste explosion, while the prawns, served with guava, fennel and nuoc mam, are the perfect starter size. The crêpe that follows comes wrapped around chicken, prawns, chanterelles and bean sprouts, while the tofu of egg dumpling, cashews and tangy herbs features a crispy crumbed shell, belying the melt-in-the-mouth filling.

From there you could move onto the ‘Served in a bowl’ section, but you’d have a stretchier tum than us. For mains, there’s an international feast on offer including Brittany blue lobster, Scottish salmon, Argentinian grilled wild prawns and Roasted Colorado lamb rack. But for me, cod on a menu is always a clincher, and the meaty, flavour-filled slab that arrived, perched atop a helping of clams, garlic and chilli, as well as coconut rice, had me making those ‘mmm’ noises you make when you can’t get your words out around your mouthful. We also tucked into the Free-range chicken, served up with kai lan and sweet potato.

Dessert throws up plenty of top-notch options, including Rice crêpes, and the Riz au lait and ginger ice cream ‘Souvenir from the Colonies’, but the Valrhona Variation, a trio of cocoa sorbet, jivara-orange cremeux and chocolate fondant, had me at ‘Chao’.

Need to know

Restaurant Voi
Location  Zabeel Saray, The Palm Jumeirah
Tel 04 453 0444

Tasty trio: Vietnamese

Cho Gao

Cho Gao brings together the combination of Vietnamese cuisine and a relaxed contemporary atmosphere. As well as serving up some of the most delicious South-East Asian cuisine, the stylish bar also means that it is the perfect spot to relax in the evening. The menu is varied and you can enjoy Vietnamese staples such as Pho, as well as pick from other dishes from the region, including Beef rending and Gado-gado. Polish it all off with their Green tea brulée.
Location Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi
Timing Daily 12pm-4pm and 7pm-1am
Tel 02 616 6149

Hoi An

Find a menu practically overflowing with French-infused Vietnamese dishes at this stylish and ornate restaurant. The discreet lighting gives the restaurant a welcoming glow, so it’s romantic-date ideal, and we’d recommend going the whole hog and ordering from one of the well-thought-out set menus. The Noodle broth soups or the Fresh spring rolls are a great place to start, while the Escargots with ground garlic and coriander are an adventure on your plate you should try.
Location Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai
Timing Daily 7pm-12am
Tel 04 405 2703

Hanoi

This cosy Vietnamese restaurant in the capital serves up unpretentious, authentic dishes – and when the menu warns you that a dish is spicy, be warned, they ain’t kidding, it will be very, very hot! And while the Pho is faultless (Photless?), the star dish on Hanoi’s menu is the Goi. This simple dish of pickled vegetables and toasted peanuts is fresh and full of flavour, the ideal side salad to accompany any of your mains.
Location Khalifa Street, Al Markaziyah, Abu Dhabi
Timing Daily 11am-11pm
Tel 02 626 1112