Geoff Lindsay’s celebration of Vietnamese cuisine has been popular with Bayside locals since opening in 2011. The long, narrow space – exposed brick walls, light-well garden feature and polished concrete floors – is a regular hangout for wannabe yachties and young families, who graze through an extensive menu offering everything from pho five ways to banana-stuffed sticky rice. Dishes are multi-layered and ingredient-rich, offering a bold, colourful combination of textures and flavours that mostly work well – sticky slow-cooked beef short ribs with earthy mountain spices, crab spring rolls wrapped in fried lattice rice paper – although the food can sometimes lack the sparkle and zing that the menu descriptions suggest. The bar sends out a steady stream of signature cocktails (including a Viet Espresso Martini, of course) and the wine list cleverly offers a range of familiar styles from less familiar producers, all very well suited to the food.
This review was made independently for the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide. The guide’s reviewers visit unannounced and pay their way.
Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide
Wine: ★
Gourmet Traveller’s star-ratings, which range from zero to three stars, reflect reviewers’ first-hand experiences. The best-rated restaurants form our national Top 100. Our wine ratings, from zero to three stars, are made by wine editor Max Allen on the strength of the quality of the restaurant’s wine list. View our rating key here.
