VietNom

With a compact menu offering fresh, colourful and authentic Vietnamese street food, VietNom (see what they did there?) started out as a Baltic Market pop-up in 2018, with Peter and Mel opening their first standalone bricks and mortar joint, complete with cocktails, in early 2020.

The pair worked together in various Liverpool restaurants, including Maray and Oktopus, and hosted dinner parties at the likes of Mother Espresso and The Bagelry before taking the plunge, inspired by Mel’s Hanoi-born chef dad, who taught his daughter the Viet way of cooking. Daytime sees the Banh Mi Club, with the traditional baguette stuffed with pickled veggies, pâté, mayo, cucumber, chilli and coriander, plus your choice of filling: caramel pork belly or panko chicken in the meat corner versus oyster mushroom or panko aubergine in the plant-based corner. There are also bao buns, including beef brisket, if you prefer your sandwich of the steamed variety, and that slow-braised beef is one of the options for the famous fragrant pho noodle soup – others, alongside the spring onions, chilli and coriander, are rare steak (gluten free) and mixed mushroom and Asian greens. As well as starters, soups, sides and the sweet and sour shredded Viet veggie and herb salad with Hanoi chicken or black pepper tofu puffs, the evening menu also lists various rice dishes and “noods”. The latter includes a prawn and dill skewer with bun noodles or the pork bun cha noodle bowl filled with grilled pork patty, pork spring roll, fresh herbs, pickled veggies and sauce; the former, caramel pork belly and egg or a coconut, lemongrass and ginger curry (chicken or sweet potato and crispy cauliflower), both with steamed jasmine rice, cucumber, coriander and pickled veggies.

Desserts range from caramelised bananas with ice cream and a coconut and peanut sauce to the Vietnamese version of a crème caramel, banh flan. Ask about alternatives, such as vegan.

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