A delicious Vietnamese meal in Frankfurt in December 2018 inspired restaurateur Sahil Sambhi to bring the experience to India. After extensive R&D, including reaching out to Vietnamese Ambassador to India Pham Sanh Chau and sending his culinary team to work in Vietnam, Sambhi opened VietNom in Gurugram in May 2019. Early this week, VietNom launched its fifth outpost in the country and its first in Mumbai.
Parked in Bandra, the restaurant is spread across two floors — a small intimate seating area and bar on the ground floor and an inviting warm dining space on the mezzanine floor, both connected via a stairway artwork featuring a Vietnamese lady cooking up a storm.
We visited the 60-seater restaurant earlier this week on a very rainy evening, and quickly made our way upstairs, which could be easily assumed as someone’s living room, had it not been occupied by so many tables and chairs.
Banh Mi features a crusty baguette stuffed with patty of your choice with herbs, pickled radish, and other vegetables. (Express Photo)
“We wanted to create the illusion that you are dining at someone’s house in Vietnam, which is why the tables are also parked so close to one another and there’s also a large community dining table in the center,” shared Sambhi, adding that this was the reason they chose to keep the interiors minimalist, raw, and rustic.
Designed by Vivek Guha of Orphic Design Studio, the space is adorned in shades of beige and ivory, featuring materials like wood, rattan, rope, jute, and plants. Soft warm lights enhance its charm.
The menu, put together by chef Phankri Bey and chef Bhim B Tamang, is extensive, and has enough for vegetarians as well. We started with the creamy Avocado Summer Roll (Rs 529), featuring chunks of avocado, cucumber, and herbs rolled in rice paper; a crispy Five Spice Tofu Spring Roll (Rs 430) filled with glass noodles, tofu, and vegetables; and a tangy Vietnamese Crispy Lotus Stem Salad (Rs 529 veg) with thinly sliced lotus stems, fresh herbs, pickled carrot in tamarind chilli dressing.
Van Gogh Effect is a mellow gin-based cocktail with cinnamon and honey, topped with an edible Starry Night garnish. (Express Photo)
Accompanying our food were their signature cocktails, Hanoi Dance (Rs 695) and Thai Curry in My Glass (Rs 695). The Hanoi Dance, a tribute to Vietnam’s capital, was a rich mix with Jim Beam White as its base. Despite initial doubts about the ingredients — coconut and jasmine sticky rice syrup, pandan cordial, and almond milk — we were impressed with how well it all came together. The latter lived up to its name in a pleasantly surprising way.
The standout dish was the Vegetable and Glass Noodles Dimsums (Rs 410), with dumplings filled with vegetables and poached in soy sauce, served with chive and chilli dipping sauces. The Vietnamese Dry Chilli Prawns (Rs 690) were deep-fried to crispy perfection with soft, luscious prawns inside, making us polish it off. The Vietnamese Lotus Stem (Rs 690) and Spicy Galangal and Sesame Chicken Skewers (Rs 490) did not stand out. We washed them down with Van Gogh Effect, a mellow gin-based cocktail with cinnamon and honey, topped with an edible Starry Night garnish.
Having recently developed a love for Banh Mi and Pho, thanks to The Studio — a Vietnamese supper club run by a home chef of Vietnamese origin in Thane — we were eager to try these dishes and were not disappointed.
Pho is a light, aromatic, and flavorful noodle soup, perfect for a rainy evening. (Express Photo)
The Dau Phu Banh Mi (Rs 529) featured a crusty baguette stuffed with a crispy tofu patty, herbs, pickled radish, and other vegetables. The tofu was silken soft, and the baguette was crispy outside and soft inside, as it should be. We tried Pho (Rs 660), a mildly aromatic noodle soup, in both chicken and vegetable variations. The chicken soup had tender pieces and rich broth, while the vegetable soup featured tofu, mushrooms, and other vegetables. Served with sides of peanuts, fried garlic, onions, herbs, lemon slices, and sprouts, it was an immersive experience. The soup was light, aromatic, and flavorful, perfect for a rainy evening.
From the mains, we enjoyed their mango curry in vegetarian (Rs 570) and chicken version (Rs 690). These mildly spiced coconut-based curries, topped with fresh raw mango, went well with Blue Pea Jasmine Rice (Rs 300). Though full, we couldn’t resist the Pomelo Mint Mango Sago (Rs 440). This light and fluffy mango mousse with pomelo, mint leaves, and sago pearls disappeared in no time!
Designed by Vivek Guha of Orphic Design Studio, the space is adorned in shades of beige and ivory, featuring materials like wood, rattan, rope, jute, and plants. Soft warm lights enhance its charm. (Express Photo)
Where: A Wing, Ground Floor, Ganga Jamna Sangam, 14th & 24th Road, Khar West, Mumbai – 400052
When: 12 noon to 11.30 pm
Price for two: Rs 2,000 plus taxes