Those in the know have been enjoying authentic Vietnamese food for many years in Adelaide’s north-western suburbs. And just recently it seems there is a banh mi vendor on most CBD streets, but the opening of Madame Hanoi Bar & Bistro at the Casino last week has taken Vietnamese dining in Adelaide to a different place altogether.
Madame Hanoi presents a Vietnamese dining experience in a hotel-style setting. The fact that the restaurant is part of the Adelaide Casino portfolio, and is therefore located in one of Adelaide’s more significant and impressive heritage buildings, lends it both an air of elegance and tackiness. But the floor-to-ceiling Emma Hack mural with eye-height nipples the size of your hands, a labyrinth floor plan and an exotic menu create an overriding allure.
The menu and the running of Madame Hanoi are overseen by international executive chef Nic Watt. Like Sean Connolly, whose restaurant Sean’s Kitchen recently opened on the eastern side of the Adelaide Casino (see InDaily review), Watt also has a restaurant at Auckland’s Skycity. Masu by Nic Watt and The Grill by Sean Connolly are just two of 16 restaurants at the Auckland casino.
Watt has a background in Japanese cooking, but his travels in Vietnam created a passion for the French-influenced cuisine. Madame Hanoi offers both a breakfast and an all-day menu. The breakfast menu is predominantly French with a selection of pastries, fruit compotes, and both the feminine and masculine versions of their toasted ham and cheese sandwiches.
Green mango and papaya salad. Photo Nat Rogers/InDaily
InDaily visited Madame Hanoi at lunch time, which was reasonably busy for a first week of trade, with many business people in groups at the downstairs tables. The all-day menu is designed for sharing with a selection of small plates (mon phu), salads (goi), steamed buns (banh bao), sliders (banh mi), the croques and pastries again (am thuc viet phap), larger dishes (mon chinh), street food (am thuc duong pho) and sides. Having a bilingual menu may seem a little contrived, but it does add a sense of authenticity to the experience.
We shared the goi xoai du du ($12.90) – a fresh pile of shredded green mango and papaya dressed with peanuts, coriander, chilli and lime. It’s something we wish every banh mi vendor would offer.
Steamed bun with soft shell crab. Photo Nat Rogers/InDaily
The banh bao cua lot ($6.90) bun looked a lot like a black fungus (it’s apparently coloured with squid ink) which is filled with tempura-battered soft-shell crab, fresh coriander and chilli lime mayonnaise. The bun had a perfumy flavour and a spongy texture. We didn’t love this dish, which is also small and difficult to share.
On recommendation from staff, we tried the so diep nuong ($21.90), which consists of five grilled Hervey Bay scallops in their shells with a chilli, lime and soy dressing. These were perfectly cooked, with a light smoky flavour from the grill, but it was disappointing they had to travel all the way from Queensland.
Grilled Hervey Bay scallops. Photo Nat Rogers/InDaily
The rau muong ($8) – or “morning glory” – was a green vegetable that looked and tasted similar to Chinese broccoli but was far more tender. It was served wilted with garlic shoots and what we guessed to be an oyster sauce.
The waiting staff at Madam Hanoi were attentive and the presentation was excellent. The food was served on a selection of vintage plates and serving dishes of different textures, enhancing the visual appeal of the food.
Black sticky rice pudding. Photo Nat Rogers/InDaily
Favourite dish: Black sticky rice pudding ($12.60). This traditional dish was not only beautiful to look at, it was fragrant and delicious. A ball of coconut sorbet sat on top of a spread of black sticky rice, surrounded by pineapple soaked in rum, chilli and lime and cubes of coconut jelly, and was garnished with baby basil and fine strips of chilli.
Other dishes: There is beef wrapped in betel leaf with crushed peanuts ($14), one of six small dishes that sound enticing; two other salads (crispy confit duck and Spencer Gulf prawns), a steamed bun with braised beef, more banh mi, and a handful of other street-food offerings and sides.
Something sweet/to drink: The dessert menu is short, offering only three options and a selection of macarons. However, the sua da (Vietnamese coffee) – served with a stainless-steel filter dripping the hot coffee over a thin layer of condensed milk and a block of ice in a cut-glass tumbler – makes a good dessert substitute, particularly when teamed with a mini bar (Furry Friends size) of single-origin Marou dark 70+% chocolate from Saigon (the wrappings are pretty enough to cover your school books with).
The drinks list is gargantuan by comparison. There are close to 100 wines listed, ranging from $40 (2013 Schwarz Dust-Kicker Chenin Blanc from the Barossa Valley) to $950 (2006 Henschke Hill of Grace Shiraz from the Eden Valley). Apart from the Champagnes, sparklings and rosés, all the wines, which are mostly French and South Australian plus a few Tasmanian and Yarra Valleys, are listed under different flavour profiles, making selection a little easier, but make sure you bring your reading glasses, as the print is quite small.
Salted mandarin and honey soda. Photo Nat Rogers/InDaily
The cocktail list also offers some interesting flavours, with the sweet/salty blend being a feature. We tried the beausoleil cleanser ($9), which was a salted mandarin honey soda served in a long glass that was unfortunately mostly filled with ice, but it was delicious and refreshing all the same. The alcoholic cocktails list is captivating and worth a return visit for drinks alone. Prices start from $9 for the pickled bia (lemon, pickled chilli, cucumber and draught lager) and go up to $17 for the Hanoi sidecar (ginger liqueur, mandarin cognac, five spice and lemon).
Madame Hanoi Bar & Bistro
Open Monday to Friday, 7.30am until late; weekends 11am until late.
North Terrace, Adelaide, ph 8218 4166
