Extravagant at XU
Trip Start
Sep 01, 2005
1
141
163
Trip End
Dec 04, 2006
Saigon,
Vietnam
Friday, October 13, 2006
The 411 on XU
The air con really cools you down when you walk into this chic nouveau Vietnamese restaurant run by an ex-pat from Perth and situated on the first level of the building. There was ample staff on hand and spaced out tables through the 150 capacity room. A long dark wood bar sits next to a low lounge chill out area where you are greeted and encouraged to enjoy a drink before dinner. When I went it was very early @ 7pm and the first to arrive. The tall slender Vietnamese lady wore a black tight traditional dress and ushered my over to my table for one. Dark browns and grays coloured the place that also had a very funky wine cellar with transparent windows from floor to ceiling. The waitress knowing I was by myself came to take a drink order and started up a conversation. For Vietnamese standards her English was very good and was able to sustain a flowing conversation. Having confused me as a friend of Lux Guides the waitress offered me a free appetiser plate of a prawn and scallop fishcake served on a perilla leaf.
Taking the recommendations from my waitress the XU sampler plate was next with a goat ragout served with a Vietnamese curry which was super good, heart of palm on lentils and their signature dish of BBQ pork served with a relish and roasted potato cubes. Moss Wood SSB washed it down perfectly, the wine selection is ample with a huge selection of Australian wines.
For mains the recommended salt water barramundi wrapped in bacon with a light glazing was fresh and soft. The potato and onion stack complimented the fish well which was happily washed down with a glass of Faith Hill Shiraz.
Desert was a glass of Margan Botrytis Semillon! Yum-o!
The dinner alone equated to 1/5 of my total budget spent in Vietnam to date, it was worth the experience but I am happy to return to good old street food.
Bumped into Glen and Melissa (trapped inside the hotel in Hue during the Typhoon) at a random bia hoi place and we shared a few too many and ended up well and truly drunk going home at..... 2am!
Comments
COME HOME!
haah just kidding, wher are ya? you must be having a ball in myanmar, so jealous i didnt get to join u in bagan! must be such a 'wow' experience.. things are same same but different here.. - lv bub