Buzz
An Nam Restaurant is a renowned Central Vietnamese eatery in Saigon, particularly famous for its sumptuous chicken feast. Let's delve into the reviews to gauge the restaurant's culinary excellence.
Hey everyone, I'm Bao Nam. Yesterday, my family and I visited a beloved Central Vietnamese restaurant in Saigon called An Nam Restaurant at the Tú Xương branch in District 3. This is a culinary gem that our family has cherished for years. Allow me to provide a detailed review of the dishes we enjoyed together.
The Culinary Delights that Define An Nam Restaurant's Reputation
The whole family wasted no time and ordered the star dish at An Nam Restaurant: the 4-course chicken platter. I'll describe it in reverse clockwise order for easy following. First up, we have sticky glutinous rice drizzled with rich pate and scallion oil; next, a shimmering golden whole chicken; then, stir-fried chicken gizzards with fresh turmeric; and finally, banana blossom salad with chicken. In the center lies a plate of salt, chili, and lime for seasoning the whole chicken dish.
The 4-course chicken platter consists of 4 chicken dishes, suitable for a party of 4.
The chicken meat here is firm, tender, and incredibly flavorful, without any hint of dryness or toughness. The pate served with sticky rice is made from chicken liver, providing a delightful aroma and moisture, with rich and savory seasoning. The banana blossom salad offers a crisp and well-rounded taste, with finely chopped banana blossoms mixed with shredded chicken for a delightful mouthful. Stir-fried chicken gizzards with fresh turmeric are beautifully golden, cooked with onions and fresh herbs.
A Sumptuous Selection of Rustic Central Vietnamese Dishes
The next dish served is the mixed clam salad with jackfruit. Young jackfruit, thoroughly cleaned and prepared, when mixed with plump clams, creates an appetizer that perfectly accompanies drinks. The young jackfruit remains crunchy and fresh, while the clams are plump and meaty, offering a satisfying bite. The sweet and sour flavor is balanced, with sesame seeds and Vietnamese coriander being essential ingredients to counter the brininess of the clams.
A rustic plate of mixed clam salad with jackfruit at An Nam Restaurant.
Next up is the pork skin spring rolls. Unlike the usual horizontal arrangement, the pork skin here is vertically layered on both sides of the pork slices. Quite a twist, I like this way of slicing because I prefer lean meat over fat.
A plate of pork skin spring rolls typically contains 7 pieces of pork skin, accompanied by plenty of fresh vegetables, rice paper, and dipping sauce.
The pork slices are thinly sliced, resembling delicate pink silk. The dipping sauce is sweet, fragrant, and richly flavorful. Personally, I devoured a whole plate of pork skin spring rolls that day because they were so delicious.
Zoom in on the pork skin for everyone to admire its sexy allure.
Green Vegetables Selection
After indulging in plenty of meat, it's time for some greens to balance things out. We opted for two dishes of mixed boiled vegetables served with sesame dipping sauce and stir-fried water spinach with shrimp paste. The mixed boiled vegetables dish includes: cauliflower, squash, spinach, green beans, carrots, and kale. The vegetables are cooked to perfection, retaining their crispness and freshness without turning mushy, and the sesame dipping sauce adds a delightful richness.
Mixed boiled vegetables with sesame dipping sauce at the delicious An Nam Restaurant.
Stir-fried water spinach with vibrant green hues, accompanied by crispy dried shrimp, adds visual appeal to the plate of vegetables. This dish is cooked to perfection, without excessive oiliness, making it delicious without feeling heavy.
Stir-fried water spinach with crispy dried shrimp
Final Two Seafood Delights
The steamed whole fresh squid is incredibly tender, without any toughness or chewiness. Dip a piece of squid into the vibrant red chili sauce and it's hard not to devour the whole plate in one go. The squid here is exceptionally fresh and large, with a perfect combination of crispness and chewiness. Each piece of squid is cut into round rings like a bracelet.
Steamed whole fresh squid with a burst of flavors, served with shallots, sour star fruits, and spicy chili.
The last dish we had that day was simmered crab cake with bamboo shoots, served with fluffy white noodles. The crab cake is hand-pounded for a chewy, sweet, and fragrant texture; the bamboo shoots are shredded finely for better flavor absorption. The bubbling pot of crab cake is a sight to behold as the pieces subtly emerge in the broth. The broth is tangy and flavorful, with a rich reduction. Taking a bite of the crab cake with a piece of fresh, spicy bamboo shoot makes everyone exclaim in delight.
The simmered crab cake with bamboo shoots before it goes into the pot.
From my observation, the menu at An Nam Restaurant consists of 80% Da Nang dishes and 20% Central Vietnamese dishes, such as grilled pork rice paper rolls, fish hot pot, pork sausage, stuffed squid, smashed rice cake, fish hot pot with various types of fish, etc. So, if you've been missing Da Nang cuisine, you should definitely come here right away.
An Nam Restaurant has a relatively small space, but it's always fully booked. You should make a reservation before coming.
In total, our group of 6 people finished 6 dishes and were extremely satisfied with the food quality. On average, each person spent 140,000 VND. Since there were 5 or more people, An Nam Restaurant gave us 10 complimentary beers. However, after finishing the fourth bottle, we decided to stop.
When we went there on a Sunday, it was quite crowded. Having learned from previous experiences, my mother made a reservation by phone at 7 p.m. to avoid a long wait. Despite many people arriving, the restaurant was fully booked, so we had to leave. You should make a reservation in advance using the link below:
>>> Book a table this week at An Nam Restaurant Tú Xương to enjoy a 10% discount.
Address of the delicious An Nam Restaurant:
Branch 1: 51B Tú Xương Street, Ward 7, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City
Branch 2: 59 Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Reviewer: Bao Nam
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