“Did you know there’s a new Vietnamese restaurant on Skene Street?”
It seems my week was about to get a lot better.
As soon as the words were uttered by my friend describing a new restaurant in the former Bonobo Café in Aberdeen, I knew something had to be done.
A booking must be made.
Sadly, a winter bug hampered my progress for a few weeks but eventually Emily from Viet An Aberdeen on Skene Street confirmed my booking and the anticipation began.
Viet An in Aberdeen
Viet An is one of Aberdeen’s newest restaurants and is run by a family who relocated from London.
Walking into the restaurant on Skene Street on a drizzly night, I’ll admit the stakes were high.
Being a firm fan of Bonobo Cafe in the past for its food and the lovely staff, Viet An had a hard legacy to follow.
However, not long after I shuffled through the door and was greeted with a lovely smile from a woman behind the desk, I realised one of those had already been met.
The downstairs space has been transformed. Now painted a bright, warm yellow, the kitchen is hidden behind a wooden pay station.
As I sat and waited for my friend Jess and our table, it was clear the place was bustling and that a booking was essential after several people were told they were fully booked for the night.
Once Jess arrived, we spent some time waiting for our table which we happily spent catching up and eyeing the steaming dishes passing by.
Every few minutes our chat was punctuated with an apology and update on the progress in clearing our table from three or four different members of staff always with a smile and sometimes making us giggle.
The good humour and friendliness displayed in each instance made the wait fly by and we were still smiling when we were shown our table upstairs.
The food
We were greeted by an intimate and warm dining space which sits around 20 people at a time.
Sat by the door and under a hanging pot of flowing pink flowers, Jess and I were quick to turn our attention to the menu.
After narrowing it down to a range of three starters and two mains, we each ordered a juice, a homemade Vietnamese lemon juice (£4.50) for me and an apple and pineapple juice (£4) for Jess.
The lemon juice was exactly what I was after, fresh and not too sweet.
It was so fresh in fact the lemon pips kept blocking the bamboo straw providing Jess with some interesting, bubble-blowing entrainment.
Just as I set the temperamental straw aside, the vegetarian green papaya salad arrived.
Although it was one of the pricier starters on the menu at £9.45, it was money well spent.
Piled artfully in a small black dish with a sprig of mint and sprinkle of peanuts on top, the thinly sliced vegetables and tofu made for a very moreish mix.
The sweet and salty salad was juicy and refreshing and the peanuts made for a nice crunch.
Next up were the salt and pepper chicken wings (£7.25) and square crab spring rolls (£7.45).
A classic choice, the salt and pepper chicken wings with cooked chilli, spring onion and onions were crispy and piping hot.
Well seasoned and not overly salty or overpowering, they were a win with Jess while it was the crispy square crab spring rolls that stole the show for me.
Set on a healthy, lettuce leaf bed, the two square crab spring rolls were cut in half and served with a light, sweet dipping sauce.
Golden and glistening, the spring rolls were as crispy as they looked and the filling was generous and flavoursome.
The spring rolls were juicy without being greasy and the dipping sauce only enhanced the crab, prawn and chicken filling.
After thoroughly enjoying our starter tapas with a chorus of ‘mmm’s’ we agreed it was hard to pick a favourite and we would not hesitate to reorder any of the dishes.
Pho-nomenal mains
Carrying on our sharing style for mains, we ordered the ginger chicken and rice (£12.75) and medium rare steak Pho (£12.95).
Starting with the chicken, I was given a very vibrant and colourful plate.
The boneless chicken leg fell apart easily and had a lovely charred and sticky appearance. The ginger was a subtle and tasty choice.
Sitting pretty on top of a bed of rice, it was surrounded by a range of four different coloured vegetables making it feel like a wholesome piece of art.
Usually, it feels like vegetables get a rough deal and are often quickly added to bulk out a plate. However, in this case, it was clear care had been taken to flavour each section adding another dimension to the dish.
After seeing Jess enjoying the Pho, we agreed to swap plates and see what we had been missing.
The Pho, thoughtfully presented in a large flowery bowl, was filled with melt-in-the-mouth medium rare steak, large flat rice noodles in a fresh and flavoursome broth with onions and a generous amount of coriander.
It also came with a wooden side plate with extra coriander, onions, a lime wedge and sliced red chilli which were quickly added.
It made for a warming and light main dish which I would not hesitate to order again.
A very generous surprise
Thoroughly full, we asked to take what we could not devour home and decided to finish with green tea and Vietnamese coffee before we attempted to move.
However, we were met with a very thoughtful surprise.
To apologise for our wait at the beginning of the night, we were brought two portions of the banana fritters and ice cream.
After weakly protesting that it was not needed while staring longingly at the fritters, we very gratefully accepted the desserts and again rallied our stomachs.
Thankfully the banana fritters paired with vanilla ice cream were the perfect light and sweet end to our meal and we were very grateful we did not miss out.
The verdict
Our night at the Granite City’s newest Vietnamese restaurant Viet An Aberdeen was a memorable one for all the right reasons.
The calming and cheerful setting and vibrant and tasty dishes make it a perfect dining spot for catch-up dinners with close family and friends and also offers romantics a unique date night.
Every member of the team was fantastic and the way in which the owners and staff handled our wait by continuing to update us, generally being very friendly and of course, the sweet treat at the end was very considerate.
With the added reasonable prices and generous portions, Viet An Aberdeen is certainly a must-visit restaurant.
Information
Address: 73-75 Skene Street, Aberdeen, AB10 1QD
T: 01224 356826
W: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552268536435
Price: £64.19 for two juices, three starters and two mains.
Disabled access: No
Dog friendly: No
Scores:
- Food: 4.5/5
- Service: 5/5
- Surroundings: 4/5
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