APPETISERS always make a pleasing start for me at a Vietnamese meal.

During a recent lunch at An Viet in The Gardens Mall, Mid Valley, we enjoyed sugar cane prawn and Vietnamese-style fried chicken wings before moving on to a platter of mini savoury Vietnamese pancakes.

The tiger prawn paste, wrapped around sugar cane and deep-fried, was springy and flavourful, with the sugar cane imparting a subtle sweetness to it.

The Vietnamese-style fried chicken wings had been deep fried, then tossed in a sticky fish sauce with lard crunchies.

The chicken wings, coated in the salty-sweet sauce, made delectable bites though the lard crunchies had turned a little chewy.

The mini savoury Vietnamese pancakes, topped with prawn and minced pork, piqued my palate.

The small, delicate pancakes were made with a turmeric coconut milk batter. Lettuce and a salad came with these, for the pancake to be wrapped, and then dipped in the light “nuoc cham” sauce (made with fish sauce, lime juice and sugar) and eaten.

They made refreshing, yummy bites. These pancakes are a new item on the An Viet menu.

Vietnamese baguette with grilled Iberico pork chop is the ultimate banh mi or Vietnamese sandwich for me.

The restaurant chain bakes its own baguettes, which are crispy on the outside and soft within.

You crunch on the baguette, touching juicy, flavourful grilled Iberico pork paired with pickles, vegetables and pate, and drizzled with light mayo and a special homemade sauce.

For this Iberico baguette, just add RM10 to the normal version (RM15.90) – an offer that ends on July 10.

I’ve always loved the clams in coconut broth at An Viet. This clear soup is imbued with the natural sweetness of coconut juice, and other flavours from clams sauteed with garlic and lemongrass, and cherry tomatoes. Dill, coriander and a squeeze of lime complete the broth.

Tonkin jasmine flowers are a seasonal “vegetable” from Vietnam and Thailand.

The lightly scented flower buds taste good when lightly sauteed with garlic and black fungus, and then drizzled with a little fish sauce, at this restaurant.

There’s a little crunch from both the sweet flowers and black fungus, with a cloud of deep-fried leek strips topping them.

The Vietnamese-style braised beef turned out tender, hot and spicy, with chunks of soft radish and carrot in the stew. It had a tinge of red from annatto seeds.

The stew drew complexity from the tender, delicious beef, with the root vegetables soaking in its flavours.

Hanoian-style grilled pork with vermicelli came with grilled sliced pork belly and mini pork patties in a braising sauce.

It was another meat dish to enjoy with vegetables, herbs, pickles and vermicelli together with the flavourful pork belly with charred edges and juicy pork patties. It was served with a dipping sauce made with pure, first draw Phu Quoc fish sauce.

I waited to savour my favourite Vietnamese beef noodle special with its premium raw beef, beef brisket, honeycomb tripe and house-made pure beef balls.

The super-tasty broth was made from simmering two types of beef bones and spices. Pleasing, too, were the beef balls bursting with flavour and the crunchy tripe.

Prices are reasonable here: you could have a fulsome meal with beef or pork for under RM30.

The beef noodle special is RM24.90, Vietnamese braised beef RM22.90, Hanoian grilled pork RM19.90. Appetisers are from 12.90, and the clams in coconut broth is RM17.90.

The dishes were ample for sharing among the five of us.

An Viet is at LG 203B, The Gardens Mall, Mid Valley. Call 03-2201 1181 enquiries. It’s also in Paradigm Mall, Sunway Pyramid and Sunway Velocity. In Penang, it’s at Gurney Plaza and Queensbay Mall. – July 1, 2023.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.