An Viet Menu – Vietnamese Restaurant KL
Words: Nichole Ong
Photos: Rich Callahan
Walking into An Viet’s Vietnamese restaurant at The Gardens Mall, we were greeted by a warm interior swirling with aromas and the sounds of happy diners. An Viet’s vision is simple: to reduce the amount of food waste by using every part of each ingredient. Its owner, Caren, tells us that she was inspired specifically by Vietnamese cuisine and its ability to do just that – wasting no part of the animal or produce. The restaurant, with other outlets in Sunway Pyramid, Velocity Mall, and Paradigm Mall, aims to honour the rich culture behind their menu by serving eager diners food that is too good to waste, utilising quality ingredients to craft natural dishes and made from scratch.
An Viet Menu – Appetisers
The Appetiser Platter (RM 15.90), containing rice paper with tiger prawn wraps, fried rice paper wraps, and prawn paste wrapped around sugarcane, gave a taste of what lay ahead. The rice paper wraps were delicious – even more so with a splash of sweet chilli sauce. I particularly enjoyed the crispness of the fried rice paper wraps. As for the prawn paste and sugarcane, the prawn paste was well seasoned, still letting the sweetness of the tiger prawn used to make it shine through. In line with the restaurant’s no-waste philosophy, you can chew on the fresh sugarcane once done with its coat for a sweet, earthy flavour.
Vietnamese Restaurant Mid Valley
The star of the show was undoubtedly the Soup-er Hot Stone Japanese A5 Wagyu Pho (RM 37.90). This dish is a deconstructed pho we had the pleasure of putting together after the stone bowl of simmering broth was delivered from the kitchen. The soup was just the right temperature to cook the beef to our liking, pairing it with noodles and fresh herbs. The quality of the ingredients used at An Viet is encapsulated in this dish, with the beef slices giving a wonderful melt-in-mouth texture and the beef balls being made of 100% beef, with no fillers. The chewy, silky noodles soaked up the flavourful broth and simmered for twelve hours with two types of beef bones for depth of flavour. This is definitely a dish that tastes just as impressive as it is presented.
Another testament to An Viet’s mastery of Vietnamese flavour is the Vietnamese-style Braised Beef (RM 24.90), cooked for four hours to a tenderness that allows it to fall apart at a bite. The dish pairs very well with rice or bread, with the sweet spiciness of the sauce adding a depth of flavour.
A Vietnamese classic done well, the Lemongrass Chicken Banh Mi (RM 15.90) features a baguette that is crispy on the outside yet soft and cottony on the inside. The bread encases fresh chicken thigh seasoned with aromatic lemongrass, pate, and a special homemade secret sauce alongside fresh vegetables to complete the perfect bite.
The Clams in Coconut Broth (17.90) is another skilful interweaving of flavours, balancing the light savouriness of the clams with the sweet and acidic broth. Using coconut water to infuse the broth gives it a lightness, lifted further by the cooking wine. It’s a delight for seafood lovers.
Another famous Vietnamese dish, popularised by photos of former US President Obama enjoying it in Hanoi, the Hanoian Style Grilled Pork with Vermicelli (RM 19.90), is a bestseller for a reason. The dish is consumed by first shredding the herbs and then dipping the noodles in the sauce. Like the other meat dishes, the pork is tender and well-flavoured, and the vermicelli complements its texture.
The herbs are another testament to An Viet’s commitment to fresh ingredients. Caren shares that the chain plans to bring back a fresh herb garden where customers can pick their own toppings. Additionally, the fish sauce used in this dish and many others at An Viet is premium-grade fish sauce, which is 100% naturally brewed over a year, lending an umami flavour that means none of the dishes require MSG. It’s a scrumptious dish that is indeed too good to waste.
Drinks Menu at An Viet
We enjoyed three Vietnamese drinks from the An Viet beverage menu to accompany our meal. Any visit to a Vietnamese restaurant would be incomplete without Iced Coffee (RM 8.90), and An Viet’s is particularly unmissable, being of the highest grade, reflected in its rich taste and fragrance.
The Lemongrass and Ginger Tea (RM 7.90) is natural and made in-store. The effort of this pays off immensely, as the drink is vibrant with a nice kick from the ginger.
Another refreshing option, the Lime Juice (RM 8.90), is light and tangy, pairing well with the rich flavours of the dishes on the menu. It is topped with fresh lime sorbet, adding a sweet and tart chill to the glass.
An Viet Menu Review
An Viet lives up to its goal of creating food that is too good to waste, providing us with an array of dishes bursting with flavour and nourishment. We enjoyed its approachable environment, as well as the effort and care put into preparing and serving each dish. With fresh, high-quality ingredients and authentic Vietnamese flavours, who could resist savouring every last bite?
Reasons to try An Viet’s Menu: delicious Vietnamese food; quality ingredients; commitment to sustainability; participate in their stop hunger campaign, where they donate RM 2 to charity for every photo of finished food!; Mon loved the Lemongrass Chicken Banh Mi; Rich could go for seconds of the Vietnamese-style Braised Beef; and I appreciated the variety found in the appetiser platter.
An Viet, Vietnamese Restaurant KL
LG203B The Gardens Mall
Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City
59200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
+6 03 2201 1181
www.anviet.com.my
An Viet at The Gardens Mall Opening Hours
Monday to Friday: 11 am – 9:30 pm
Weekends: 10 am – 9:30 pm
Find more Vietnamese restaurants here and stay up-to-date with the latest gourmet and travel recommendations for Malaysia here and here.
My friend owns this outlet at Gardens. Been asking me to go over to KL and she will give me a special treat here. Yet to do so.
I’m sure you’d appreciate it. Lovely concept and tasty food.