There has been a new rise of modern Vietnamese fusion food and we hope this tread continues because Vietnamese flavours are bombbbb – I should know, I make some delicious noodle dishes 😏 (LINK). New Quarter was a restaurant we came across on the goodfood page so during our latest Melbourne trip, we hurriedly got a reservation. We had the a la carte menu.
Food
We should have been wary when the (Australian) server couldn’t pronounce Nem Nướng. This was nem nuong, open sausage skewer, flatbread, jaew at $14 each. It wasn’t a true nem nuong, which traditionally is a highly-addicting smokey sweet and savoury grilled pork. It was a bit more like a dry sausage.
We thought the flat bread resembled the traditional banh mi a little bit (Vietnamese baguette), along with the cucumber (for a banh mi nem nuong) but it wasn’t the same. Concept was there, execution fell off the wagon. The jaew (thai chilli sauce) had an enjoyable heat that brought out the flavour in this bite.
We thought the flat bread resembled the traditional banh mi a little bit (Vietnamese baguette), along with the cucumber (for a banh mi nem nuong) but it wasn’t the same. Concept was there, execution fell off the wagon. The jaew (thai chilli sauce) had an enjoyable heat that brought out the flavour in this bite.
The chefs redeemed themselves with this amazing banh mi finger, whipped chicken liver pate, chicken skin for $9 each. This decadent bite was a mouthful of the most flavourful and rich chicken liver pate ever. It was both dense and fluffy; coating every taste bud in a joyous harmony 🤤 The bread was toasted so it had more of a crisp bite to it. And the pickles added a much needed refreshing element.
This beef tartare, egg yolk, pho jelly, anchovy with tapioca crisps for $26 was delicious too. The tartare was bursting with flavours. There was the richness from the pho jelly, the earthiness from the cucumbers and shallots, the saltiness from the anchovies, and the rich creaminess from the egg yolk. This was paired nicely with the dry crunch of the tapioca crisps.
The duck floss egg noodles, spring onion, and chives was decent. It had a good amount of flavour (savoury, oily, soy sauce, fish sauce) and the egg noodles were a soft chew. This was $28.
The main star was a masterpiece MB6+ 28 day dry-aged sirloin on the bone (350g) with black lemongrass nuoc mam for $68.
The steak was sooo flavourful and juicy, enhanced by the “cheese” taste in the dry aging process. It was a good cut too, with not a lot of fat at the ends. There was a nice seasoned crust. And the texture was melt-in-your-mouth tender. The lemongrass added a smokey, earthy zest flavour to the bite.
The steak was sooo flavourful and juicy, enhanced by the “cheese” taste in the dry aging process. It was a good cut too, with not a lot of fat at the ends. There was a nice seasoned crust. And the texture was melt-in-your-mouth tender. The lemongrass added a smokey, earthy zest flavour to the bite.
This was cha ca barramundi fillet, spring onion, and burnt butter nuoc mam. I believe market price was $60.
The fish was very fresh and tender, with the crispiest skin. The sauce was a traditional Vietnamese fish sauce, garlic, chilli, sugar and lemon, but with the addition of burnt butter, it gave it a slight creamier and fattier mouthfeel. This dish is good as it is traditionally, but the modern take of adding butter (i.e. the American way) did very little to enhance an already amazing dish. But this is Vietnamese fusion so they had to incorporate something “western” 🤷🏻♀️.
The fish was very fresh and tender, with the crispiest skin. The sauce was a traditional Vietnamese fish sauce, garlic, chilli, sugar and lemon, but with the addition of burnt butter, it gave it a slight creamier and fattier mouthfeel. This dish is good as it is traditionally, but the modern take of adding butter (i.e. the American way) did very little to enhance an already amazing dish. But this is Vietnamese fusion so they had to incorporate something “western” 🤷🏻♀️.
Desserts
We ordered this refreshing jasmine panna cotta with strawberries, lychee, pepperberry, and meringue for $14. It was sweet and delicious.
We also got this starward ginger-whisky cake with che chuoi cream and honeycrisps for $14 too. Che chuoi is a Vietnamese banana dessert so already, you can imagine the creme layer. The cake was spongy and we could really taste both the ginger and whiskey flavour (ginger overpowered). But the cake was overpowered by the banana.
Drinks
We got an array of cocktails and all of them were very good.
Service
The service was good and attentive, removing dishes and setting up in a timely manner. Our dishes arrived on time too so overall great management of both kitchen and floor staff.
Review
We give this restaurant a good-to-great rating, like a 7.5/10. We liked that they are bringing more interest to Vietnamese food. Most of the dishes were delicious. Ambience was lively. And the prices were reasonable. We had a great time. 😁
Thanks for reading! Happy eating
Thanks for reading! Happy eating
