A Mediterranean touch on ‘food street'

There is a new alternative to hotpot on Tong Duy Tan Street. Recently opened Southgate coddles guests with Mediterrranean influences and a good choice of other international dishes in a relaxed urban atmosphere, Miriam Glass reports.

 

Luu Tung motions at an empty wall in his restaurant and says: "We're going to hang pictures there," while leading guests through the old French building. Southgate opened its doors at the end of March, and although not the finished article, it has got two very important things right: the food and the atmosphere.

Southgate, founded by Vietnamese Luu Tung (30) and American Jason Tobin (32), is located on Tong Duy Tan at the western border of the old quarter, a street most famous for serving Vietnamese hotpot. Chef de cuisine Shahar S Lubin has another concept: "I do modern, contemporary food with Mediterranean influences, inspired by tastes from different places, for instance Iraq and Greece" he says. "I want to put some of my personality in the food, so I work with flavours and smells from my childhood - lots of lemon and fresh herbs." Lubin is American, but grew up in Israel, and has been in Asia for four years.

To find out what his "contemporary food" is like, we started with green salad with roasted beets, feta, candied walnuts and walnut oil vinaigrette (VND100,000 or US$4.8). We accompanied this with a double cooked pork belly with cucumber and carrot relish and cilantro chimichurri, a fresh green sauce (VND90,000 or $4.3). We definitely recommend the pork belly, but the highlight was yet to come. A simple plate of penne pasta in classic tomato sauce with beef (VND130,000 or $6.3). My friend closed his eyes and emitted a sigh of contentment. My other friend and I couldn't resist and repeatedly picked from his plate, although we were happy with ours too. She chose the cornmeal crusted fried tomato sandwich with bacon and lettuce and perfect French fries (VND100,000 or $4.8). It would also be a good lunch, although the bread could be a little thinner. The poached salmon fillet I ordered melted on my tongue: it came with a mint-chickpea salad and a light tomato vinaigrette (VND250,000 or $12).

We found the choice of dishes sufficient, but Tobin promises an "expanded menu" including brunch and late night dining options in the near future. However, even when the kitchen is closed you might like to stay on in Southgate, since it's open for drinks until midnight from Sunday to Wednesday and until 3am from Thursday to Saturday.

On offer are a range of environments to cater to all tastes. On the first floor, there are two lounges with stylish benches running along the walls. You can either sit there or at the bar to enjoy an aperitif and then switch to one of the wooden tables in the same room to enjoy your meal in a lounge-like atmosphere, accompanied by easy-listening music. Those who prefer a more intimate space should climb the wooden stairs to the second floor with its ornamental stone floor and two working fireplaces, perfect for the winter. We opted for the livelier ground floor option. There are also tables outside, both at the front and on the second-floor-terrace, but the wet weather ruled them out.

Tung, who was born in Viet Nam and lived in France for seven years, speaks French with Francophones, while Jason mixes drinks at the bar, chatting in English to the predominantly expat customers. While the rain thundered down outside, we shared a panna cotta made of thyme, honey and yoghurt for desert (VND75,000 or $3.6), and some more of the Cabernet Sauvignon we started the evening with (VND90,000 or $4.3 per glass, VND360,000 or $17.4 per bottle). Chatting in the lounge and enjoying our bottle of red, we stayed a lot longer than planned, and will certainly return for another glass, and another plate of pasta.

Southgate Address: 28 Tong Duy Tan St, Ha Noi, Tel: 04-39381979 or 04-39381981 Hours: 11.30am - 10pm for food. Sunday to Wednesday until midnight for drinks, Thursday to Saturday until 3 am for drinks Price per person: Main dishes VND100,000-275,000 (US$4.8-8.4) Website: www.southgatehanoi.com Comments: Casual restaurant in downtown Ha Noi, serving contemporary food with Mediterranean influences and a selection of wine, beer and cocktails. No take away or home delivery. Most major credit cards accepted.

Source: VNS