Under the expert guidance of executive chef Amy Nguyen, Muine has landed very confidently in Shekou’s Garden City as the younger but bigger brother of Link City’s Let’s Viet. Named after a coastal resort town in southeast Vietnam, Muine greatly expands the array of authentic Vietnamese cuisine offered by pho specialist Let’s Viet, which caters more to the in-and-out work crowd.
Within one month of opening, the restaurant is already attracting queues, which is not surprising given the well-priced, top-notch food offered by Nguyen, who’s already a proven talent at adding her own flair to Vietnamese dishes. With rice paper imported from Vietnam, the soft shell crab with avocado and mango rolls (RMB58) are superb – tasty and satisfying with a winningly fresh sweetness. The chicken jellyfish salad (RMB38) blends in some Vietnamese basil to create a light, flavorful and exotic salad that comes with prawn crackers and forms part of an extensive salad range.
Tom yunkoong soup with seafood (RMB58) is expectedly tangy with just the right amount of spiciness to bring out the notably fresh seafood. Getting meatier, the quality of the ingredients is apparent in the pork neck sweet and sour (RMB48), which is served with pineapple to deliver a rich flavor sensation via the very succulent pork and ripe fruit. The beef flank curry (RMB58) bathes tender beef pieces in a rich, creamy and mild sauce that contrasts nicely with the lighter offerings.
A particular highlight, the lemongrass grilled sea bass (RMB98) is a large battered fish served on a pineapple block that beautifully complements the Vietnamese bottled beers, including Hanoi (RMB18).
Despite its position on the second floor of a shopping mall, Muine’s decor is inviting, bright and airy thanks to a window running along the rear wall coupled with sensible design choices. The flooring comprises stylish and attractive French colonial-esque tiling, while the gray-white tables and chairs add to the Southeast Asia ambience. It’s tasteful and appealing, including the black and white photos of Vietnam scenes taken by General Manager Leslie Guo.
Without a single culinary misfire, Muine has made a very impressive start to its Shekou outing, with high-quality ingredients and a balance of fresh and rich flavors that deliver the rare trick of yielding a healthful and satisfying post-dining feeling at decent prices.
// Shop 219, Garden City Center, 1086 NanhaiDadao, Shekou, Nanshan District 南山区蛇口南海大道1086号花园城中心219商铺 (2681 7828)
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