Newly opened Nhau in Central: tasty Vietnamese-American treats in a tiny hideaway
- After a four-year break, chef Que Dang, once of Chez Moi, TBLS and Quest by Que, has gone back to his roots for his latest venture
- Among the stand-out dishes are banh mi rice tacos, bo la lot tartare, and roast cauliflower so good it will turn haters into lovers of the vegetable
Chef Que Dang and I go back a long way. He first came to my attention about 12 years ago, when he was pastry chef of Chez Moi, back when the restaurant was on Arbuthnot Road in Hong Kong’s Central district (it’s now in Causeway Bay). Since then, I’ve also enjoyed his food at TBLS and Quest by Que (both now closed). But about four years ago, he disappeared from the local food scene.
He’s reappeared with his new restaurant, Nhau – a small hideaway that won’t be easy to find (look on the website, nhau.hk, for directions). For this one, he’s going back to his Vietnamese-American roots.
The one-page menu lists only 14 savoury dishes (several of which can be modified to suit vegetarians) and three desserts.
They serve unlimited Nordaq-filtered still or sparkling water for HK$25 per person.
Banh mi rice tacos (three for HK$120) were just fantastic; I could have eaten the whole portion by myself. The beef was succulent and intensely flavoured and the house-made rice “tortillas” were tender, but resilient enough that they didn’t fall apart under the filling.
We also loved the bo la lot tartare (HK$140). It was an excellent, creative dish: the meat was finely minced and topped with beef floss, which added a very gentle crunch. We piled the meat on top of puffy, crisp sheets of fried beef tendon.