Newly opened Nhau in Central: tasty Vietnamese-American treats in a tiny hideaway

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.

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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.

While we liked the taste of the Ha Noi spring rolls (HK$120 for five), they actually had too much filling (most restaurants make the opposite mistake) and were quite oily.

Roasted cauliflower with caramelised pork koh quen (HK$140) will turn cauliflower haters into cauliflower lovers. The strong taste of the vegetable, cooked so it still had bite, was balanced by bits of pork and pork floss, and assertive flavours of fish sauce and garlic.

Fried chicken soft bones (HK$160) were cooked so they still had a lot of crunch. They had a crisp coating, and the dip of smoky, spicy house-made sriracha made the pieces addictive. But since our visit, the chicken soft bones have been changed to fried chicken.

The only dish we didn’t like was braised beef with sticky rice cakes (HK$160), which was heavy and dull. It was the only dish for which we had to resort to the trio of fish-sauce based sauces – regular, green herb and lemongrass – that were lined up on the table, to perk up the flavour.

For dessert, there’s a choice of three sundaes (HK$140 each). They all sounded tempting, but we went for the salted coconut caramel ice cream with banana panna cotta and caramelised bananas. It was generously sized, lighter than it sounds, and it really hit the spot.

Nhau, 12 Circular Pathway, Central, tel: 3612 4568

About HK$320 per person without drinks. There’s no service charge.

While you’re in the area

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