Since Lunch Lady first opened its doors last year, I have heard mixed reviews. Some people love it and some people think it’s just hype. I went for lunch when they first opened and I was left feeling underwhelmed. It’s been about a year since my last visit, and I finally found myself in the area. This time I went for their dinner menu which I’ve heard a lot of good things about. Lunch Lady has just added brand new winter menu items to the menu and you need to try them.
Who is the Lunch Lady?
The Lunch Lady is the famous Vietnamese street stall in Ho Chi Minh City in South Vietnam. She was made famous world-wide when Anthony Bourdain went for his show No Reservations. She has been sharing her delicious noodles since 1995!
Dinner at Lunch Lady on Commercial Drive
Lunch Lady has a different lunch and dinner menu. I find that their dinner menu is much more comprehensive. At lunch they have pretty standard Vietnamese food fare, but dinner is when the menu truly shines.
Appetizers and Cocktails to Start at Lunch Lady
To start off our night, we had a bevy of appetizers and cocktails. We had – Bò Tái Chanh (Beef Carpaccio), Tôm Chiên Giòn (Crispy Chili Salted Prawns) and Gỏi Gà Truffle (Truffle Chicken Slaw). All three dishes are Chef’s recommendation on the menu and I can see why!
The Beef Carpaccio ($18.00) features rare filet of beef, pickled onions, fresh herbs, lime vinaigrette, and peanuts. I love that it is herb forward without overwhelming the beef. The Crispy Chili Salted Prawns ($18.00) features fried black tiger prawns, floating crispy shell, fish sauce vinaigrette. This dish is so unique and not something I’ve seen before. The prawns are removed from their shell and the entire thing is deep fried until crispy! I love how juicy the prawn is and the crispy shell was just perfection.
Off their new winter menu is Truffle Chicken Slaw ($18.00). This slaw features Free range chicken, cabbage, banana blossoms, Vietnamese coriander, shallots, peanuts, truffle infused chili lime vinaigrette. It was light and refreshing with a lovely aroma of truffle. The truffle does not overwhelm the dish at all and the chicken was moist and tender.
From the cocktail menu we had: Purple Wayne ($17.00), Guava-rita ($15.00) and Lychee Passion ($17.00). These drinks were light and refreshing and held up to the strong flavours of our appetizers.
The Purple Wayne is new on the menu and features Empress gin, elderflower liqueur, Lemongrass syrup, lemon juice, egg whites. It was such an easy drinking cocktail, that I could have a few without realizing how strong it is!
Signature Dishes at Lunch Lady
From the Signatures section of the dinner menu we had: Nghêu (Clams), Chả Cá Thăng Long (Turmeric Icelandic Cod) and Lẩu Thái Chua Cay (Mini Tableside Hot Pot).
The Clams ($20.00) are steamed in lemongrass broth and chilis. The clams were light and not spicy at all. There was a generous portion of clams and none of them were closed. The Turmeric Icelandic Cod ($26.00) features turmeric spiced Icelandic cod, scallions, dill, peanuts, vermicelli noodles and fresh herbs served on a sizzling skillet tableside. The cod was flaky and tender with a strong dill aroma. I love that this dish was served with a salted shrimp dipping sauce. The funky notes from the sauce complemented the strong turmeric flavours of the cod.
New on their menu is Mini Tableside Hot Pot ($36.00). This dish features Hot and sour lemongrass broth, Atlantic lobster tail, tiger prawns, fish cake, Icelandic cod, watercress, king oyster mushrooms and instant noodles. This dish was the stand out of the night for me. The broth was so incredibly flavourful without being too salty and the lobster was just perfectly cooked. I love the interactive element of cooking it at your table.
We couldn’t go to the Lunch Lady without trying the pho so we decided to go all out with their new Wagyu Phở Bò (Wagyu Beef Noodle Soup). This impressive bowl of noodles features Snake Rivers Wagyu Zabuton, Wagyu Beef Cheeks, Bone Marrow, rice noodles, 63 degree sous vide egg and a 24 hour beef broth. This was one hefty bowl of noodles! The beef broth wasn’t too salty, and the wagyu slices were so soft (in a good way!).
Desserts at Lunch Lady
To finish off the night we had both desserts on the menu – Churros Cà Phê Sữa Đá ($10.00) and Chè Ba Màu – Three Layer Dessert ($12.00). The Churros Cà Phê Sữa Đá features a coffee sugar dusted cruller, dulce de leche, and two scoops of housemade Vietnamese coffee gelato. The cruller is light and crispy and the gelato is full of coffee flavour. This was a stand out for me. The Chè Ba Màu features Pandan sticky rice cake, housemade coconut and condensed milk gelato, red bean strawberry puree, mung bean streusel. This dessert was heavier and a tad oily. The coconut gelato was heavenly – I would buy a pint in a heartbeat.
Is it Worth a Try?
Yes! The dinner menu at Lunch Lady is fantastic. It is on the pricier end, but worth a once in awhile indulgence. I highly recommend trying: Crispy Chili Salted Prawns, Truffle Chicken Slaw, Mini Tableside Hot Pot and the Churros. It is definitely on my regular rotation for Vietnamese restaurants.