Getting a taste of new beginnings! Congratulations to Andrew Duong and Miss Van’s for bringing the much missed flavours back to the Canberra food scene. Boasting highly treasured and I bet secretly guarded recipes from his nan, Andrew shared a glimpse of what is to be Miss Van’s eating house.
With the current ‘limited’ menu, this is what we tried (pictures not in order):
- Bread with umami butter
- Lamb Xa Xia – sesame leaf, ginger, scallion
- Lao Sausage – Jaew Bong tomato salsa, charred cabbage
- Grilled Tiger Prawns – tomato, curry leaves and shellfish oil
- Steamed Jasmine Rice
- Grilled Flank Steak Bo Kho – Bo kho sauce, Thai basil
- Ca Ri Cauliflower – Vietnamese curry
- Vietnamese coffee and salted caramel ganache, condensed milk ice cream, wild rice
My favourites were the Lao sausage (that salsa was bursting with flavour), grilled prawns (the curry leaves brought such a special taste to each bite), the cauliflower curry (oh so palatable with a lovely after taste) and while I usually never find desserts something I list as a favourite… Andrew has got me hoping he would entertain quick ice cream pick ups from the window! Grab and run so to speak cause those flavours were um um um! so right up my ally – not overly sweet as I thought it would be and the dash of bitterness rendering my tastebuds yearning for more. Alas, it was over and I didn’t want to order another one for fear of being too full. I might plan differently on my next visit!
My fondest memory of Miss Van’s (back at Westside) was when Andrew read my comment of how his Chicken Rice with the ginger/shallot sauce brought back memories of my school days in Malaysia, which then saw me receive extra sauce the next time I ordered his deliciously insane Chicken Rice! It was such a beautiful lunch that day and I hope Andrew brings that scrumptious meal to the menu in the near future.
Miss Van’s Eating House is located at Shop 4/113 Marcus Clarke St, Canberra ACT 2601.
