The Red Lantern, Surry Hills, Sydney - great Vietnamese cuisine

Exterior of the Red Lantern

This Vietnamese restaurant was recommended to us.  I had also seen the chef, Luke Nguyen, on Food TV so we decided to give it a go on our last jaunt to Sydney.  I am not a Vietnamese food aficionado so please take that into account when reading this.

The restaurant is on Crown St – in the midst of a large restaurant and bar district in Surry Hills.  The street frontage is very modest and the restaurant itself is quite small.

They operate on a sittings basis.  So we had a reservation from 7pm to 9pm.  We booked online and I imagine you wouldn’t have much luck if you just rocked up without a reservation.

Chilli salted squid

The staff were fantastic.  Almost everyone else there was in larger groups.  We had the tasting menu ($65 a head – not cheap).  The entrée part of it was just wonderful.  Great lightly battered chilli salted squid (which I have only just started to try) with a lemon and white pepper dipping sauce, chicken skewers with sesame salt, and a beef stir fry – all amazing.  There was something wrapped in a rice paper roll which was a bit bland.

The second half of the tasting menu was not quite so appealing. More delicate flavours, for instance, in the trevalla which were hard to appreciate after the buzz left in your mouth from the entrees.  Nicest dish in this part was the cubed Angus sirloin with garlic, sesame and black pepper.

Cubed Angus sirloin with garlic, sesame and black pepper

I would recommend this restaurant as somewhere to go – preferably in a group of 4 or more.  And I think ordering a variety of things off the menu would be a better option.