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V-Rating: VVV Friends of ours recently invited us to their house on a Saturday for a carefully planned gourmet dinner. Rude guests that we are, Andy and I changed the date at short notice to a Thursday night. And that’s how we ended up at Chu Bay II. Chu Bay II is a small Vietnamese restaurant that flirts happily with gaudiness. The tablecloths are deep red and the walls are covered in traditional art. Except for the back wall, which has a neon waterfall sign with water that flows hypnotically at the flick of a switch. More art should move, I think. The menu treats vegetarians kindly. There is a a separate vegetarian section including lemon grass vegetables, vegetarian pancakes and stir-fried vegetables. We began with the rice paper rolls, which were fresh, flavoursome, and much more colourful than my dodgy mobile phone photography suggests. For mains we chose the vegetable curry and then the fresh steamed vegetables on the recommendation of our friends. We also had the vegetarian special noodle dish. Rounding off the pleasant eating experience and great company was the friendly and familiar service that you only get in small, local restaurants. For example, our friend, Rebecca Huntley, has just had her first book published. (It’s called The World According to Y and is available at all good bookstores. I recommend you buy it.) Rebecca brought along a copy to leave at the restuarant for the owner’s daughter who was interested in the topic. The daughter was then called to the restaurant just so she could say thank you. As we were leaving Rebecca and her husband Daniel mentioned they were thinking of a visit to Vietnam. The owner unhesitatingly offered to put them in touch with Vietnamese friends and offered helpful tips on things to do in Hanoi. Chu Bay II is not a restaurant that is immediately striking. However, it was tasty, good value, and a great venue for a casual and intimate night out with friends. Post a comment
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