It’s satay-day night fever

Nam An is now the hottest new place for authentic Vietnamese cuisine

A NEW arrival in Camden. Opened three weeks ago, I predict a brilliant future for this new Vietnamese Restaurant if they keep up the quality of the food and service. Situated at the Mornington Crescent end of Camden High Street it occupies the site which used to be Nontas.
The owners have gone to a great deal of effort about every detail. The menus (food, wine and take-away) are of good quality print and indeed one of them resembles a glossy food magazine with colourful pictures on shiny pages obviously treated to be sponged clean.
Dark wood with mirrors and ceiling fans, Chinese artwork and vases, chairs with bamboo decorations. The restaurant is divided in two with the upper part (non-smoking) and past the bar a large room for the smokers. I have never been in Vietnam but Nam An reminded me of the family type restaurants in Singapore – happy places where the sharing of the food is a symbol to the sharing of friendship and enjoyment.
I went alone which restricted me to the amount of dishes I could have but carefully watched the adjoining tables. A table of four were having the Set C menu – a seafood selection of Sugar Cane Prawns, Grilled Scallops, Fried Soft Shell Crab, Grilled Satay Prawns, Shark Fin and Crab Meat soup, Sautéed Lobster, Sweet and Sour King Prawns, Stewed Fish in clay pot, Stir Fried Vegetables with Garlic and Seafood Fried Rice in Pineapple (£35 per person, minimum four persons).
I was warmly greeted and taken to the corner table next to the window (table number seven – highly recommended) which gave me an excellent view of the restaurant and the passersby.
I ordered a glass of house white (A Baron Guilhaume de Bermond Blanc) which at £2.25 for a 175 ml glass is one of the best values in town and of very good quality.
A little bowl of spicy peanuts accompanied it. Their wine list is well balanced with my favourite Chateneuf-du-Pape 2002 at £24.75 and a 2003 Sancerre at £19. For dinner I had a quarter of the crispy aromatic duck (£7.50) and the ‘Dong Xuan’ stir fried rice vermicelli with prawns and chicken (£6.50).
The portions are generous and beautifully presented. The table looked lovely. A white crisp linen table mat, a flickering night candle and the dishes placed on the dark background.
A complimentary platter of fruit was offered with the bill which came to £20.81 and included a 12.5 per cent service – the credit card receipt had not been closed though – naughty. In recognition of the excellent service I left some extra for the staff in cash.
Having already been discovered by writer Dame Beryl Bainbridge I am sure that soon word of mouth will bring the excellent clientele of Greater London House and staff and guests of the well known firm Ove Arup & Partners who are just across the street.

Nam An
14-16 Camden , High Street NW1
020 7383 7245
Opening hours
Seven days a week
Lunch 12pm - 3.30pm
Evenings 6pm until late.
www.namanlondongroup.com