In general, Vietnamese dishes are mostly served as street food and the prices are usually cheap and tasted good. The same concept applies to Chinese “Poon Chooi” which used to be a dish found in villages and only eaten during festive season. But nowadays “Poon Chooi” has become an expensive and exclusive dish in most Chinese restaurants. Although the preparation method for the dishes could be the same, the difference between street-grade food and restaurant-grade food is the ingredients that are used.
Located at the lower ground of Gurney Plaza, An Viet is the place where a normal Vietnamese dish will turn to become something extraordinary. There are 3 points that made An Viet outstanding as a Vietnamese restaurant.
- The Quality Ingredients: An Viet insists on sourcing and using only the best and freshest ingredients, which is the very basis of good food.
- Made-from-Scratch: Their stocks, sauces, marinades, drinks etc are made-from-scratch in-house.
- Cooked-to-Order: All An Viet mains are cooked-to-order to ensure the food is served fresh.
Phở Bò Đặc Biệt – with Wagyu Upgrade
À La Carte: RM 23.90
Set Meal: RM 27.90
During this promotion period, with any order or Pho you are entitled for “FREE” upgrade to Wagyu beef slices instead of the normal beef slices. All you need to do is to play a round of ROCK PAPER SCISSORS game with the waiter, and you will get a free upgrade to Wagyu beef slices.
The Vietnamese Beef Noodle Special comes with Raw Beef slices, Beef Briskets, Shank, Tripe, Tendon, and Homemade 100% Pure Beef Ball.
Pho is known as Vietnam’s national dish, its outward appearance is simple but a single bite will reveal rich complex flavours. The tasty broth is a result of 12 hours of simmering beef bones with 18 secret ingredients. To fully enjoy your Phở, follow these steps:
1. Add beansprouts and basil while the soup is still hot
2. Squeeze lime and add homemade sriracha chili sauce to taste
3. Evenly mix all the ingredients and enjoy! Bon Appétit!
One thing great about this Pho is the broth was very tasty and packed with freshly made ingredients. The juiciness and the tenderness of the Wagyu beef is definitely a must-try at An Viet.
Bánh Mì – Gà Nướng Xả Ớt. Vietnamese Baguette with Grilled Lemongrass Chicken – RM 14.90
Vietnamese baguette, known for its ultra crispy crust that shatters when you bite into it and a light airy crumb, is stuffed with grilled lemongrass chicken, plus pâté, pickles, fresh veggies, coriander and Sriracha.
The grilled chicken slices was packed with lemongrass flavor and sriracha sauce blended very well with the ingredients. The baguette’s texture was just right as it was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.
Chả Cá Lã Vọng. Hanoian Style Fish with Turmeric & Dill with Vermicelli
À La Carte: RM 23.90
Set Meal: RM 27.90
This Hanoian specialty originated from Cha Ca La Vong Restaurant which was named by US’s MSNBC as the 5th of top 10 places you must visit before dying. It is so famous that even the street it’s located on has been renamed after it!
Steps to eat:
1. Tear the lettuce and put it into your bowl followed by vermicelli
2. Add fish, peanuts and herbs on top of the vermicelli
3. Enjoy while hot with nước chấm and mắm tôm or fermented shrimp sauce
The combination of the sauce and vermicelli was great. One thing which has room for improvement is the “muddy” taste of the fish slices. If that muddy taste could be eliminated it will be a marvelous dish.
Canh Chua Ngao Nước Dừa – RM14.90. Clam in Coconut Broth, the coconut broth was cooked with cherry tomato, ginger slices, chili and spring onions.
The sourish and spicy soup was so tasty. In fact there is not much coconut taste in this dish. The clams were fresh and plentiful.
Bánh Tráng Nướng – RM9.90. Grilled Rice Paper with Minced Pork. The rice paper was grilled till golden and crisp and stuffed with grilled minced pork.
The minced meat was mixed with some mayo and spring onions. It is a great appetizer.
Xôi Chiên Phồng – RM14.90. Deep Fried Sticky Rice Puff with Green Mango Salad and Grilled Lemongrass Chicken. Requires 10 – 15 minutes waiting time (pre-order is recommended).
This is one of the signature dishes at An Viet. The ball was made of glutinous rice flour and at the base of the ball there was glutinous starch which was slightly sweet. The richness of this dish could be well balanced off by its sourish mango salad. I love this dish so much. However, if the kitchen is too busy, they will not prepare this dish.
Goi Cuon Chay – RM9.90, the veggie and vermicelli were rolled together with rice paper and served with the home mixed sweet chili sauce. There are options of either with prawns or just plain vegetables. If you are a vegetarian, you can always ask for non fish-based sauce.
The chewiness of the ingredients with the sweetness of the chili sauce were well-complemented.
Cà Phê Sữa (Nóng)
Vietnamese Drip Coffee with Condensed Milk (Hot) – RM 7.90
Vietnam is also known for its aromatic coffee. If you are a coffee lover, it is recommended to try their drip coffee.
Cà Phê Trứng (Nóng)
Vietnamese Drip Coffee with Egg – RM 9.90
However, at An Viet you should try Vietnamese Coffee with Egg. I think many people have not tried this before. In fact, to prepare this coffee it needs good timing skill. The egg needs to be whipped until foamy and smooth. If beaten too long the texture of the coffee will be too light and not rich enough. If not well-beaten the whipped egg will drop to the bottom of the coffee which won’t be tasty too.
Overall, An Viet serves quality and authentic Vietnamese food. Their signatures here are Pho with Wagyu beef upgrade, Xoi Chien Phong (the huge glutinous rice ball) the dripped coffee with egg which are not commonly found in other Vietnamese restaurants in Penang. Price was slightly higher than regular Vietnamese restaurants due to its location and also the high-quality ingredients.
Editor’s Review (5 Stars Rank):
| Taste |  |
| Price (more stars, more reasonable) |  |
| Food Presentation |  |
| Service | |
| Overall | |
Quick Facts:
| Family Friendly |  |
| Parking | |
| Pork Free |  |
| Alcohol | |
| Credit Card | |
| Smoking | |
| Reservation | |
| Private Room (Private Area) | |
| WIFI Available | |
Operation hours: 10:00am – 10:00pm (Open Daily)
Contact: 04-2933481
Address: B1-32A, Gurney Plaza, 170, Persiaran Gurney, 10250 Penang.
GPS: 5.4375397,100.3072976