Lubu opened its doors and huge alfresco terrace last November, bringing to HCMC the Mediterranean spirit, decoration and, more importantly, its flavours.
From Spain to the Middle East, passing by France and Greece (I should be a poet), these countries’ flavours are captured in the dishes offered by Lubu. Even its architecture and decoration, a large pure white building with beautiful gardens, will remind you of the times in the Mediterranean.
Kylie, the Chef behind the delicious dishes, has over 20 years of experience, bringing love and passion to what she does, always using the best ingredients.
People go to Lubu to have a great time, either indoors or out. The staff is professional while casual and very friendly, all trained on how to best interact with customers, to how to serve food and pour wine.
The menu is great, offering many unusual but mouth-watering dishes. We started with some oysters which can be ordered by the dozen or half dozen, served with four varieties of dressing, with prices starting at VND180,000. The ones served with French vinaigrette were really fresh and brought great flavours from Mediterranean France.
We then shared the Mezze plate (VND300,000) - great presentation, variety and huge size. The boquerones en vinagre were great, full of flavour and spiced with a touch of chili. The olives are marinated at the restaurant and are fantastic but not to be outdone by the Haloumi cheese which is also made on the premises. As for the humus – wow – simply addictive! Stuffed vine leaves, fresh cheese with herbs, both delicious, complete the large mezze plate which is served with homemade bread.
For our main, we started with the seared swordfish served with tomato frito and bacon jam, potatoes and squash (VND280,000). What a dish - great presentation and exquisite flavours throughout. The chef must have used some kind of magic as she managed to prepare the swordfish with a crunchy outside with a very juicy inside, absolutely impeccable.
The second main was the lobster and chips (VND400,000), beer battered slipper lobster served with hand cut fries. Even if you are not into tempura style dishes, you will love this.
With hardly any space left, we could not say no to the passion fruit and white chocolate soufflé. Awesome, without being overly sweet, the flavour combination is out-of-this-world and a great way to finish the meal.
Whether customer go for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or simply to have a drink or a coffee, they will be welcomed by the simplicity and Mediterranean flavours of Lubu. The aim is for customers to have a great time in a cozy environment while eating flavourful, healthy food.
Jim and Kylie take great pride in offering as much homemade food as possible. You will not find coke or pepsi here as they even make their own cola! The menu has been designed to give the flexibility to either share or eat individually, and features regularly changing specials.
The wine list is, with its 48 options, is not huge, but more than enough as you would expect from Jim, who is a sommelier and the person behind Vino. The idea is to offer good wines at reasonable prices which pair well with the food. Wine prices start at VND400,000 by the bottle and VND90,000 by the glass.
Open from Tuesday to Sunday from 8.30 am until late, Lubu is the place to relax while enjoying fabulous food and wine, either inside or on its lovely garden.
Lubu, 79b Thao Dien, District 2. HCMC. T: 08 628 18 371.
The author of this review, Alfredo de la Casa, is a freelance reporter specialising in food, beverage and culture, who writes for several of the top lifestyle publications, and author of 9 books, including 4 related to Vietnam; he is a wine educator and runs wineinvietnam.com. He has written this review independently without influence from the restaurant or third parties. Neither he nor the photographer nor Saigoneer get paid for the review which is done totally based on the personal experience of the writer.
No comments:
Post a Comment