House of Hoi An, Windsor by Ruby Grapefruit

As a north side of the river gal, it was a nice change to travel ‘south side’ to dine at the House of Hoi An in Windsor. Located in a side street off Chapel St, you can’t miss it with its colourful mural on the façade and bright lanterns hanging above. Inside the restaurant it’s large and open, with the tables well spaced out. There has been a lot of attention paid to the décor which is definitely a cut above the standard Vietnamese eatery.

The restaurant specialises in dishes from the city of Hoi An, and is owned by famous Vietnamese chef Ms Vy who owns a cooking school and four eateries in Hoi An. Wanting to avoid the standard Vietnamese dishes, we asked our host to recommend dishes that are typical of Hoi An cuisine.

First up we started with an entrée of Fried Wontons with Crabmeat (Hoanh Thanh Chien). These were deep-fried wonton wrappers topped with crabmeat that was sautéed with spring onions and tomato. The crispy texture of the wonton wrappers worked well with the tasty and slightly sweet crabmeat topping. It was light and fresh, and a perfect way to start a meal.

Our first main which was from the special occasion section of the menu was the BBQ Chicken and Lime Leaf (Ga Nuong La Chanh). This was served with rice, a Vietnamese style coleslaw salad, and nuoc cham dipping sauce. The skewers of barbequed chicken thigh pieces had a lovely char and were very moist and tender. The marinade which included lime leaf (which we found to be similar in flavour to lemongrass) had a nice balance of sweetness and chilli heat. This was our favourite pick of the night, and it was a perfect example of how fresh ingredients that are cooked simply often make the best dishes.

The next main dish was from Ms Vy’s ‘Daily food from my family home’ section of the menu. Beautifully served in a young coconut husk the Sauteed Prawns in Coconut (Tom Rim Nuoc Dua) came with rice and nuoc cham dipping sauce. There was a generous number of king prawns in a mild and fragrant coconut based curry sauce. We really liked the texture of the wood ear fungus, but the pieces of fresh pineapple didn’t appeal to my dining companion Hal O’Peno who is totally against it being used in savoury dishes.

We noticed the extra effort made to present each dish beautifully, for example, in the use of wooden boards and pretty crockery. The drinks menu was also more extensive than your standard Vietnamese restaurant.

We liked all the dishes we tried, and were pleased to have ventured away from the commonly known Vietnamese dishes. The dishes are pricey but it’s well worth a visit to the House of Hoi An if you want a special and unique dining experience.

Verdict

We really liked it.

Mid value.

Overall

The House of Hoi An is definitely a cut above most Vietnamese eateries. Do expect to pay a lot more than your average Vietnamese restaurant, but you will be getting quality, authenticity, and a selection of unique dishes. My suggestion is to take the opportunity to try some of the dishes that wouldn’t normally appear on your typical Vietnamese menu.

The Eat and Be Merry Crew were guests of the House of Hoi An.

Find it at

House of Hoi An
Shop 1, 40 Green Street
Windsor VIC 3181
Phone: 9078 7448