Muse

Occupying the premises of what used to be Café Nero is the second branch of Muse. With Luga’s Pho Pho just across the road and Va Va Voom in The Village, it appears that a Golden Triangle of Vietnamese cuisine has been formed at Sanlitun.

Unlike the unprepossessing Luga’s and ultra modern Va Va Voom, Muse’s interior is tastefully done up in the style of a French neighbourhood brassiere with its brick walls that are peppered with photos.

As homely and inviting as it is, it might be best, with its almost non-existent airconditioning, to get a table outdoors.

The menu comprises a mix of Vietnamese staples and Indochinese food. First up is a papaya salad (32RMB), but it’s disappointingly bland.

The normally spicy, sour and crunchy salad is prepared with overly ripe papayas and not enough lime juice to excite the palate.

However the stuffed chicken wings (22RMB), a duo of de-boned wings filled with pork and rice vermicelli, are delicious. Dunk them into the vinegar dipping sauce that offsets its oiliness before taking a big bite.

The true test of any Vietnamese restaurant is the pho and Muse’sdoesn’t disappoint. The ‘Big Train Lights’ (42RMB) is an extra large bowl of pho with generous toppings of meaty beef balls, sinewy tendons and slices of rare beef.

Its strong beef broth is savoury and flavourful, the rice vermicelli cooked to a good, chewy texture. Of the many other specialities on the menu, the Three Gorgeous Combination (98RMB) shouldn’t be missed.

Served as a huge platter filled with chicken and pork skewers, lettuce and rice vermicelli, mint leaves and wraps, you can choose to mangle your own rolls or get the chef to roll them more compactly for you.

Either way, the dish comes together in a wholesome and tasty bite that’s plenty for two people. It’s also worth trying one of Muse’s many desserts, including the durian with sticky rice (25RMB) and fried bananas (22RMB).

Both should fill up any stomach space left. Round out the meal with the restaurant’s authentic and extremely strong drip Vietnamese coffee (18RMB; 20RMB iced) – a good way to avoid a self inflicted food coma. Kenneth Tan