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If your usual choices when it comes to Vietnamese cuisine is typically bánh mì and phở, possibly extending to bún bò Huế, then we’re sorry but you should expand your palate in Southeast Asian flavours. Luckily, there’s a new kid on the block who can help with just that. Enter Le Le, a brand-new restaurant on Lyndhurst Terrace that describes itself as “progressive Vietnamese enriched by Vietnamese-Chinese heritage”.
The founder Elizabeth Chu is of Vietnamese-Chinese heritage herself and grew up in Saigon, so this restaurant is very much a passion project that honours the tastes of her childhood. Since Vietnam and China have had a long history of culture exchange and cross-immigration, it only makes sense that both cuisines are deeply entwined – and Le Le’s menu reflects this cultural context with traditional Vietnamese dishes subtly enhanced by Chinese cooking techniques.
Even from the delicately prepared amuse-bouche of flower clam tart with ram and coriander root juice and oyster with pickled garlic, it is immediately apparent that a careful adherence to classic Vietnamese flavours – despite the fancier concept – is the name of the game here.
As a soup lover, I was blown away by Le Le’s reimagining of the phở gà chicken noodle soup, which is prepared with pork bone and Jinhua ham in a siphon coffee maker. If you’ve been paying attention you might ask after the chicken; the answer is that the “noodles” are actually the meat itself, where chicken thigh is pulverised until it can be worked with, with no flour then shaped into the exact width of phở noodles in a touch of culinary genius. It can’t get better than supremely comforting flavours served with a show and a surprise.
The duck served three ways is also fantastic, showcasing northern Vietnam’s tradition of roast duck which Hongkongers can definitely relate to. 14-day aged, slow-cooked duck with crispy, glazed skin is accompanied by a duck leg sausage spring roll and house-made duck liver pâté – the latter is meant to be eaten with the bánh tiêu savoury doughnuts that come on the side. Foodies in the city know good roast duck when we get them, and this dish, with its slightly tangy mắc mật duck jus and the red vinegar glaze on the crispy duck skin, really hit the spot.
The main dish comes in a flurry of little plates and containers, presenting brined and smoked pigeon, a small pot of vibrant three-coloured glutinous rice, and a duck bone soup on the side. The tender pigeon pairs perfectly with a dipping sauce of 10-year Chinese black vinegar, coffee, and palm sugar, since its bittersweet notes cut through the gamey richness of the bird.
Even the desserts were standouts, with a lemon balm sorbet served on a bed of yoghurt and fresh, pickled, and candied cucumbers acting as the ideal refresher after heavy flavours. But the best post-meal treat has got to be the bắp rang bơ which was inspired by the traditional Vietnamese snack of buttered popcorn. A Marou chocolate base is topped with corn risotto, brown butter, another layer of corn mousse, and a crunchy crisp for a dessert that reminded me of Japanese corn soup in the best possible way.
And in case you’re wondering, Le Le takes its name from the whistling duck that’s common in Vietnam. Traces of this bird can be found in Le Le’s space, such as a powdered sugar motif on a dessert or as the cutest ceramic menu holder on the table. The restaurant is currently in its soft launch phase, with the dinner tasting menu priced at a very reasonable $888 and the option to add $498 for wine pairings. Lunch menus will be added soon as well.
Le Le has taken over Testina’s old space, and can be found at 3/F, 8 Lyndhurst Terrace, Central.
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