One thing that you might know from reading my blog is that I love Vietnamese food, I love the freshness and vibrancy of it all. So when one of my work mates invites me to dinner with her and her friends and the place in question is a Vietnamese restaurant, I jump at the chance!
I arrived at the restaurant a few minutes early and as I waiting for the other people to arrive I could smell things that I was quite familiar with. The familiar scents of garlic, chilli, lemongrass and fresh herbs that indicated I was about to enjoy a Vietnamese meal.
Not long after that we entered the restaurant and my first impressions were that this was a very clean restaurant. The main Vietnamese places aren’t really date friendly as there is a lot of families talking loud to the owners of the restaurant, combined with the clanging of plates and cutlery and a very noticeable Vietnamese pop soundtrack in the back. This had none of that, it was a professional affair in that regard. The only touchstone that I may have been in a Vietnamese restaurant is a TV on the wall that was playing Vietnamese soaps with the volume on mute.
We got to the menu and there were a lot of the usual things. However on this particular occasion I had a particular sinful weekend in regards to eating. I felt very bloated and needed something bright and vibrant as a sort of culinary detox.
I went for ordering two entrees and hoping that would be enough food. The first thing that I ordered was the grilled pork skewers. They were two pork skewers that had been grilled and topped with toasted garlic, I felt that the pork was slightly overcooked but overall it was tasty. I had a slight issue with the price, these two skewers were $9 which I thought was slightly pricy. I would expect to pay 5 or 6 dollars for this much food but in this sort of environment it wasn’t too bad.
After a small wait the second of my entrees arrived and this would result in me feeling a lot better. I ordered a green papaya salad with sliced prawns and sliced pork. This was delicious! The moment I had my first bite I knew it was just what I needed with the astringency of the papaya mixed with the freshness of the herbs was a fantastic combination. The prawn and pork were cooked perfectly too. My only criticism with this is that normally papaya salad comes with little dried shrimps which add a nice funk and saltiness to the dish, which the lido version didn’t have.
After we finished our meals we spent the next hour just chatting and telling stories, about halfway through the story telling sessions someone came up with the idea of having an iced coffee. Vietnam happen to make some of the nicest iced coffee around, the beans are roasted with chicory and then grounded and slow dripped through a filter. Once mixed with condensed milk it makes for a really nice combination of bitter and sweet. A nice touch by the wait staff was that they didn’t rush us off, they didn’t mind us relaxing and chatting until we were ready to leave.
My opinion of Lido is that it is a fantastic place to go and enjoy some Vietnamese food in a light and clean environment. Unfortunately it still isn’t my favourite Vietnamese place in Perth, that award still goes to Tra Vinh. Much like my Phong Vinh review this place is just around the corner from Tra Vinh so I would rather just go for a quick walk and get the best noodles in Perth.
