Ancoats’ Vietnamese restaurant and audiophile bar NAM, launches new menu featuring Vietnamese favourites with a contemporary twist.
Behind the new menu is chef Gary Weir, who set out to create dishes inspired by founder Nam Tran’s Vietnamese heritage. Food that is non-pretentious and soulful, that you’d share with the family, but consistently packs a punch on flavour.
The menu pays homage to Vietnamese cuisine’s aptitude to embrace all five flavour elements and balance them out to create a unique blend of sweet, sour, bitter, heat, and saltiness.
The menu features a variety of small plates which you can choose as a starter, or grab a
selection of them for a Vietnamese tapas experience. Including, Steamed Clams Saigon
Style – the region famous worldwide for truly unforgettable dining experiences.
The clams are steamed with lemongrass and chilli for a refreshing but powerful fragrant explosion, and dressed in scallion oil, peanuts, turmeric and lime.
Bo Luc Lac ‘Shakin’ Beef’ is one of Vietnam’s most treasured dishes, its name derived from
the vigorous shaking and stirring required to attain the perfect sear. Dig into thick, meaty
chunks of aged beef sirloin, marinated in sesame and soy for a nutty and salty combination.
The twist comes with the addition of bone marrow and pho spices to add a unique richness
and beautifully sticky glaze. Served with a watercress salad dressed in pepper and lime to cut through.
The Chicken Wings are coated with a caramel and ginger sticky glaze and fried to give a
crispy, succulent finish. While the King Prawn Lollipop consists of minced king prawns,
blended with Asian herbs, bonito flakes to add some smokiness, and served with homemade sweet chilli.
And last but not least, the Pan-Fried Pak Choi takes a head of pak choi, and pan fries it with a salty, subtly sweet preserved bean curd, before topping with a crispy garlic dressing.
Onto the large plates, the Xa Xiu Pork Ribs are barbecue baby back ribs, smothered in a
Shaoxing and sesame marinade, before being oozed in a honey and ginger caramel glaze.
Served with fennel slaw and chopped scallions.
The Roasted Sea Bream is a nod to how the Vietnamese typically eat their fish, whole, grilled with a simple but delicious dressing. This sea bream is marinaded and grilled in a tangy fermented tomato and smoked anchovy sauce, and is good to feed two or one hungry person!
And the Crispy Fried Mushroom Salad features deep-fried oyster and shimeji mushrooms, vermicelli, shredded carrot and cucumber, sesame, orange and miso dressing.
On the new menu Gary said, “I started my development process by going to Nam’s brother’s house to eat with their family, and getting a feel for their cooking traditions which have been shaped by their Vietnamese culture.
It was an insightful experience and gave me a good foundation of their country’s traditional dishes, after that I then experimented to put different spins on them. Additions of bone marrow, ferments and glazes to elevate them and bring out even more flavour and textures. It was a really fun process and the outcome is dishes that add another dimension to the traditional Vietnamese cuisine that’s on offer in the city.”
The new dishes are now available to order, and sit alongside NAM’s classics, including Pho,
Bánh Mi, Bún, Fried Rice, Vietnamese Curry and Summer Rolls. A selection of food deals are also available throughout the week.
Monday’s are NAM’s two for one on any bao bun, while Thursdays mark Pho Thursday, with any Pho and a Tiger beer for £10. NAM’s lunch deal runs Monday to Friday, 12pm – 4pm, where for £10 you can indulge in a large plate alongside a glass of wine, Tiger beer or soft drink.
NAM is open every day of the week, Sunday to Thursday from 12pm-11pm, Friday and
Saturday from 12pm-12am, at 33 Blossom Street, Ancoats M4 6AJ.
See more here.
