Menu - La Sen

FOOD TYPE  Vietnamese FOOD QUALITY  Five of us dined on a hot summer’s night in mid-January. We started with couple of bottles of crisp, refreshing A... read more FOOD TYPE  Vietnamese FOOD QUALITY  Five of us dined on a hot summer’s night in mid-January. We started with couple of bottles of crisp, refreshing Asahi Super Dry (a steal at $7 a bottle, some places charge $9 or even $10) and a shared serve of vegetarian spring rolls ($12 for five). The spring rolls were bigger than your standard ones. They were crunchy and packed full of fresh, tasty vegetarian filling including mushrooms. What a great way to start things off. Then it was onto the mains. We ordered a selection of dishes including lemongrass chilli beef ($16), a sizzling beef hot plate ($19), lemongrass and chilli chicken ($19), stir fried chicken and vegetables ($16) and a vegetarian dish with soft egg noodles ($17). To round it off, four serves of rice at $2 each. Everyone agreed that the food was first class; brimming with those subtle Vietnamese flavours and aromas that sets this type of cuisine apart from the other Asian varieties. My lemongrass chilli beef was delicious. It had lashings of thinly cut, fine pieces of beef, well cooked just the way I like it and soaked in a tart and tangy lemongrass dressing and served with a liberal helping of vegetables. The fluffy white rice was the perfect accompaniment. My friend’s beef hotpot was brought to the table on a sizzling plate. The colourful stylish crockery added a touch of class to the presentation. Serving sizes were generous so there was no room for dessert after that lot. ATMOSPHERE We choose to sit outdoors, as it was a hot, steamy night, and what an inspired decision that was. I’m normally not a fan of alfresco dining in Sydney, what with all the traffic fumes and, unlike the Europeans, we really aren’t set up for this kind of dining. But in this case, apart from the occasional bus driving past with a deafening roar and a belch of poisonous fumes, we were quite happy out on the pavement enjoying the warm and balmy evening and watching the passing parade. Inside, it’s an odd configuration: long and thin and seems a bit cramped.If my memory of living in Randwick serves me correctly, this used to be a rather bland and dull Italian restaurant for many years, so it’s great to see it spruced up and reinvented as a cool and modern Vietnamese. The night we dined the place was packed and the atmosphere was abuzz with energy and activity, inside and out. But it’s super casual and laid back too, so just come as you are. SERVICE  Service with a smile is the watchword here. These waitresses were all so pleasant, friendly, polite and efficient that it was a pleasure to be served by them. Orders were promptly taken and dishes came out quickly; so quickly in fact that the mains were already on the table before we’d even finished our starters, but better that, than having to wait ages for your meals. And a special thanks to these guys for accommodating us at such short notice as we only phoned for a table about two hours before dining. COMFORT  Despite sitting out on the pavement we were quite comfy, with firm chairs and two tables pushed together for the five of us, gave ample room to fit all the dishes. MENU  Menu is fairly well laid out on coloured sheets protected by plastic laminate to keep them clean and hygienic, and bound in a sturdy leather cover. Drinks and specials are on loose leaf A4 pages. TOILETS  Toilets are at the back not far from the kitchen. There are separate male and female ones, but I found the configuration of the male one quite odd (see pic), with a urinal and a toilet in the same cubicle. I’m not sure how that’s supposed to work but if it’s meant to accommodate two people at the same time, count me out. I’d rather wait. Wonder what the women’s is like? ACOUSTICS  I imagine that inside dining could be quite noisy in that confined space and with tables packed fairly close to one another. But outside on the pavement, apart from the roar of the occasional bus, we didn’t have too much trouble conversing. COST  With our 25% Ent Book discount (up to a max $25) we paid a modest $103 for three Asahis, a shared entree, five mains (one with extra vegetables) and four serves of rice. That’s just great value in these dire economic times. BOOKING This place is clearly popular with the locals and we were lucky to get a last minute booking. But my advice is to reserve yourself a table early, especially for weekend dining. PARKING/ACCESS Being The Spot, parking unfortunately is the one negative. Don’t even bother looking for something around here. The whole area is narrow, awkward and congested and it’s difficult to find a parking, so save yourself the hassle and frustration and just look for a “spot” (‘scuse the pun!) somewhere in one of the residential streets of Randwick, and enjoy the walk to the restaurant. SUMMARY  We had an enjoyable and relaxed evening at La Sen. Food was first class, ambience was just right for a hot summer’s night and service was fast and efficient. Prices are reasonable. You just can’t ask for anything better. RECOMMENDATION Anything with the word “lemongrass” in it won’t disappoint.

FOOD TYPE  Vietnamese FOOD QUALITY  Five of us dined on a hot summer’s night in mid-January. We started with couple of bottles of crisp, refreshing A... read more FOOD TYPE  Vietnamese FOOD QUALITY  Five of us dined on a hot summer’s night in mid-January. We started with couple of bottles of crisp, refreshing Asahi Super Dry (a steal at $7 a bottle, some places charge $9 or even $10) and a shared serve of vegetarian spring rolls ($12 for five). The spring rolls were bigger than your standard ones. They were crunchy and packed full of fresh, tasty vegetarian filling including mushrooms. What a great way to start things off. Then it was onto the mains. We ordered a selection of dishes including lemongrass chilli beef ($16), a sizzling beef hot plate ($19), lemongrass and chilli chicken ($19), stir fried chicken and vegetables ($16) and a vegetarian dish with soft egg noodles ($17). To round it off, four serves of rice at $2 each. Everyone agreed that the food was first class; brimming with those subtle Vietnamese flavours and aromas that sets this type of cuisine apart from the other Asian varieties. My lemongrass... read more