DINING OUT

15timeout

Once in a blue moon, there’s an

addition to the Hanoi dining

and imbibing scene, which

makes everyone say, “Ah, now

this is exactly what the city was missing.”

Since opening earlier this year,

Southgate has given plenty of local resi-

dents that “Yes! Finally!” feeling – maybe

it was the killer brunch (hands down the

best in town), or perhaps it was the

affordable set lunch (soup, one main

course, lemon juice and one Punto coffee

– all for just VND140,000)… or maybe it

was the perfectly executed “handcrafted”

cocktails made with premium spirits

(Read: Hendrick’s gin and tonics with a

slice of cucumber), or possibly it was sim-

ply enjoying dinner with friends sampling

the chef’s Double cooked Pork belly withChimichurri, or his subtle Thyme honeyPannacotta dessert. The icing on the

Southgate cake is that the service is also

streets ahead of your average Hanoi

restaurant or wine/cocktail bar.

Located on the lively Tong Duy Tan –

a.k.a. “food street” – in downtown

Hanoi, this “restobar” features indoor

and outdoor seating over two floors, a

zinc-clad communal bar, and chef’s

table. The overall effect is chic and styl-

ish, but not too showy – as the book-

shelves bearing nothing but hacked up

wooden planks confirms.

Southgate is owned and operated by

Jason Tobin, a native of Cambridge

Massachusetts, and Luu Tung from

Hanoi, who lived in France for seven

years. Combined, Jason and Tung have

17 years of restaurant experience prior to

opening Southgate. The two wanted to

open a space that was stylish but unpre-

tentious and could serve as a comfort-

able restaurant/bar for a diverse mix of

Hanoi residents to gather, eat, drink, and

enjoy good music (oh, yeah, the music is

also on the money all day, and all night

long). The contemporary menu featuring

elements of Mediterranean influence was

created by Chef Shahar Lubin to deliver a

Western dining experience unique to the

Hanoi restaurant scene. Besides the

aforementioned specialties, you should

also try his Pan roasted Boneless Chickenleg with Zucchini, Chorizo hash and

Stuffed Baby eggplant or Grilled Duckbreast with Butter Bean salad andTurmeric infused rice.

For brunch (Saturdays and Sundays

from 11am - 3pm), Southgate’s bar-

tenders have perfected the art of tradi-

tional cocktails including Bloody Marys,

Spicy Margaritas and Bellinis to accom-

pany classically inspired brunch dishes

such as French toast and caramel sauce,Eggs Benedict with Basil béarnaise andHouse-made corn bread, and Shakshuka– that’s two eggs baked on braised bell

peppers and tomatoes, served with feta

cheese, home fries.

Besides lunch, brunch and dinner,

Southgate also lets its hair down on week-

ends (Thursdays included) with resident

DJs spinning an eclectic mix of music until

2am. There are also happy hours, Monday

through Friday, from 5pm to 7pm (the

deals change month to month). And if you

sign up for the monthly newsletters at

www.southgatehanoi.com you receive a

voucher with 20 per cent off your next visit.

By Frank Patterson

raises the restobar

Phot

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Southgate