Despite its small, unassuming locale, Indochine is consistently popular and busy. On offer is authentic and honest Vietnamese food for a reasonable price.
The sugarcane prawn rolls--available as both an entrée and a main--are amazing. The sweetness of the sugarcane mixes with the minced prawn meat just enough to give it a sweet edge without overpowering the dish. The rolls are adorned with peanuts and come with a dipping sauce, both serving to cut through the sweetness of the dish. The sugarcane prawn rolls are reason enough to go try Indochine at least once.
The mains, unfortunately, are not executed as well. Kho chay, a dish consisting of tofu, bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms and vegetables is described as a dish that is traditionally offered to Buddhist monks. It's not clear what form of tribute this is intended to be to the monks as the dish itself is far too unbalanced. The only flavour that comes through in the dish is that of the shiitake mushrooms, and at that it is indistinguishable from the fake mushroom flavouring one gets in instant soups. The other vegetables mentioned in the dish's description were largely absent, except for the odd broccoli floret that strayed into the bowl.
The wait staff were not particularly helpful nor attentive that night, frequently spilling dishes and drinks. Hopefully it was just a bad night. The restaurant itself is very small, so it can be very cramped and noisy when full (most of the time).
The cost of the meals is reasonable, even bordering on the cheap side. While Indochine does allow BYO, it only allows wine, presumably so they can charge a bogus corkage fee. read more