Cultures Distilled

Lo Quay is more than a refined take on familiar Vietnamese cooking - it is also chef QUYNH BROWN'S journey to rediscovering her roots.

- GRACE MA

At Vietnamese restaurant Lo Quay, the pho dish has no noodles, only an intensely rich, heart-warming 18-hour brewed beef broth enveloping a poached quail egg, wagyu brisket, bone marrow and tripe.

A travesty, you say? Wait until you see the banh mi, which is a bite-sized Wellington stuffed with grilled Iberico pork jowl, crackling pork, house-made liver pate and kombu butter, then topped with star anise pickled cucumber and a daub of Maggie seasoning. Pop it into your mouth and it is the classic baguette sandwich but in tighter, concentrated flavours.

Located in an Amoy Street shophouse, the fine dining Lo Quay - which loosely translates to "discover" in Vietnamese - runs contrary to all the other casual counterparts in the city. The latest opening under The Dandy Collection is chef Quynh Brown's mission to challenge the stereotypical perceptions of her home country's cuisine, mostly associated with spring rolls, banh mis and pho with lashings of herbs and vegetables.