Restaurant review: Miss Van's tells a story with every dish

So there is nothing more wonderful, nothing that fills your heart with such joy, than seeing new venues open, particularly ones which reflect this sense of optimism that the true essence of the hospitality industry is built on.

And Miss Van's is just that. Andrew Duong's pop-up has long been one of Canberra's favourites, with its focus on Vietnamese favourites, and now he's found a permanent home in the city. Opening in late November last year, Miss Van's feels like you've been invited into Duong's home.

The interiors give a nod to French-Vietnamese colonial architecture, high ceilings, vibrant upholstery, overhead fans, tiled flooring and plenty of greenery giving it almost a tropical vibe. Large windows look out onto the busy street; there's a good outdoor area, undercover, with wicker furniture. On balmy humid summer nights, you could almost pretend you've escaped to Ho Chi Minh.

The menu, at both lunch and dinner, offers a la carte and a set menu. Lunch will set you back $39 for bread and butter, two snacks, two mains and rice. Add on "The Dessert" for $5. At dinner, the five-course, 10 item, set menu is $80pp. Most dietary requirements can be catered for here as well if you mention it to the friendly staff.

We're here at lunch (somewhat excited by the idea that Miss Van's is just around the corner from the new Canberra Times office) and the set menu it is.

The bread and butter is a Three Mills sourdough with umami butter. We're asked to guess where the umami comes from and I'm sure it's Vegemite but I'm wrong. It's soy sauce, a rift on the story that, as a child, Duong's sister went through a phase eating only bread and butter and soy sauce. The memory has manifested itself as a generous portion of light, salty, whipped butter. It's delicious.

And serves as a good dip for the serve of spring rolls ($12 for three) we've added on. These are thick and full, brimming with wild mushrooms, palm heart and vermicelli noodles, the pastry golden and flaky. These vegetarian rolls are meaty and flavoursome, we're glad we added them in.

The two snacks on the set menu today are a sashimi scallop and a Lao sausage. Tasty little bites full of vibrancy. The scallop is served in the shell, tender and touched with a lime and peanut dressing, covered in an almost luminous green layer of finely chopped coriander. It's south-east Asia in a mouthful.

The sausage is like a miniscule san choy bow. A slice of spicy sausage in a charred cabbage leaf with a dollop of Jaew Bong tomato salsa, a traditional Lao dipping sauce. The sausage is good. I'm going to keep an eye out for the days when it's available in a banh mi as it has been once or twice already. Duong, formerly of Lazy Su, is proud of his spin on the banh mi; it's on the menu at lunch and is also available for takeaway alongside the whole menu.

Mains today include a grilled flank steak Bo Kho, a stew of sorts with tender Ranger's valley steak bathing in a fragrant gravy, with hints of lemongrass, star anise and cinnamon. There's enough meat in the dish to satisfy, bean shoots for crunch, the gravy is a great way to flavour the last of the well-cooked steamed rice.

The Ca Ri cauliflower is based on a recipe passed down from Duong's nan, grilled florets in a light coconut curry sauce. It's one of those curries you eat on a hot day and not be overwhelmed.

While the dessert option to add in is The Dessert, a Vietnamese coffee and salted caramel ganache with condensed milk ice cream and puffed rice, I ask for the strawberries and cream. It's a Makrut lime, or kaffir lime, panna cotta, with strawberry granita. It's great; the panna cotta is firm and smooth, the granita refreshing.

There's a good vibe here, even on a Thursday lunch service. There are people at the bar eating, perhaps it's a little too early to hit up the extensive drinks menu devised by bar manager Michael Nguyen (ex-Molly) but the cocktail list looks good, so to the wine, even the non-alcoholic options are intriguing.

It's the kind of place I can see myself returning too. Parking is easy, did I mention The Canberra Times is just around the corner, the staff, even in these tumultuous times, are friendly and informative, it feels like you've been transported somewhere else and, lord, we all need that at the moment.

The menu is home-style but there's nothing homely about it, and I think that's important too. That we feel connected to the story behind our plates, the origins of a dish, and here it's evident in every dish.

Address: Shop 4, 113-119 Marcus Clarke St, City

Phone: 0499 560 767

Website: missvans.com.au

Hours: Lunch, Thursday to Sunday. Dinner, Wednesday to Saturday.

Owner: Andrew Duong

Chef: Brandon Hardiman and Adam Hazelton

Noise: No problem

Outdoor seating: Some undercover areas

Dietary: Extensive list of vegan options and set menus can be adapted

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