LOCATIONBetween Victoria Street and Darlinghurst Road. Two minutes’ walk from Kings Cross Station.
PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIALike walking through a wardrobe and finding yourself in Narnia, Bay Bua is an astonishing find among the funky streets of The Cross. Similarly, following the hunt for this Vietnamese-accented eatery, you are rewarded with an oasis of greenery and a stylish restaurant that welcomes with open arms. Effused in dark purples and lilacs, the dining room is slightly dated but nonetheless provides a warm environment in which to focus on a menu which has been perfected over generations. Having established its succuss in Marrickville through acknowledging a desire for authentic Vietnamese cuisine, Bay Bua made the move to Potts Point and has been kicking tasty goals ever since. With a stress on luxury dining at an affordable price, the aromas of the unique dishes are spreading far and wide.
Once seated, let your eyes wander to the specials board for a chalked-up list of the day’s freshest – and therefore highly recommended – dishes. You might like to start with the mussels stuffed with prawns, served in their shell with sweet and sour sauce, or a house speciality of moreishly good, little rice cakes. Pile a prawn cracker high with the zesty ingredients of the barramundi fillet salad for a kick that marries texture and flavour wonderfully. The signature bonfire chicken is ferried out in flaming glory and continues to cook on your table until a waiter deftly extinguishes the blaze when the meat has reached prime succulency. Diners are dextrously shown how to place the meat and accompaniments on rice paper before rolling them up and chowing them down. A modest, yet pleasing, wine menu is enhanced with a cracking cocktail list, and there are plenty of sweet treats to end your oriental affair sweetly.
Annabel Wise