Some meals feel like an indulgence; the kind of hearty dishes which leave you needing a good lie-down like a Sunday roast, fish and chips or a chicken tikka masala and a side of keema naan.
Others are much healthier affairs, which make you feel cleansed through the act of eating; sushi, salad bowls, and grilled fish and vegetables.
Impressively, the cooking at Little Vietnam manages to pull off the achievement of seeming both indulgent and wholesome at the same time, thanks to its heavy use of fresh herbs and vegetables and comforting big flavoured sauces.
Located on the former site of Kuro on Roath’s Albany Road, their modern dining room has had a minimal makeover except for the addition of a few artificial plants and a colourful mural spanning its back wall.
With a menu featuring Vietnamese classics like pho, bun and summer rolls as well as slightly less familiar dishes like betel leaf rolls filled with minced beef, lotus root salad with chicken feet, and grilled quail with mango salad, there’s plenty on offer to warrant repeat visits.
On the restaurant’s opening weekend, the front of house and kitchen were a flurry of activity with multiple friendly members of staff shuttling back and forward to our table.
A complimentary bowl of prawn crackers were delivered as soon as we sat down.
Steering clear of the alcohol after a big session the night before, we both opted for Vietnamese coffees (£3.50), one hot and one iced. Seriously strong and spiked with sweet and creamy condensed milk, they more than served their purpose as a pick me up.
Plump summer rolls (£7.50) were packed with sweet king prawns, fresh coriander, crisp veggies and vermicelli noodles. They were lovely dredged through a sweet and savoury hoisin based dipping sauce.
A vibrant Vietnamese salad (£7.50) deftly balanced sweet, sour and savoury with its mix of crisp green papaya, beansprouts and cabbage, a gentle spiced citrusy dressing, the crunch of peanuts and slices of soft puffed tofu. I’m sure there’s plenty of scope for more chilli ferocity; we were asked how hot we wanted our dishes and opted for medium.
Our two mains didn’t skimp on the portion sizes.
A classic Vietnamese curry (£12.50) was made with a rich, creamy and fragrant coconut-based sauce that was littered with crisp fresh vegetables including peppers, broccoli, courgette, celery and onion. Slices of puffed tofu and a dome of sticky rice were excellent mops were all that flavour-packed sauce.
Even better were thin slices of tender stir-fried beef (£12.50) and more perky vegetables in a spicy, savoury soy-based sauce that was heady with the aroma of lemongrass and garlic.
Stuffed yet also feeling as though we’d eaten our five a day, we had a delicious meal at Little Vietnam. It’s a great addition to Roath and the wider city and somewhere I can see myself dropping by regularly.
The details:
Address - Little Vietnam, Unit 11 The Globe Centre, Albany Road, Cardiff CF24 3PE
Telephone - 029 2142 4276
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