Vietnamese fusion restaurant, Madame Hanoi, has been cooking up a storm on Adelaide’s busy North Terrace for the past three years, having made a name for itself recently with their popular high tea menu.

Madame Hanoi’s newest venture comes with their recently launched ‘lunch boxes’ – huge round boxes filled with plentiful food, designed for those on the go who just want a quick bite but don’t want to leave hungry.

We tried both of their available lunch boxes and here’s what we thought:

Hanoi Lunch Box
The crispy pork salad featured every colour of the rainbow, with the crunchy pork belly chunks chopped into tiny little bite-size morsels. The chicken skewers were nice and crispy on the outside and juicy in the centre (just how a skewer should be!) and offered a surprise spicy aftertaste. The light prawn broth, hinting at the aroma of five spice, and the bowl of white rice served to balance the powerful flavours of the meat.

Saigon Lunch Box
Being the vegetarian version of the Hanoi Lunch Box doesn’t mean any flavour was compromised here. The chilli tofu – undoubtedly the star of the dish – created an explosion of, not just spice, but also sweet and sour tanginess in the mouth. The bowl of white rice and bok choy were perfect for subduing the fieriness of the tofu and the deep-fried eggplant was very well seasoned, adding another layer of crunch on top of the bahn phong crackers. The pickled vegetables served as a refreshing break in between the other elements.

Though Head Chef, Nic Watt, designed the lunch boxes to be an all-in-one meal for those on the go, we found ourselves taking our sweet time, savouring every last morsel. So it may come as no surprise that we can’t wait to see what Madame Hanoi has in store for us next!

Madame Hanoi is located in the Adelaide Casino building on the CBD’s North Terrace and is open every day from 11am til late.

Words by Geena Ho

WHERE: Adelaide Casino, North Tce, Adelaide