Red Lantern
Street food reinvented.
Red Lantern
Vietnamese$$
Even after 22 years, Red Lantern’s contemporary take on Vietnamese flavours still feels, well, contemporary.
There’s their raw fish dish, which can feel tired or underworked at so many other restaurants, but here is fresh and lively thanks to a cure of lemon and coconut, with sawtooth coriander and sesame-flecked rice crackers for crunch.
Skull Island tiger prawns are split and grilled hard for maximum smokiness, with a tomato and chilli sambal ramping up the intensity, while whole wok-fried snapper retains its sweet and firm texture, with green papaya salad and ginger-y nuoc cham bringing balance and more freshness.
Decades-old favourites impress too, such as Aunty 5’s rice cakes, each textural, fragrant bite stacked with tiger prawn and thinly sliced pork. Drinks are suitably smart and up-to-date, while the room and the hospitality are as warm as ever – and that’s something that never gets old.
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