Overview
Modern Vietnamese has found a sprawling new home in Elsternwick, with the opening of the latest edition of Hanoi Hannah. Sitting just up the road from the original restaurant, which has shut its doors for good, the roomier digs mark a big expansion for the well-loved Asian eatery.
Double the size and boasting room for 100, Hanoi Hannah Vol. II comes complete with an all-weather al fresco space, a hefty bar dotted with ringside seating and an impressive open kitchen that takes pride of place.
Fans can get also excited for a fresh haul of contemporary Vietnamese dishes, across an all-new menu offering. Share-friendly snacks include the likes of grilled chicken ribs with lime salt and pickled chilli, red oil wontons matched with a Szechuan chilli vinegar, and a salmon tartare starring pineapple and betel leaf. Heartier appetites will find plenty to love about creations like the lemongrass-spiked claypot mussels served with crusty banh mi for dipping, a dry-aged roast duck with five spice and crunchy noodles, and the aromatic masterstock-braised crispy chicken. Lively salads and a hefty lineup of rice paper rolls keep things fresh.
The fun-loving streak remains and the bar's happy to comply, offering a range of easy-drinking tinnies, a tidy list of wine and punchy cocktails for all occasions. Keep the chill at bay this winter with sips like the Spicy + Stormy, crafted with lime, ginger beer and chilli-infused rum, and a rich Maple Old Fashioned.
Hanoi Hannah Vol.II is open now at 306 Glenhuntly Road, Elsternwick. Head in from noon–11pm Sunday through Thursday, and from noon till late Friday and Saturday.