I had passed by Aquanox numerous times before but never had an inclination of venturing in since it looked more like an after hours lounge. They have since changed ownership as well as concepts, eschewing the bar scene for the family friendly dining atmosphere.
A bowl of crackers was served, to my tummy's delight as it was already past my usual lunch time, while we were waiting for other members of The Club.
When everyone was seated and composed, a flurry of dishes came out one after another starting with Goi Cuon (P100), fresh spring rolls with shrimp, pork, lettuce and vermicelli. This one was quite a good starter but I would have preferred they reduced the amount of vermicelli so the other ingredients would not be drowned out.
Next up was Chao Tom (P150), prawns wrapped around sugarcane. The process is to remove the minced shrimp from the sugarcane, put it on the lettuce, add some of the sauce and vermicelli then wrapped it all up. A surprising find was that the sugarcane was marinated long enough that it tasted of the grilled shrimp, so we happily munched on it retro style.
The most popular appetizer was the Canh Ga Chien voi Toi (P150), chicken lollipops with garlic and scallions. Everyone liked the crispy skin and the flavorful garlic tasting meat that when I was about to get another piece, nary a one could be found.
For our salad, we were served Goi Buoi voi Tom Nuong (P150), pomelo salad with shrimps and vegetables. The salad was a good palate cleanser with the citrusy pomelos and crunchy vegetables before giving way to the main dishes.
I was a little disappointed when we were served Mi My Tho (P200/regular size), shrimp and pork slices with egg noodles, instead of Pho. I had wanted to try their version of the Pho to gauge how it stacked up but they probably wanted to introduce other variants.The noodles reminded me of the ones we use for our local mami's.
Ga Roti voi Gao Nep (P170), sticky rice topped with grilled chicken. This unique dish seemed like a savory suman, with the char grilled chicken matching well with the plain sticky rice.
Cua Rang Moui Toi (Market Price), garlic crabs deshelled. This dish was highly anticipated by everyone since it is what Aquanox is known for. Lazy crab loving people like me rejoiced at the sight of these naked crabs, no more fighting with crab crackers and digging into the inner recesses of these crustaceans to enjoy their luscious meat. The meat was sitting in the garlic and butter sauce allowing it to absorb more of it leading to even tastier crab meat, like hitting two birds with one stone.
An interesting discovery by our group was coating the stick rice in the leftover sauce of the naked crabs, you could guess what happened next.
Aquanox offers good food at reasonable prices in a chic atmosphere replete with high ceilings. cozy seating and striking purple interior.
Aquanox Vietnamese Kitchen
800 Arnaiz Avenue
San Lorenzo Village, Makati City
894.3380
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wow those dishes look yummy! i must say the interiors of the restaurant look interesting!
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