Annam

Could the city’s best Vietnamese spring rolls be found on the northern cusp of Chinatown?

Goat curry.

56 Little Bourke St, Melbourne

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annam.com.au

Could the city’s best Vietnamese spring rolls be found on the northern cusp of Chinatown?

A whole king prawn, pastry-wrapped and jolted in the fryer, is best folded in a cool lettuce leaf for ultimate crunch and then dunked in a sticky nuoc mam sauce.

What a winner.

Here at chef Jerry Mai’s Annam, no-fuss Cambodian/Vietnamese street food is finger-lickin’ good.

Gnaw on heavily-crusted fried chicken ribs and savour silky chicken wontons swimming in chilli oil.

Waffle coated fried ice cream.

Tiles of Flinders Island lamb with fermented chilli flakes heats things up, while the deep-fried waffle-coated coconut ice cream cools things down.

Feast on one of Annam’s two-banquet offerings with a fruit-driven cocktail in hand.

The matcha-spiked Snake in the Grass is worth heading uptown for.

Service can slip when busy with long waits between courses, but Annam is always worth a visit, if only for those golden-flaked spring rolls.

Must-eat dish: King prawn spring roll

Chef: Jerry Mai

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Price: $$

Bookings: Yes

BYO: No

Open: Lunch Wed-Fri 12-3; dinner Tue-Sat 5pm-late

Instagram: @annam_melbourne