Munch: Lemongrass Kitchen

A feed for fuck-all

Lemongrass Kitchen

What: Vietnamese 

Price: $11.00 - $15.00

When: 11:00 - 21:00; Monday - Sunday

Nothing mindblowing, but wins by the size and value of their menu. 

⭐⭐⭐

There’s something doggedly endearing about Capital Markets that calls me back. It’s beyond the fact that it’s a gold mine for plates of food at reasonable prices. The bare concrete floor and the restaurants built inside old shipping containers give the space a liminal but functional feel; it’s got a job to do and will fulfill that without artifice or frills. It echoes, to me, the mood of an old time road inn, where windswept and weary travellers can come in to sit and be warmed by a bowl of food, without playing the games of social convention or structured dining. 

Sure, it’s not the most inspiring place: grey and shadowy, with tiny TV screens on the back wall playing infomercials and shitty puns on loop. But it’s not meant to be inspiring, it’s meant to be dry and out of the wind. It’s dignified and noble, the tables kept clean and the food served on beautiful dinnerware by chefs who continue to work, even as the shopfronts around them remain permanently ‘for lease’. Besides, the scents from each kitchen that mingle into a soft, pan-Asian miasma smell inspiring enough. 

Today, I followed my nose to Lemongrass Kitchen, immediately on the right as you enter Capital Market. Their menu covers more of the storefront, offering a range of Vietnamese fare such as Goi Cuon, Cha Gio, Pho, Banh Mi, and rice noodle salads.  Following the success of the soup at KC Cafe last week, and in need of some revitalisation, I chose their Rare & Cooked Beef Noodle Soup for $14. 

The lady behind the counter, working on her own, had her hands full with a steady stream of orders and gave me a buzzer instead of offering to bring my meal out to me. I’m just glad business is keeping up enough to warrant a stack of buzzers and customer self-service. Besides, it’s fun to take a cafeteria tray back to your table and compare meals with your friends, “What did you get? What did you get?” 

My soup, as I set it down, is a bit grey, with a pale slice of lemon on top trying its best to add some zest to the picture. It is a reasonable portion, however, and they haven’t skimped on the slices of beef or spring onion. This all on a base of great rice noodles; they were chewy and thick enough to hold lots of broth on their way up to your mouth. The broth itself was heavy on the spring onion, not very rich but meaty, salty, and with a bright hint of lemon. The cooked beef was a little overcooked so it was often the last thing in a mouthful that you were left chewing, but it also brought lots of juice with it in each bite. The rare beef was something else. Pieces were sinewy or still attached to lumps of cartilage. It tasted… peculiar, with a meaty, musky leather flavour and an aroma of molasses and shoe polish. It added depth to the broth and, when eaten in the same bite as pieces of cooked beef, it gave a more rounded taste that reminds one that he’s chewing on a sliced hunk of animal. 

It’s a taste to get used to, but I respect the honesty of this flavour profile; it’s unrefined and pragmatic. It feels a step closer to true ‘street’ food that sees no reason to not use rough-cut but fine to eat bits of meat. That said, those less carnivorously-inclined might be better off with the cooked beef soup as a safer option. Not to say that this soup with rare beef was that much more exciting. Besides an interesting gameyness, it was a bit plain and lukewarm, without any real kick and not as filling as I was expecting. 

Luckily,  Lemongrass Kitchen offers a wide range of dishes at $15 or less. There are six other soups, including a Seafood Noodle and a Roast Duck with Bamboo, grilled or braised meats with rice and salad, pork dumplings, fish cakes and hefty-looking spring rolls. This kitchen wasn’t mind-blowing in taste, but the range and prices of their menu means they’re a very reasonable option for any student wanting a decent dinner. 

Am I talking shit? Do you wildly disagree, or want to feed my ego by telling me I’m so right? Or have I overlooked a place so far that readers really need to know about? Send me something to chew on at: guy@salient.org.nz.