Annamese is an upmarket Vietnamese restaurant in Barangaroo that opened in January 2025. With an expansive outdoor section and views of the water, it's a great spot on a sunny day. The menu is full of creative takes on Vietnamese dishes and a fantastic cocktail list including a Pho cocktail. Find out what else is a must order at Annamese!
The name Annamese is based on the word Annam which is the original name of Vietnam, before the French colonial times. It's two weeks before Monica leaves for overseas to return to Italy and we are enjoying all of the food that she will miss the most.
We are one of the first tables when we arrive at 1pm but the outdoor section will fill out later that afternoon as people wander in for long lunches. There is an air conditioned indoor section at Annamese but the pick on this warm 29°C/84°F early autumn day is outside. We slide into a banquette and take a look at the drinks menu. Annamese is by the same team as Muum Maam and Phamish restaurants and is led by Executive Chef Andy Pruksa.
All of the cocktails are fantastic and very different to each other and were designed by owner and creative director Andy Pruksa who travelled to Vietnam for inspiration. The pho cocktail has Espolon tequila, pho spices (star anise, cinnamon, clove, cardamom, coriander seed, black peppercorn), dry Vermouth, Vietnamese mint, coriander and lime and straddles a balance between sweet and savoury with a singular complexity to it. The Ca Phe Martini has Ketel One vodka, Vietnamese cold-brew coffee, coffee liqueur, condensed milk and nutmeg. The cold foam at the top and the coffee underneath mimics a delicious Vietnamese coffee. We also order a non alcoholic version of the Mango Sticky Rice Blend cocktail with mango sorbet, coconut water and Kati coconut cream that is absolutely delicious.
Food wise we went with their recommendations. We start with some Sydney rock oysters with a nuoc cham haisan dressing, green chili, lime & black caviar that really brings the flavours of Vietnam in one mouthful. Haisan sauce is a seafood sauce made with fish sauce, fresh lime, palm sugar, garlic, chili and coriander. With the warm weather we could be in Vietnam with this dish.
The duck and prawn pancake roll is a rice paper roll with Vietnamese herbs, beansprouts and nuoc cham. This is nice and fresh and an upmarket version of rice paper rolls.
We all love the crispy rice balls with a prawn and chicken mince and water chestnut filling with rice crumbs on the outside. The rice crumb coating really gives this a uniquely moreish and slightly sticky texture. These balls are large too and come with a sweet chilli dipping sauce.
There are a few must orders on the menu and the grilled chicken lemongrass skewers are one of them. These skewers are blanketed in a hoisin sauce with peanuts and served with nuoc cham sauce on the side. The chicken is wonderfully juicy and the hoi sin sauce is full of flavour.
Our main dishes arrive together and we start with the eye catching roasted duck and banana blossom salad with banana blossom, purple and green cabbage, Vietnamese mint and coriander, pickled radish and carrot and dressed with a smoked chilli vinaigrette and finished with finely ground roasted rice. The thinly sliced duck breast is layered on top of the crunchy and fresh banana blossom salad and the roasted rice gives the dish additional texture. I think this was everyone's favourite main dish.
The chargrilled wagyu Tri Tip Black Opal MB6+ comes as a 280g/10oz serve sliced and medium rare. The sticky tamarind and fish sauce glaze lightens up the rich beef and it is served with an excellent cucumber and chilli salad on the side.
The crab fried rice is the perfect accompaniment with wok tossed jasmine rice with chopped asparagus, spring onion, crab meat and flying fish roe on top.
The crispy fried eggplant is another recommendation from our waitress. The eggplant batons are crispy on the outside and once you bite into them they have a soft, melting eggplant on the inside. These are served with a blood plum sauce. Whilst I loved the texture of this, it could have done with some more seasoning - I don't think it had the salt and pepper seasoning as mentioned and all the other dishes were seasoned perfectly.
There are two desserts on the menu: a selection of three sorbets and deep fried ice cream. Starting with the sorbets there's a creamy pandan coconut sorbet, a tangy pomelo blood orange and a mango sorbet that tastes like sweet fresh summer mangoes. There's a cashew nut and coconut crumble for texture on top.
But hands down my favourite dessert is the fried ice cream. In fact this might be one of the best fried ice creams I've ever had. It's a vanilla bean ice cream topped with shredded fresh coconut, lots of crunchy peanuts and a salted palm and coconut sauce. It's the dessert that I can't stop going back to because of the salted caramel and moreish crunch of the crunchy peanuts and coconut. "Take it away from me!" I say before taking another spoonful to it.
So tell me Dear Reader, if you had to move overseas, what food would you miss the most?
NQN and friends were guests of Annamese but all opinions remain her own.
Annamese
Retail 2/2 Watermans Quay, Barangaroo NSW 2000
Phone: (02) 9050 2266
Monday to Friday 11:30am–3:30 pm, 5:30–10 pm
Saturday and Sunday 12–3:30 pm, 5:30–10 pm
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