Last updated on April 24th, 2025
I was excited to learn that Italian chef Franco Palandra was visiting the Namo restaurant in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. You’ll know Namo from my last visit I wrote about here. While visiting Vietnam, chef Palandra put together a special menu which was offered for a limited time at the restaurant. The menu consisted of four courses and was accompanied with an optional wine pairing. Of course I went for the wine pairing!
When we entered Namo, we were greeted by Max, our server who took care of us last time. He’s very attentive and a serious asset to Namo. After gobbling up some flavorful bread, we were served pan fried scallops with vegetables, puff pastry and fresh mozzarella. It’s appearance was stunning and matched well with a Marques de Casa Concha Chardonnay. Max then introduced a fresh lobster tagliolini in a tomato sauce.
My favorite dish of the evening happened to be the main course, which were the mint crusted lamb chops served with chard pudding and pine nuts. The lamb was perfect, and if I’m not mistaken, one of chef Palandra’s first recipes as a teenager, which can be found in the Tuscookany cookbook. The other main course we tried was the sea bass with paprika crust, almonds and grilled asparagus. The sea bass was also a great dish, with perfectly crunchy, yet tender asparagus, but the lamb chops stole the spotlight.
To finish off the evening was a dark chocolate raspberry tartlet, accompanied with Casillero del Diablo Devil’s Brut. After we finished this, we were offered Namo’s absolutely amazing tiramisu and a glass of lemoncello to give us a proper send-off! The tiramisu is an absolute must. You can thank me later!
I enjoy that the Namo team do special events, such as this, to spice up the restaurant’s offering. This helps set the restaurant apart from the competition, putting it in a truly special space. It was a pleasure to meet chef Franco Palandra and try some of his creations. His limited-edition menu at Namo only lasts for a few more weeks so make sure to get in and try it before it’s too late!
Restaurant
74/6 Hai Ba Trung, District 1, Ho Chi Minh, Ho Chi Minh City 700000
Phone: +84 028 3822 7988
