Every time I crave for that, my to-go place is Zao Vietnamese Bistro. Not only do they serve remarkable dishes, they also have very good customer service (waiters are attentive and are often smiling).

I ordered their Freshly Squeezed Dalandan Juice (P125) and till now, I am craving for it. This is definitely the best dalandan juice I have so far! It is so refreshing! I enjoyed the dalandan pulps in the concoction.

For salad, we ordered their bestselling Pomelo Salad (P285). The generous serving of pink pomelo chunks is tossed with shrimps, chicken and fresh herbs.

We also ordered their best appetizer, which is Crispy Spring Rolls ( P195). Each serving comes with six perfectly cooked spring rolls which has pork, glass noodles and mushrooms served with lettuce.

When eating, you wrap a spring roll and some veggies in the lettuce then drizzle with their sweet, sour dip. I tell you, the flavors will definitely burst in your mouth.

The Vietnamese Beef Stew (P345) is a slow-cooked aromatic beef stew simmered in star anise and basil. The coriander gives the additional citrus zing.

We also had their Deep-Fried Catfish (P195), served with a spicy ginger fish sauce. Nothing too special about this dish. I just ordered it to balance the flavors of the other entrees we ordered.

One must-try is their Zao Barbecue Platter (P495). It’s a sampler of their barbecue specialities – spareribs, pork chop, chicken. First to go was the spareribs. The spareribs is garlic-spiced and char-grilled.

When coffee-dessert time came, I was a little disappointed that their, specialty of the house, Calamansi Tart was not available. Thus, we settled for their other dessert offering, which were not really “Vietnamese” in nature. (Their dessert menu only offers two authentic Vietnamese dish – Vietnamese Halo-halo and Jasmine Rice Pudding).

The Espresso Gateau de Crepe (P185) is a serving of twenty layers of paper-thin crepes filled with vietnamese coffee-infused cream. This is a light, not-too-sweet dessert.

My favorite is their White Chocolate and Banana Tart (P175). It has a chocolate almond sugar crust, cream chantilly and toasted coconut. I love how each ingredient complements each other.

To date, there are only two branches of Zao Vietnamese Bistro. They can be found in Serendra and Eastwood Citywalk 1.

Make sure to pay a visit.