Nam An

NAM AN, Camden's favourite Vietnamese restaurant, celebrates its second birthday in January.

Judging by the quality of the fare on my first visit, it will be celebrating many more happy occasions in the future.

Situated on Camden High Street, close to Mornington Crescent tube station, Nam An opened with a confident swagger in July 2005 and has gone from strength to strength.

On weekdays it has become the regular haunt of busy office workers attracted by the speed of service and an attractive lunchtime menu offering good, authentic oriental food at keen prices.

A cosmopolitan collection of customers included media types, a group of office workers celebrating a birthday, and the father of Boris Johnston, locked in meaningful discussion with a business associate.

We had taken the precaution of prebooking and arriving early.

Our table was near the window, where we could enjoy the sights and sounds outside, but soon Nam An was just as busy inside, with the tables quickly filling.

It was easy to see why.

Huge bowls of spicy soup, the choices ranging from shark fin and crab meat to sweetcorn and chicken, were being served with small green salads or starters of spring roll or dumplings to regular customers on limited time.

Fast food with a difference.

Among the tasty alternatives to accompany the steaming soups were lettuce wraps filled with either seafood or chicken, alongside more predictable choices like sesame prawn toast and aromatic duck.

Vietnamese food, both in flavour and context, is not unlike the more familiar Thai or Malaysian varieties but has its own distinctive stamp.

Spring rolls, for instance, were devoid of the expected pastry wrapping and had a humble potato base, though the skilful blending of flavourings and spices ensured there was nothing humble about the taste.

A wide range of beef, pork, lamb, duck and chicken dishes, with onion, ginger, lemongrass and chilli prominent in the recipes, was available for the main course, alongside at least a dozen inventive vegetarian alternatives and a selection of sizzling stir fries.

The evenings bring a distinct change in the atmosphere as the business types make way for the incurable romantics and lively, loyal locals who have found a second home amid the cosy, intimate setting, resplendent with its dark woods, colourful oriental china vases and delicate soft furnishings.

The food is a little more expensive, but still very agreeably priced and the menu more extensive.

You can dine on sautéed lobster for £20, or steamed seabass for slightly less.

However, it is in the drinks department where Nam An has set itself apart most strikingly when the sun goes down.

Its rich array of exotic cocktails would be hard to better.

Indeed, if there's a more extensive cocktail list in Camden, I've yet to find it.

Mai Tai, a luxurious mix of dark rum, bitters, lime, almond, curacao and orange, competes with Sun Kissed Saigon (gin, orange juice, crème de banana and almond syrup) as the favourite choice but Mojitos made with Havana rum and Fai Aways, sumptuously flavoured with fresh lychees, are fast catching up in the popularity stakes.

For a special occasion, what could be more appropriate than Peach Belini with its heady mix of champers and schnapps.

As you bid your farewells and exit this friendly establishment after enjoying a couple of hours of first class oriental hospitality, it requires something of a double take to realise that is Camden High Street, and not the exotic bustle of Ho Chi Min City or Saigon, which awaits you.

Signature dishes:

• Nam An special platter (seseme prawn toast, spring roll, chicken and beef satay) £6.50
• Shared platter £10.00
• Steamed seabass with ginger and onion £18.00
• Crispy shredded beef with chilli £6.50
• Sauteed bean curd with mushroom £5.50

Opening Times: Open 7 days a week: Lunch: 12pm-3.30pm Evening: 6pm-til late