Many critics shun fusion cuisine — and yet that is exactly what Vietnamese food and Va Va Voom is. But unlike the contrived fusion cooking of some avant-garde chefs here the cooking is characterized by an inherent balance and harmony. Vietnamese food is one of the most varied and seductive on the planet – a delicious mix of the food of its colonial visitors and age-old flavors and techniques.

Why am I so attracted to this particular cuisine? I adore Indian food, can't get enough Mexican, have a passion for pizza...but there is something about Vietnamese cooking that doesn't just excite me — it seduces me. And even though I always qualify my favorite foods as being "for the moment," I'm finding that my enthusiasm for Vietnamese food is waxing and not waning, especially since Va Va Voom came on the scene.

Va Va Voom has a vast array of meals, it overwhelms the eyes while they browse through the menu. From appetizers like Vietnamese pan fried radish cakes , Vietnamese chicken wings and fish cakes (28 to 58 rmb) to the numerous Vietnamese salads and soups (38 to 78 rmb) like Vietnamese grilled oyster mushroom salad and Vietnamese pork ball soup, and Vietnamese noodle soup, to even Vietnamese grilled rice cakes and potato (25 to 78) to Vietnamese pasta using peppermint and lemon grass (58 to 78) to finally the various Vermicelli’s (58 to 88) to the Vietnamese desserts like peach crepe and caramel pudding and red bean cake (20 to 28 rmb), every region and possibly every Vietnamese dish is represented in this homely yet chic restaurant.

To start the meal we are introduced to a staple of Vietnam, a Vietnamese rice paper roll with shrimp and salad. Coupled with soya bean paste, it has a fresh minty taste, but must be eaten quickly before the paper dries. Sean, a native Singaporean who fell in love with Vietnam and as a result decided to take the plunge and open Va Va Voom, explains that the next dish, Vietnamese fried spring roll with vegetables minced pork and black mushroom with fish sauce is a very popular dish with the Vietnamese, and no wonder with its savory taste that is almost creamy and just a hint of the flavorful fungus. It is the favorite for our group.

The ex-pat Vietnamese in Beijing also seem to enjoy it, as they are frequent regulars to this establishment. The dishes at Va Va Voom are authentic and prepared by Vietnamese chefs, and can even be drunk with a signature Vietnamese Saigon Mai Thai Martini, smooth and light (but beware the alcohol it masks), and even Vietnamese smoothies like lychee, which are presented like martinis but are sweeter and lack milk, thus less fattening than traditional smoothies.

The Vietnamese duck salad was next, served with thick cuts of plump duck that were not too fatty or oily. Tender, juicy, and moist, we couldn’t stop eating them especially when combined with cracker and pickled veggies! This was soon followed by Vietnamese grilled beef and vegetables. The beef was not juicy but was colder, lighter, and spicier, definitely different from Western style beef.

Each one already a winner, it was almost too much to get one more appetizer, the Vietnamese shrimp pancake with fish sauce. A sweetish almost buttery medley of shrimp and coconut and green beans, it has an almost cinnamon taste to it, and was quite meltingly delicious.

After the appetizers, we were served very swiftly, Vietnamese rice noodle with grilled pork salad. Drizzled with sweet and sour sauce, the pork tasted like home-cooked pork, and reminded us of our families’ cooking in Australia. Mild in taste, we didn’t even realize how the salad made us keep picking at it for more until it was all gone!

Yet the meal was only to be topped off with a new signature dish of Sean’s the Vietnamese hot pot! Different to Chinese and Japanese hot pot, it is prepared with lemon grass and pork balls and minced pork. The soup was spicy yet hearty, and the pork balls made us feel like the meat shop equivalent of kids in a candy store.

The dishes at Va Va Voom appeal to the gastronomes via the senses. The food arrangement attracts your eyes, your ears tingle from the sounds of the crisp ingredients, the five spices detected on the tongue send it singing, and the aromatic ingredients coming mainly from herbs stimulate the nose sending the mind into a posh and passionate world where you can dive into your love of food.

Sophisticated, exotic, delicate, complex, fresh and light...these are the qualities of Vietnamese cuisine that have seduced me at Va Va Voom.

Besides the comfortable and spacious décor of two levels, they also have some great tasting food. My friends that know south East Asian cuisine swear that it has the most authentic and best tasting Vietnamese restaurant in Beijing. Service maybe a little slow sometimes, but hey, that’s Vietnam right? Influenced by the French haha.

The fish cakes were great—unlike the round and round oily ones that usually end up upsetting my stomach at other places and keep me wary, these were the texture and look of “burger": big, thick, and tasty. The side of red-hot chili dipping sauce made it simply delicious.

Definitely try the Spicy Beef hot pot. Be sure to squeeze the lime and put it into the soup—scrumptious hot and sour soup that leave you with a good appetite for more food.

Plus, they have their Vietnamese coffee and dirty martini down; the coffee had the correct condensed milk and tasted right. the martini was well balanced and had quite a lot of alcohol.

Meh....

I went to this restaurant with a friend of mine a couple of months after we travelled around Vietnam together. Man, this place just isn't it. The food was kind of bland and way too expensive for what you get (why the hell would someone charge 58 rmb for some noodles, basil and a chicken breast).

The waitstaff was nice enough though not very knowledgeable and they hovered over us the entire time. The decor is nice and a little swank but every time I looked out to the dining room to take it in our waitress would run up and ask us questions. After the 5th time this happened I stopped looking around and just stared at my bland dish.

The cocktails are good (lemongrass martini and lychee martini) but again, those are overpriced and quite a small pour. Oh, and the other patrons there sucked too. I walked upstairs just to take a look around and the few tables stopped eating, stopped talking and stared at my friend and me like we pissed in their cereal. I suppose they were waiting for us to do some sort of "jig"... pretentious a-holes.

The spring rolls were ok, so 2 stars is about right.

Va Va Voom is clean, hip and tasty but I can't say the RMB 58 kuai pricetag for a not-so-hearty serving of pho inspires me to return.

Located on the 4th Floor of that maze called the Village, Va Va Voom has minamalist decor, tasteful Ikea furnishings and tableware, and an extensive menu selection.

The coconut and lime soda (RMB 28) was refreshing as was the coconut milkshake (RMB 30); the fresh shrimp spring rolls and the more-Chinese-than-Vietnamese radish cake were both delicious starters.

But their pho -- what many consider to be the signature dish in Vietnamese cooking -- was bland (though artfully served). To me the key flavors in Vietnamese cooking are basil and lime (and lots of 'em) ... this bowl of pho was served without a wedge of lime and a miserly sprig or two of mint (not basil) ... am I missing something or does no Chinese restaurateur make a distinction between mint and basil? The basil I've had in phos in southern Vietnam and in the US tastes (and if fact looks) nothing like mint.

All in all another OK choice if you are in Sanlitun -- especially if you aren't concerned with your budget (to be fair, it's not out of line with the prices of nearby Element Fresh, Blue Frog and Union Bar & Grille) -- but pho fans are not going to be overjoyed.