I have not been to Restaurant 88 for many years and went for a work dinner. I use to go quite often but seemed to stop going due to other Vietnamese restaurants in Wellington opening up. The menu has had a bit of a refresh and maybe slightly the price as well.

Goi Chien “Dragon & Phoenix”

Crispy Spring Rolls & Fried Chicken Basket

This was really nicely presented and I loved how it was packed with chicken and spring rolls. The fried chicken was really nice and boneless. The chicken was nicely seasoned but surprisingly not crispy. The dipping sauce was really good with the chicken and I loved the pickled carrot and pieces of deep-fried garlic in the sauce. The spring rolls were also really good and what I loved how homemade they looked. The skin was nice and thin and crisp and the filling was just so good. Overall a nice entree.

Ga Con Chien

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Drunken Crispy Baby Chicken, Pork, Shrimp Sticky Rice

I had this dish many many years ago and decided to order it again. I really liked the salad, which was very much like coleslaw but with a Vietnamese dressing. The dressing made the salad taste really fresh and I loved the tang to it. The chicken was really nice and loved how small the chicken was and how crisp it was. I didn’t really bother with the bones and ate most of them. The rice was really nice and tender and the chilli sauce they had with the chilli was spicy but complimented the rice and chicken really well.

Xoai Mango

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Mango Sticky Rice, Coconut Milk, Nuts, Sesame

I love myself some sticky rice and mango. However, this was not as good as I thought it could be. The rice was really good and I loved the fresh mango, but what disappointed me was the coconut sauce as it tasted like it had some salt in it and a bit too much for my liking. I wanted it to be sweet and creamy.

Restaurant 88 is still as good as it used to be. The service is very good and the food is excellent. The menu options seem to be less but there were still a few things I wanted to try. Everyone in my group was happy with their food and we were not the only big group at the restaurant that night and they managed both groups and other customers really well. Also as a side note, they do food delivery through one of the delivery services.

Previous Visit: July 2015

Website: Restaurant 88

Address: 88 Tory St, Te Aro, Wellington