Dakbla Vietnamese and Asian Cuisine
65 Hardgrave Rd, West End Qld
A restaurant presenting itself as being ‘Modern and Traditional’ may seem to be making a fairly meaningless claim, but this is just what the food at the Dakbla turns out to be. You may wonder about a dish described as Lemongrass Tofu Salad Style. Well, the large piece of tofu comes nicely marinated with seasoning (lots of lime), but the salad is one of finely shredded cabbage with a small amount of carrot, so the effect is something like cole slaw. Oddly enough the dish works very well, the contrast between the strong tastes and different textures being very satisfying, so the rice sitting on the table before us goes largely untouched. The deep fried chilli tofu is also recommended. Among the entrees, the vegetables and tofu in the soup of that name are plentiful and work well together (the crunchy celery provides a good contrast in texture), but it’s been cooked in what tastes like salty water, so seems a bit bland; the spring rolls with dip are a better bet. The young and edgy crowd of diners at the Dakbla is perfectly in tune with the cuisine.
