Dubai is not short of South-East Asian dining options, but Vietnamese cooking at this level is rare.
There is a particular kind of food memory that does not fade. Not the meal you had at the starred kitchen with the choreographed service, but the bowl of Pho eaten at a plastic stool on a Hanoi pavement – steam rising in the morning air, the broth deep and clean.
The first time I travelled through Vietnam was two decades ago. I remember the limestone drama of Hạ Long Bay, the UNESCO-listed streets of Hoi An and the climb to the Perfume Pagoda. Twenty years on, those flavours still surface unbidden. Vietnam does that to you, and at the newly-opened Chôm Chôm in Dubai, I found myself thinking about that trip often.
Chôm Chôm, which originated in Hong Kong in 2013, built its reputation on the spirited, late-night energy of a Vietnamese bia hoi bar. Dubai’s branch, now open at Galleria Mall in Al Barsha, translates the idea rather than merely importing it. The name, a nod to the rambutan fruit and its famously unkempt exterior, signals the brand’s character before you even step inside — playful, unpretentious, and unafraid of a little mess.
Inside, French colonial architecture is refracted through a Vietnamese street-art sensibility, with decorative script catching the light across mirrors and glass and patterned tilework adding movement underfoot. There are wooden tables, plush banquettes and shelves dotted with vinyl, while a back-wall mural – all palms, boats and stone monoliths – nods to Ha Long Bay. Most importantly, it has warmth. This feels like a neighbourhood restaurant, designed for lingering lunches, late-night dinners and a sense of community.
Service helps reinforce that impression. The team is personable, informed and free of stiffness, dressed in white shirts emblazoned with the Chôm Chôm logo and sneakers. They know the menu, understand the rhythm of the meal and steer you towards sharing without upselling.
The Hong Kong original leans into late nights and the energy of the bar crowd. Here, the focus is squarely on the food, and the kitchen is led by Chef Kelvin Ng, who ran the original. The menu is a curated run through Vietnamese classics, touched with a street-food sensibility and built for sharing.
The best place to start is with the Lemongrass Beef Skewers (AED 95), which capture everything that makes this new neighbourhood spot so addictive. Grilled minced wagyu arrives smoky and juicy, perfumed with lemongrass and char, then wrapped in crisp lettuce with Vietnamese herbs that bring freshness and bite. The sriracha nuoc cham is salty, sweet and tangy with a warm chilli hum that keeps you reaching for the next bite. It’s a hands-on, street-style hit.
The Papaya Salad (AED 45) is, in many ways, a better measure of the kitchen. Here, the green papaya retains its snap, the pickles and chillies lift without overwhelming, and the citrus dressing keeps things bright. Crispy shallots and peanuts add depth and crunch, but the balance is what lingers. This is the sort of dish that reminds you that Vietnamese food is light because it is precise.
Larger plates continue the story. The Grilled Tiger Prawns (AED 140) arrive with garlic burnt butter, kaffir lime leaf and chilli. The butter has depth, giving the shellfish a round, savoury richness, while lime leaf adds fragrance, and the prawns themselves are properly cooked — firm, sweet, with just enough char on the shell to suggest they came from somewhere with real heat under them.
Even the more familiar staples at Chôm Chôm in Dubai are treated with respect. There is Bánh Mì in several forms, including barramundi, beef and chicken, and steaming bowls of Pho — available with beef short ribs or chicken — built for comfort rather than spectacle. In a city that can confuse size with substance, there is something reassuring about a menu that understands the value of broth, herbs and bread. The portions are designed for sharing, and rightly so. Ordering widely is the point.
Dessert closes things on a gently indulgent note. The Pandan Milk Cake (AED 35), with lemongrass cream and chocolate coconut crumbs, is a sweet textural triumph, while the Coconut Sorbet with peanut praline (AED 35) is cleaner and more direct. Wash it down with a Vietnamese coffee, beans brewed through a phin filter over condensed milk, for a finale that feels nostalgic.
Chôm Chôm may have been born in Hong Kong, but what stayed with me most was how vividly it echoed my own early adventures through Vietnam. In my twenties, I travelled with little more than a backpack and a loose plan, chasing beaches in Da Nang, weaving through the chaos of Hanoi on the back of a motorcycle and lingering over meals that felt far more memorable than any monument or museum. That is what this restaurant stirred up. Not a literal recreation of Vietnam, but a reminder of its energy, warmth and generosity. Chôm Chôm in Dubai may be more polished than the streets that inspired it, but it captures best the casual generosity that makes Vietnamese food so enduring, and the youthful curiosity that made those travels unforgettable.
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