A Luxe Lunch at la Villa French Restaurant by Chef Thierry Mounon

La Villa French Restaurant in Saigon’s District 2 has become a destination in itself for those seeking a fine dining atmosphere during lunch hours with consistent excellence.

La Villa recently released an updated set lunch menu with top quality culinary creations by Chef Thierry Mounon. The menus are crafted to impress any guest whether the purpose is a classy business lunch or an intimate feast amongst friends and family. Optional wine pairings from La Villa’s extensive wine book include choices from top French wine regions such as Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne.

New Set Lunch at La Villa French Restaurant

La Villa French Restaurant’s set menu options range in levels of price and amplitude. Starting with the newest menu the MENU PETITE VILLA, which offers four courses including amuse-bouches, and finishing with the phenomenal MENU CARTE BLANCHE, which showcases a surprise degustation menu for the whole table.

Each of the six menu options are filled with French delights crafted from the top international and local products available in Vietnam. Chef Thierry Mounon always seeks to create dishes that represent the best of French fine dining culinary traditions while maintaining that special “La Villa” originality. For example, in the MENU PETITE VILLA, the starter is a “Homemade Pâté En Croûte with Red Wine Onion Marmalade and Whole Grain Mustard.” Pâté en croûte is a traditional dish from the Lorraine region of France. It consists of a pâté composed of five different types of meat (beef, lamb, duck, foie gras, and rabbit), which is then wrapped in crispy and buttery pastry dough and baked. Chef Thierry’s addition of red wine and onion marmalade offers a savoury accompaniment while the whole grain mustard gives a tangy balance to this special dish.

The main course in the MENU PETITE VILLA also offers diners a bit of nostalgia from the Chef’s home country. “Seared Seabream”, which is a white fish indigenous to the Mediterranean Sea and renowned for its delicate texture, is served with “Paulette” Spinaches And Bouillabaisse Jus.” The recipe for the spinach comes from the Chef’s grandmother and adds a touch of spring green to the plating of the dish.

Citrus is the perfect finish to the light MENU PETITE VILLA with an “Orange Tart Served with Sorbet” for dessert. The menu has the option of adding a wine pairing for VND880,000. Don’t forget to stay for complimentary mignardises (tiny sweets) at the end of the meal.

Classic French Cuisine with the Menu de la Villa 

What is one of the most iconic French dishes in the world? Foie gras, of course! La Villa French Restaurant’s foie gras terrine is made daily in the restaurant and includes a requisite touch of sweetness with a poached fig in muscat wine and salted honey caramel. The liver comes from Les Landes, a region in France known for foie gras. This starter is the perfect beginning to the MENU DE LA VILLA, one of the restaurant’s signature set lunch menus.

Diners have a choice of continuing with the taste of “laterre” (land) or moving to the flavours of the “la mer” (the sea). The meat option celebrates duck in all its glory with a “Filet De Duck Canette Des Dombes, Mieral Family, and Confit Potatoes With Duck Fat And Carrot Purée, Red Wine Juice”, while the “Grilled Atlantic Line Caught Sea Bass Filet From Oléron Island, served with Artichokes Barigoule, And Saffron Beurre Blanc” will transport the taste buds to a springtime feast along the French Atlantic coast.

Refined cheeses from master cheesemongers Les Freres Marchand come included in this set menu and should not be missed.

A thin apple tart with cinnamon ice cream gives a bit of classic comfort to the gourmet feast before the final espresso.

A Gourmet French Break with Three Signature Menus at La Villa 

The creative dishes included in the La Villa French Restaurant’s MENU DE LA VILLA GOURMET, MENU DISCOVERY, and MENU PRIVILEGE remain favourites with the restaurant’s regular clientele.

The first option treats guests to a seven-course menu including amuses bouches, a starter, land and sea main courses, cheese, dessert, and La Villa’s special mignardises. One stand-out in the MENU DE LA VILLA GOURMET is the “Black Angus Beef Tenderloin”. The meat is imported from Queensland and is served with “Pan Fried Foie Gras, Pot Au Feu, and Morel Mushroom Sauce”. The chocolate pastilla with banana sorbet for dessert brings a touch of Morocco to the meal. North African cuisine is a national favourite in France, and this flaky and rich pastilla does justice to the complexity of the Maghreb.

Both the MENU DISCOVERY and the MENU PRIVILEGE include a special extra course in the middle of the meal called the “Trou Normand”. This course is meant to break up the richness of meal with a light, fruity and alcoholic sorbet, which clears the palate and prepares the stomach for the next courses.

Fans of French patisserie might choose the MENU DISCOVERY simply for its inclusion of a Paris-Brest with vanilla ice cream. This classic French dessert composed of delicate choux pastry dough and praline cream is also notoriously difficult to get right. La Villa’s version strikes the perfect balance of flaky and creamy without being overly sweet. It will transport you directly to an award-winning patisserie in the heart of Paris.

The MENU PRIVILEGE was specially created for true epicureans. From the Hokkaido scallops imported from Japan with Oscietre Kaviari caviar to the blue lobster tail from the Brittany region of France, this menu highlights the absolute top ingredients available from the sea. For the meat course, the Wagyu Beef Tenderloin from the Victoria Highlands in Australia is cooked to perfection and is brought to another level of gastronomic bliss with the addition of an earthy truffle sauce.

All menus have the option of wine pairings, and come with Les Freres Marchand cheese, coffee and sweets.

The final option for those who have time during their lunch hour to sit back and really discover the beauty of French cuisine is the DEGUSTATION SURPRISE MENU. For a special occasion or simply because you are looking for a truly excellent meal, this menu comes with the Chef’s choice of ten-courses including the absolute top local and international ingredients.

No matter which set menu you choose, La Villa French Restaurant at lunch is a place for discovery, relaxation, culinary revelation and above all, excellent food.