Newly formed hospitality group, The Saint Group has officially swung open the doors to its first venture, St Cloud.
Founded by James Klapanis, Shaunn Anderson and Franky Pham, the team worked together to develop the concept for the Vietnamese eating house which focuses on locally sourced seasonal produce served in a ‘ferociously fresh’ Vietnamese setting.
The venue is located on Burwood Road Hawthorn in a former furniture store and the team engaged interior designer, Elle Critchley to create a bustling hawker-style street vibe on the ground level while the upper level of the venue offers a more relaxed vibe complete with a rooftop garden.
The venue will be open for both lunch and dinner offering Vietnamese staples such as pho, rice paper rolls and banh mi. More sophisticated dishes include banh knot, turmeric and coconut pancakes; and bbq scallops with charred spring onion, black bean and crisp lap xuong dressing for entrees.
Larger share plates include Vung Tau, grilled organic chicken, watercress, herbs, chilli and mustard sriracha; and Spicy Braised Eggplant with tofu and mushrooms in a clay pot.
In terms of drinks, a seasonal cocktail list has been thoughtfully crafted and features Vietnamese twists on classic favourites such as the Viet Express with maple brandy, coffee, coconut walnut foam, candied black sesame; and the Son Tra Colada with hibiscus infused golden rum, pineapple syrup and coconut cream served in a fresh coconut. The wine and craft beer selection however is predominately Australian with a few exceptions.
A selection of non-alcoholic beverages are also available including cold pressed juices from Greene St Juice Co., coffee from at St. Ali, and housemade coconut slushies.
