Lemon Grass Cafe

In the International House Hotel, Lemon Grass is the chic culinary atelier of chef Minh Bui, whose highly original menu borrows freely from French cuisine as well as the cooking of his own native Vietnam. Main dishes change frequently, depending on what's locally fresh, but may include lacquered duck, smoked with five spices and served over black bean sticky rice, or Viet bird nest, which is a bed of crispy yellow noodles piled high with sautéd seafood and vegetables.

Many diners here graze on appetizers, such as summer rolls (a riff on traditional spring rolls, with avocado and a heavenly peanut sauce) and jumbo scallops seared and drizzled with a sweet chili sauce. For a light bite, the excellent banh mi, aptly described as a 'Vietnamese po-boy,' is a delicate French loaf stuffed with chopped barbecue pork tenderloin, cucumber and cilantro.