Q Dining turning Vietnamese cuisine into a fine art

Posted on 28 January, 2026

It’s Tuesday evening, not even 6 pm, and a steady stream of diners are arriving at Q Dining in Woden.

With luxe dark interiors showing hints of Vietnamese culture and red lanterns casting warm light onto the tables, there’s a hum of conversation as decisions are made over what to order.

Since opening just four months ago in the former eightysix south premises in the buzzing foodie district off Furzer Lane, this fine-dining Vietnamese restaurant has refused to cut corners, with Owner-Chef Andy Huynh and Director of Operations Ben Pham working tirelessly to bring their vision of elevated Vietnamese food to light.

Chefs William Liang  and Andy Huynh (co-owner)

This meant seeking detailed feedback from customers during their first few weeks of operations, training a new workforce of attentive staff and even closing briefly toward the end of last year to undertake tweaks to the fit-out to ensure everything was operating as smoothly as it should be.

All of this effort means that in 2026, diners can experience a seamless dining experience with a menu that has been refined and now has the input of new head chef William Liang.

Formerly of Wild Duck in Kingston, William is committed to elevating Vietnamese flavours and techniques as guided by Saigon-born Andy, who has held a passion to open his own restaurant since he was a child and learning the secrets of Vietnamese cooking by watching his mum.

Having earned his chef’s qualifications in Australia, working in predominantly Italian restaurants in Melbourne to build his experience, he chose Canberra to bring his dream to reality, and so far – particularly judging by the full house so early on a Tuesday night and the bank of bookings – Q Dining is ticking all the right boxes.

Scallops Royale, so much flavour on one little leaf

For those who have yet to indulge, the best way to describe the menu is inventive, fresh, and complex.

The set menu (which costs $89 per person) is a riot of colour and flavour, including a Hiramasa Kingfish, an interpretation of Vietnamese ceviche, with strips of white fish cured in lime, served with a green chilli sauce and bathed in a rich coconut broth with ginger and kaffir lime.

Scallops Royale combines pan-seared scallops on miniature Vietnamese rice pancakes, sitting atop a fresh betal leaf and finished with house pickles, black caviar and shallot dust.

A new dish is corn ribs, a playful twist on a Vietnamese street food staple that sees flamed grilled corn ribs doused in scallion oil before being dusted with shallot dust and vegan chilli mayo.

Spicy, succulent corn ribs

These three dishes alone are among some of the best things Team HerCanberra has eaten in quite some time (and we truly eat for our careers!). Mains include Snapper Papillote (baked in banana leaf with baby kale, almond, lemongrass, lemon, ginger, chilli, and kaffir lime leaf and brushed with a bird’s eye chilli) which arrives at the table with a bowl of coconut rice and tastes rich, buttery, and with a twang of heat.

The crispy soft-shell crab tossed in a rich salted egg yolk sauce and served with a fresh snake bean salad delivers a perfect crunch before the soft, sweet crab takes over.

Soft shelled crab done just right

For meat-lovers, the Wagyu is grilled medium rare and served with a fermented green chilli sauce, the Five-Spice Pork Belly platter already has a rusted on fan base, and the Chicken Supreme bring a completely new flavour profile to poultry – rubbed with lemongrass, chervil, sorrel, garlic, chilli, and shallot, glazed with curry spice before being plated with a serve of taro chips.

Desserts are mandatory here, with three notable specimens from which to choose.

The Coffee Flan is the silky, sweet taste of Vietnamese coffee complemented with coconut cremeaux. The Silken Bean Curd combines smooth mung bean curd with caramel ginger syrup and sago for a perfumed experience of bean curd unlike any other.

The Lady Finger Banana Brûlée is a veritable party of banana flavour, combining fragrant coconut and pandan mousse, hazelnut crumble, and smooth banana gelato. Absolutely de rigueur if you ever go.

Desserts are de rigueur

Andy said the new kitchen team was working cohesively and enthusiastically and William said he was thrilled to be creating with such inventive ingredients and bringing beautiful presentation to each dish.

Speaking of presentation, while the restaurant has a wine list as elevated as its menu (you can confidently explore Australian or French vineyards depending on your tastes), this is a place to splash out on a cocktail. Using Vietnamese fruits and florals to create beautiful, luxurious alcoholic experiences, we are also happy to ensconce ourselves in the mocktail menu, which pays more than just lip service to technique. Frankly, fragrant icy drinks lend themselves to the punchy tastes of the food, thanks to Ben’s mastery of the cocktail menu.

Andy, William and Ben all express true gratitude to have been able to attract such interest from Canberra diners and already are welcoming many repeat guests.

The Q Dining team with Ben and Andy at the front.

Recently reviewed by Canberra Times food writer Chris Hansen, Q Dining was described as “a restaurant that knows exactly what it is: thoughtful food in a beautiful room, flavours clear, presentation assured, tone confident without being showy”.

It’s high praise so early in Q Dining’s evolution. Given the warm embrace it is already clearly receiving from diners, it is a restaurant many assume will make a long and significant mark on the local food scene. Indeed, there is nothing quite like it in our city.

Q Dining is hosting two special events in February: a Valentine’s Day special set menu on 14 February, promising a long and luxurious meal to maximise romance; and a “Tết” Lunar New Year set menu on 17 February to bring the spirit and atmosphere of traditional Vietnamese festive culture to the table. Bookings are essential.