Suum Vietnamese Kitchen in Marlow unveils 'delicious' new menu

Suum Kitchen is a family-run restaurant in Anglers Court, Marlow, owned by Nhung and Nhan Pham, a couple who came to the UK from Hai Phong in the early 2000s and opened the eatery in 2017 after becoming nostalgic for the traditional Vietnamese food of their childhoods.

'Suum' derives from the term ‘sum vầy’, a relaxed and informal gathering around the dining room table, and the cosy restaurant well and truly lives up to its name, with warm mood lighting making an intimate, tight-knit dining area feel even more so. 

After temporarily closing its doors from September 18 to September 24 as it underwent a "light refurbishment" to its kitchen area, Nhung said the couple took the opportunity to cut back on their lunch and children's menus and focus on cultivating a selection of high calibre dishes in terms of both their ingredients and presentation, to be served between 5:30pm and 10:30pm on Monday to Thursday, with times varying from Friday to Sunday. 

The revamped Suum Kitchen also boasts a new cocktail menu, comprised of bespoke concoctions with flavours and ingredients common to Vietnamese cooking, priced between £6.14 (for a non-alcoholic option) and £9.95.

Given the option to taste-test some of the new menu items, I first chose the least expensive cocktail on offer, the non-alcoholic Lychee Refresh - a sweet and tart aperitif which was a lovely palette cleanser ahead of the abundance of Asian flavours that were to follow.

From the starter menu, a selection ranging in cost from £7 to £11, I sampled the Vegetarian Spring Rolls (£9), mung beans, kohlrabi and dry shiitake mushrooms wrapped in sun-dried rice paper, served on a bed of glass noodles alongside a tangy pineapple sauce.

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Though the sauce was the standout component, the Vietnamese spring rolls – a lighter, healthier alternative to Chinese takeaway fare – were crunchy and brittle in perfect contrast to the noodles and made for a substantial first course appropriate for its cost.

Of the main menu, made up of dishes priced between £16 and £22, I tried the Hanoi Turmeric Fish (£22), a halibut fillet marinated in spices and served with fresh dill, rice noodles and herbs along with chilli and garlic sauce and a dash of the intense traditional accompaniment, shrimp paste.

 The generous hunk of halibut was perfectly tender and – although the chopped chilli slightly overpowered the delicate turmeric flavour – the chilli, garlic and shrimp paste sauce combined with the centrepiece to create a deliciously varied mix of flavour and spice, elevated further by the sprinkle of crushed nuts and dill.

Suum’s dessert menu offered a choice of two traditional, homemade Vietnamese dishes – Pandan Leaf Pudding (£10) and a Mung Beans Sticky Ricecake Floaty (£9) alongside a Chocolate Cuddle pineapple mousse (£9) and a selection of ice cream and sorbet flavours (£6).

I tried the Pandan Leaf Pudding, a jellied cube of pandan leaf and mung bean tapioca pudding, served with coconut ice cream and white chocolate crumble. The nutty vanilla taste of the layered pandan leaves alongside the mochi-like texture made for another texturally diverse dish, complemented beautifully by the sugary sweetness of the ice cream and white chocolate.

Nhung said the decision to temporarily close Suum and reduce its menu breadth was motivated in part by the increase in food production costs that is continuing to plague all areas of the hospitality industry.

While the restaurant may not be exempt from economic struggles, Suum is an outlier even to Marlow’s diverse foodie scene and with its warm and intimate atmosphere and distinctive and flavourful new menu, we’re sure it won’t have too much trouble continuing to attract patrons both old and new, from the local area and more further afield.