A mostly Vietnamese hotel, bar and restaurant in an Osu backstreet, just far enough from the Oxford Street scrum. It’s owned by a French-Vietnamese couple and serves a couple of Gallic dishes too.
Chez Lien has a pleasant-looking terrace downstairs, walled off from the sporadic traffic and decked with fairy lights. Diners are led upstairs to a broad wooden balcony hung with reed screens, which presumably come down if the weather takes a turn – though it’s debatable how much good they’d do in a proper rainy season storm.
Main courses won out over starters. Spring rolls were good but a little heavier than the ones at Zion Thai, and a starter-size pho came up slightly blunted and cloudy, with the herbs cooked in rather than served on the side – though it did contain the best beef I’ve had in Accra outside upper-end restaurants and hotels.
There followed a very good stir-fry with yellow noodles, crisp veg and beautifully spiced pork. Tasted of ingredients and spices rather than of a gooey pre-made sauce. Luce tucked into spare ribs – again, well spiced – in a rich, gingery broth, and declared it equally good.
Service was very friendly and reasonably quick. Average prices are around 8ghc for starters and around 15ghc for mains.
Findability: Fine. Head towards Koala at the top of Oxford Street and take the first left down the side of the supermarket. Follow a couple of minor wiggles in the road then take the first left (Dadebu Road). Chez Lien is a well signposted compound on your left. Has a small amount of off-street parking.
