Nam is sexy. Exotic women exquisitely drawn in charcoal adorn the walls, their ivory background bathed with the omnipresent red lighting that fills the entirety of Nam in its sultry flush. Equally exquisite waitresses in softly fluttering tunics of au dzai, Vietnam’s traditional dress, wait kindly on the diners. Flowing white curtains hang from the ceiling and create private, intimate spaces ideal for romance. The décor is dramatic yet elegant, with striking, fresh-cut scarlet anthuriums and bamboo-shaped silverware garnishing the tables, and cylindrical lighting fixtures and lotus chandeliers shedding their warm glow from above.

Nam is the vision of MF Sushi’s Alex Kinjo, and is Atlanta’s first upscale Vietnamese restaurant. Alex has succeeded in his vision of the perfect fusion of traditional and contemporary, in both Nam’s refined cuisine and glamorous atmosphere. The dishes are made with the goal to introduce newcomers to Southeast Asian cuisine while still preserving authenticity. The result is obvious by the crowd drawn to Nam, which is a great mix of Asian and non-Asian, both young and old. The dishes are full of depth, accomplished by contrasting the textures, temperatures and tastes of the ingredients. Eating at Nam is an adventure, as many of the dishes employ interaction by the diners, such as wrapping, unwrapping and dunking.
br> To begin your adventure, start off with the supremely flavorful banh nam, steamy rice flour tamales studded with shrimp, mushroom and pork crackling, which you unwrap from banana leaves and dip in the superb chili and garlic nuoc cham sauce. Also try the custardy grilled Japanese eggplants in garlic sauce or the warm Vietnamese crepes stuffed with shrimp, pork, scallions and bean sprouts, which you splash with nuoc cham and roll up portions of in a lettuce leaf. Entrée recommendations include the steamed striped bass wrapped in banana leaf inside an opo squash with mushrooms, lily flowers and pork. Tender chile-caramelized claypot chicken is a complexity of sweet and salty, the bo la lot is a delicious grilled sausage in banana leaf, and the tofu fish head soup has an astoundingly crisp and flavorful broth. Nam’s signature dish is their incredibly tender “shaking” filet mignon cubes of the finest beef, which are briskly stir fried with garlic and onions. These are dipped in a sauce you make with pepper and lime juice. To end your meal on a sweet note, order a smooth ca phe sua da, which is an iced traditional Vietnamese dark-roast coffee with sweetened condensed milk.