Dining at Peridot Ann Arbor: A Vietnamese Fusion Cocktail Bar and Restaurant Raising the Bar in “Tree Town”
Peridot is a new cocktail bar and restaurant in Ann Arbor, serving up delightful Vietnamese-fusion cuisine, and delicious crafted cocktails. Make sure you visit this foodie and mixology enthusiast’s dream of a place on your next trip to “Tree Town”.
Ann Arbor is a city brimming with incredible things to do and delectable dining opportunities. So when we made our way to newly opened Peridot and were blown away by its ambience, menu and crafted cocktail list, we knew we were in good hands.
Chris and I were intrigued when we learned their menu is firmly rooted in Vietnamese cuisine. It has been a while since we were in Vietnam, so any opportunity to have Vietnamese food, be it in our hometown of Toronto or here in Michigan, is greatly appreciated.
Even though Peridot hasn’t even been open for a year, it’s already receiving wide acclaim for its incredibly detailed and delightful cocktail list, and exciting shareable plates. Although some flock to Peridot for its cocktails alone, their sharing plates make this the perfect dinner destination for a night out on the town.
Location, Location, Location!
Peridot couldn’t be found in a better location when it comes to the centre of the action in Ann Arbor. It’s on West Liberty Street, near South Ashley Street, right beside well-known spots like Hyperion Coffee Co., Fleetwood Diner and Bill’s Beer Garden.
The restaurant has an incredible indoor-outdoor feel, with a large, completely retractable window at the front, flooding the space with natural light and fresh air. Visiting in the summer makes it extra enjoyable, since this section of Liberty Street is closed off for A2 Summer Streets. Their patio floods onto the road during this time of year, perfect for sipping cocktails on as the late summer evening turns to night.
The Cocktail List at Peridot Ann Arbor
Let’s get into the details of what makes this cocktail bar and restaurant so special!
I must admit that in my many years of sampling cocktails from around the world, I was in shock when I first took a peek at Peridot’s cocktail list. First of all, it’s extensive, with 15 crafted cocktails to choose from, each sounding more enticing than the next. Moreover, it is a true lesson in mixology—each crafted cocktail is more enticing, creative and surprising than the last, and the menu is a pleasure to read through.
The true spirit of fusion on this cocktail menu can’t be overstated. I have personally never seen a flavour combination like their house old fashioned. It’s called “This Old House”, and its primary spirits are Maker’s Mark, Norden Aquavit’s American, and West 32 Soju with Lemongrass, finished with three spice Demerara, Tellicherry peppercorn, and Angostura bitters. How mind-boggling and enticing does that sound? Or the “Feats of Strength”, with Vida Mezcal, Becerovka vodka, and Aperol, with lemon, orange, and spiced ginger cordial.
I truly would have been happy to sample every cocktail on this list, but after what felt like an hour trying to make an impossible decision, I opted for the aptly named “Ha Long Bay”, consisting of Hamilton Jamaican Pot Still Black Rum, Batavia Arrack van Oosten, Luxardo Maraschino liqueur, and finished with lime, pineapple, spiced pistachio orgeat, and nutmeg.
It was sublime, not only in taste but in appearances, too. Here’s a photo, so you can see what I mean.
Peridot’s Menu: Long Live Sharing Plates
If I felt like making a choice over the cocktail menu was challenging, then it may have been even more difficult to finalize the choices for our meal. Chris and I love to share dishes whenever we dine together, and a true sharing menu like Peridot’s makes it even easier to sample as many dishes as possible when we’re on the road.
The menu at Peridot is split up into small plates and large plates, with an emphasis on their small plates. There is only a handful of carefully crafted large plates on offer. Chris and I opted to share three small plates and one large plate, which was the perfect amount for us. We were definitely full by the end of the meal, but we both would have been happy to sample more of the menu.
Another thing we loved about Peridot’s menu is the variety of options it has. Chris and I will try most anything and everything, but we also enjoy having excellent vegetarian and vegan options when we dine out. Peridot has several menu items that are gluten free, too, making this a great place for many to come with different dietary needs.
Small Plate: Seared Cabbage
We started with the seared cabbage, which we are happy to say was a very generous portion. There is no stone left unturned in each dish and cocktail at Peridot, and Chris and I both agreed that this dish was a prime example of it. It is very easy to make a cabbage dish boring, and Peridot’s is anything but.
Each bite consisted of layers upon layers of flavour. The cabbage was smothered in a delicious chili hoisin marinade, and topped with the delightful texture and flavours of fried shallots, pomegranate seeds, coconut puree, pepita (pumpkin seeds), and Thai basil.
Small Plate: Roasted Cauliflower
Another delightful small plate on their menu is their roasted cauliflower. It’s served with a combination of a scallion purée, chilies, peanuts, and fresh herbs, making it another excellent vegetarian or vegan option.
Small Plate: Sizzling Crepe
This was the only shared plate we ordered with meat, and I feel like we made a great choice. It was true to the origins of crispy street crepes found in Vietnam, and consisted of a complex flavour and texture profile, including corn, mushrooms, scallions, braised pork, daikon & carrot pickles, and a delightful yuzu-thyme dipping sauce.
The pork was cooked to perfection, and each bite was better than the last.
Large Plate: Caramelized Prawns
It’s hard to pick a standout on this menu, but this Caramalized Prawn dish might have been it. Not only were the shrimp so fresh and bursting with flavour, but the bed of coconut-asparagus rice they were served on was divine.
Chris and I are not the types of diners to modify or make special requests when we go out. We usually want to sample the dishes as is for ourselves. But this is the first time I think we’ve ever requested more of the rice for a dish, since it was just so fluffy, soft, and slightly crispy. And the flavours were the perfect balance of spicy, sweet and savoury. The chef actually let us know that we were the first to order extra coconut-asparagus rice, but he was surprised it had taken anyone so long to do so.
Combined with Shishito peppers, cippolini onions, leeks, and topped with beurre biere—a beer and citrus seafood sauce—this dish was fantastic.
Dessert: Yuzu Citrus Tart
Whenever a dessert menu has a refined list of only three items, you know they’re going to be great. Thanks to our extra order of coconut-asparagus rice, the Fried Sticky Rice wasn’t in the cards for us this time around, but I have no doubt it is incredible. The same was true for the delightfully rich sounding Star Anise Bread Pudding.
Which left us with one, wonderfully refreshing sounding dessert: the Yuzu Citrus Tart. It was a slice from a pie-sized tart, which had all the features of a key lime pie, with a modern, Asian-inspired twist. The yuzu citrus curd was bright and refreshing, and was enhanced perfectly by the black cardamom diplomat cream and sliced orange. The addition of a creamy and delicious cashew crust made this tart a showstopper of a dessert, and end to our meal.
A Wonderful Addition to A2’s Explosive Food and Drink Scene
I know I can confidently say that our visit to Ann Arbor was made just a little bit better with our experience dining at Peridot. It’s amazing how much you can see and feel the difference in a restaurant that has left no stone unturned.
The lighting is just the right balance of moody and welcoming, the cocktail menu makes it easy to want to come back to sample more on your next visit, and the small and large sharing plates really make you want to just stay here for hours and try a little bit of everything with a group of friends.
If you find yourself in Ann Arbor sometime soon, definitely plan to visit Peridot.
I want to thank Destination Ann Arbor for hosting me as media. All opinions expressed are completely my own.