Were it not for the name on the illuminated sign hanging at the entrance, you would be hard pressed to identify An Di as a Vietnamese restaurant. Inside or out, there are no other clues — no flags or tourist posters, no signs advertising Saigon's ubiquitous 333 beer — as what kind of food it serves.

In fact, the first thing you see as you walk through the door is a large new wine refrigerator. This is not by chance or due to lack of space elsewhere on the premises. Wine lies at the core of An Di's identity.

Owner Motohiro Okoshi is a wine consultant and sommelier of note. His intention, inspired by a trip to Vietnam a couple of years ago, was to create a place where people can enjoy wine with a cuisine that is neither French, Italian nor any of the other usual suspects.