As if Vietnam Restaurant’s collection of Yelp and AOL Citysearch awards hung behind the cash register weren’t inviting enough, the atmosphere of this small, cafeteria-style joint screamed “hole in the wall.”
A small girl greeted me at the front as I waited for someone to seat me in the dingy, blue-painted room. A buffet line extends along the back wall, stocked with fresh fruit, spring rolls, vermicelli and fried bananas on weekday lunch hours. There were several customers dining alone, with the exception of a book or a large bowl of hot Vietnamese soup (this was comforting, as I too was a lone diner).
Immediately flipping to the last page of the menu, there it was in all its glory: a list of bubble tea flavors, ranging from strawberry to avocado to jackfruit. I opted for the mango drink, which I probably should’ve ordered as a dessert because it was so filling; but also delicious, and those chewy tapioca beads are oh-so-fun to eat.
I ordered the rice paper spring rolls with chicken as an appetizer. The great thing about Vietnamese food is its simplicity; what you see on the menu is what you get. The combination of the plain starches with the distinct seasonings and vegetables make these traditional recipes different from the more complicated, experimental Japanese or Chinese cuisine.
That being said, I expected the spring rolls to taste as I would expect them to – but the chicken was a bit too bland. The sweet and sour dipping sauce garnished with peanuts that accompanied the spring rolls was necessary to taste any flavor at all. Similarly, crab meat and green onion soup was just as bland – a bad choice on my part; I love crab and green onions, but the soup tasted like hot water with those two ingredients haphazardly tossed in.
If you want some good soup, get some pho: this traditional rice noodle soup is a Vietnamese food staple, and for $6, a small bowl is almost enough for two. Add whatever type of meat you want to it. I’ve always been a bit scared of the pho with raw beef, so I again opted for chicken with fresh sprouts and basil. After enduring a long walk home in the cold, wet rain a few hours earlier, this homemade soup warmed me up from the inside out. Pho real.
An interesting appetizer to try is the crepes with shrimp, chicken or pork. The crepe covers half the plate, and looks like an omelet. Stuffed with meat, onions and sprouts and complemented with basil and lettuce, the crepe is made from rice flour but has a delightfully sweet after taste.
Vietnam Restaurant’s menu also lists traditional “Asian” items that you’ll find at any Chinese or Thai restaurant, like Mongolian beef, fried rice, hot and sour soup, and wonton soup. What’s even better is that almost everything on the menu is under $10, aside from their more exotic dishes like curried frog legs, deep fried quail and octopus with salt bake.
Definitely step out of your dinner box and order something you’ve never had before, because you definitely won’t break the bank. If you’re expecting doting servers and that chic, uptown Dallas vibe, save this place for another time. With its no frills menu and straightforward name, the casual ambiance won’t keep you guessing but will keep you satisfied. Vietnam Restaurant is located near uptown at 4302 Bryan St.
