Viet Ai, Florham Park

[scarlet knight]

We had lunch at this new restaurant in Florham Park. We had an order of summer rolls--it came with two and a peanut dipping sauce for each of us. Light and refreshing!

There are about 18 varieties of pho. I had a seafood pho with shrimp, squid and fish balls, along with rice vermicelli and really fresh vegetables. It was first rate.

My wife had beef pho with fresh eye of round. The beef was very tender, unlike the beef at other places. Some of the beef phos listed ingredients that were offputting (navel?), but hopefully they will edit their menu for more verbal appeal.

However, the appeal to the Vietnamese community is unmistakeable. For an off day (Good Friday), the place was packed and most of the patrons were Asian, which I find to be an endorsement of the restaurant's authenticity and appeal.

The service was very friendly and helpful. It it located in an old house across from the roller rink. It has a small parking lot and you enter in the back of the house.

If you like Vietnamese, this is a must. In addition to the pho, the entrees looked good. We'll try them next time. It's at 189 Ridgedale Avenue. Go!

[twobrain]

been going here almost once a week now, the past 3 months

their pho is amazing, the broth is amazing

their rice dishes arent so great

ive been to bien ho and the other viet restaurant across from mary me down in edison a bajillion times, and the the pork chop over rice down near edison is much better

but the pho at viet ai is amazinggggggggg

i work in upper east side and the pho up here is so weak in comparison

=D

the place isnt that big, and we've only had to wait around a few times...

[Curlz]

Just want to bump this up and thank SK for posting about Viet Ai...

I found myself in Florham Park today and in need of lunch when I remembered reading that there was good Vietnamese nearby, and a bowl of pho seemed like the perfect lunch on a cold day--indeed it was! I arrived just before 1, and am absolutely serious when I tell you that I was the only non-Asian in the place (they probably seat 50-60 and the place was close to full)! That changed just a tad by the time I was leaving, but it's still an excellent sign, imo.

I had my standard favorite, Pho Tai, which is very basic (just the raw slices of beef). This was a wonderful bowl of pho, though--the aromatics were particularly lovely, the broth included both onions and scallions, and the standard plate of bean sprouts, basil, and lime was overflowing. All for...5.95! Gotta love that. The menu was pretty large, but I'd say that the majority of people seated near me were having some type of pho; didn't see much else being ordered, save for some fried spring rolls.

I'll certainly go back the next time I'm in the area. Thanks again!

[jb_973]

This is probably my favorite Vietnamese place around here. We also occasionally go to Little Saigon in Montclair, however I think the prices at Viet Ai are hard to beat - and their Pho is just great. Haven't yet been to Saigon House on Route 10 in East Hanover.

[scarlet knight]

Glad everyone likes it...I've been meaning to go back myself, thanks for reminding me!

[sychocism]

I definitely have to agree. I work in Roseland and do the trek out to Viet Ai at least once a week for Vietnamese food. It's probably better than anything I've had in NYC and I know the people there are true Vietnamese as only one of the staff seems to be speak any chinese at all.

I'm closer to Saigon Cafe than I am to Viet Ai but I find Saigon to be overpriced. Their lunch menu was deceiving and the quality is quite up to snuff in my opinion. I ordered a lunch special that's supposed to include an appetizer and an entree and they decided to charge me ala carte rather than the "prix-fixe" price.

[BryanZ]

Went to Viet Ai today for lunch. Had the spring rolls, the #1 pho, and the lemongrass chicken. All in all, not too bad, but not exactly revelatory either. Spring rolls were fine, not much more to say. Pho was nice but I thought the broth was a little flat. Would've liked more beefy, anise, and five spice notes. Quality of the meat wasn't too bad. Tendon was really tasty but strangely not at all crunchy. Chicken was subtle rather than spicy. I was envisioning a dish with a lot more spice and lemongrass, but this was quite balanced. I thought the onions could've been cooked more, but a decent plate.

Total was, like, $25 after tax and tip. Pretty cheap.

[scarlet knight]

I had lunch at Viet Ai today, too. I had the same things I had in my first post. I like the summer rolls more than the spring rolls because I'm not a fan of fried food. I thought that the seafood pho was very good and it was huge for $6.25.

I arrived at 1:30pm and there were no spaces in the parking lot. Large contingent of Vietnamese customers, which I interpret as a compliment to the restaurant.

My opinion holds--best Vietnamese in northern NJ.