THE BEST: Vietnamese

[BryanZ]

On Orchard, just below Broome, a couple doors down from Little Giant.

This place is still in soft opening, but they're serving most of the menu. I've been on a Vietnamese kick of late and must say I liked this place quite a bit. Yes, it's more expensive, but the quality is quite good. Sure, it's close to Chinatown but also a few blocks away are sandwiches at Katz's for twice as much. I guess it's all relative.

I managed to eat both an entire banh mi and a full bowl of pho. Both were very tasty. I chose the cold cut banh mi--the pig and grilled pork ones were sold out--and appreciated the variety of textures amongst the meats. Some cartilage-y bits were actually welcome. I just wish the sandwiches had slightly higher meat-to-veg ratio. I realize this might not be traditional, but I thought the pickled veg overwhelmed the meat in more than a few bites. I confess I did miss some of the unctuous paté flavors in the old Ssam bar banh mi.

The pho was really satisfying. Maybe the broth was a bit greasy, but not in an offensive way. Mainly, it's just rich and nicely balanced. There's no relying on extraneous spices or excess salt in creating a mouth-filling broth. The beef too was nicely done. Very tender and beefy, as if it had been braised. The ingredient quality shone here. Meatballs were no better than others I've had, and I missed the tendon and tripe bits. Noodles were fine, but a bit mushy. All in all, this was a bowl of noodles I might consider in place of a bowl of good ramen from Ippudo and its kin.

All in, $21 for a meal that could've fed two. Not bad at all. Right now, more parties than not seemed to be friends of the house. Still, it's worth stopping in at.

[BryanZ]

The above post refers to An Choi.

[gastrodamus]

The pho was really satisfying.  Maybe the broth was a bit greasy, but not in an offensive way.  Mainly, it's just rich and nicely balanced.  There's no relying on extraneous spices or excess salt in creating a mouth-filling broth.  The beef too was nicely done.  Very tender and beefy, as if it had been braised.  The ingredient quality shone here.  Meatballs were no better than others I've had, and I missed the tendon and tripe bits.  Noodles were fine, but a bit mushy.  All in all, this was a bowl of noodles I might consider in place of a bowl of good ramen from Ippudo and its kin.

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tried the pho over the wknd and i completely agree with the quality. you def get what you pay for here. i was a bit reluctant to meddle with the broth by adding lime juice and sriracha. noodles were perfectly cooked on my visit. according to tuan, an choi may be offering tendon and tripe down the road. i really enjoyed the roast pork banh mi as well, but as bryanZ says, the pho/banh mi meal is a lot of food in one sitting.

[daisy17]

This New York Times article on banh mi is timely - I had a phenomenal and inauthentic sandwich from Nam Pang this weekend (the hoisin veal - it was perfection). I live WAY too close to this place.

[weinoo]

This New York Times article on banh mi is timely - I had a phenomenal and inauthentic sandwich from Nam Pang this weekend (the hoisin veal - it was perfection). I live WAY too close to this place.

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I'm surprised the article left out Nicky's.

[mondaybox]

i need to try more places ... i always go to vietnam bahn mi so-1 on broome (i posted a reply to this effect on the times banh mi map. and, no, this is not a shill! ). i like it a lot but i must be missing out on something.

[Vinotas]

I love Banh Mi but my favorite place, A Chau, closed recently, so the New York Times article was quite timely. So a buddy and I went to Sau Voi Corp. the other day for lunch, ordering a Banh Mi Dac Biet (#1) and a Banh Mi Nem Nuong (#4).

The bread was the Italian roll variety, not a real French baguette. The meat was a bit gelatineous and sometimes fatty with a slightly greasy mouthfeel, and the vegetables were not the fresh, crunchy ones we'd gotten used to at A Chau. They were slightly soft and wet, and there was a very American-tasting mayonnaise that tended to overwhelm the milder flavors.

Overall, we were disappointed. I think we got really spoiled by A Chau. So the search continues for a good banh mi...

As for Pho, a few weeks ago a bunch of us jumped into the car and headed out into the deep bowels of Brooklyn. We went to revisit a place we'd gone to a year before which had fantastic pho at ridiculous prices, Phó Tây Hô. My report from last year is here:

http://vinotas.blogspot.com/2008/02/here-be-dragons.html

Happily, the food's still good and still as cheap, a definite treasure that should not be overlooked. And for the record, their Banh Mi was good, not great (bread was wonderful, meat a bit thin).

Cheers!

[weinoo]

The pho was really satisfying.  Maybe the broth was a bit greasy, but not in an offensive way.  Mainly, it's just rich and nicely balanced.  There's no relying on extraneous spices or excess salt in creating a mouth-filling broth.  The beef too was nicely done.  Very tender and beefy, as if it had been braised.  The ingredient quality shone here.  Meatballs were no better than others I've had, and I missed the tendon and tripe bits.  Noodles were fine, but a bit mushy.  All in all, this was a bowl of noodles I might consider in place of a bowl of good ramen from Ippudo and its kin.

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tried the pho over the wknd and i completely agree with the quality. you def get what you pay for here. i was a bit reluctant to meddle with the broth by adding lime juice and sriracha. noodles were perfectly cooked on my visit. according to tuan, an choi may be offering tendon and tripe down the road. i really enjoyed the roast pork banh mi as well, but as bryanZ says, the pho/banh mi meal is a lot of food in one sitting.

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Re: An Choi on Orchard St.

I went back with my wife this past Friday, since they've been open a couple of weeks and felt the time was right.

I do like the flavor of the broth, but felt the well-done meat was not any better than that at Cong Ly on Hester St. And there was no rare beef in my soup, which I expect the eye round to be. Meatballs are perfunctory.

The pork belly banh mi was okay, but that's all I can say about it. I like the roll at other places better.

So, at $9.50 for the pho, and $8 for the bahn mi ($6.50 for what is called a #1 in other places) I can't say that I will be returning for my pho fix. The price value that I look for in this type of ethnic food is just not there....especially when Cong Ly is charging about $5 for a bowl of beef pho and a #1 banh mi can be had for about $4 at most of the highly regarded bahn mi joints.

[gastrodamus]

Re: An Choi on Orchard St. 

I went back with my wife this past Friday, since they've been open a couple of weeks and felt the time was right.

I do like the flavor of the broth, but felt the well-done meat was not any better than that at Cong Ly on Hester St.  And there was no rare beef in my soup, which I expect the eye round to be. Meatballs are perfunctory.

The pork belly bahn mi was okay, but that's all I can say about it.  I like the roll at other places better.

So, at $9.50 for the pho, and $8 for the bahn mi ($6.50 for what is called a #1 in other places) I can't say that I will be returning for my pho fix.  The price value that I look for in this type of ethnic food is just not there....especially when Cong Ly is charging about $5 for a bowl of beef pho and a #1 bahn mi can be had for about $4 at most of the highly regarded bahn mi joints.

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i sent my friend there last wed night and she said the same exact thing. she wasn't impressed with the quality of the brisket and eye of round. she however thought the broth and the noodles were good. she didn't particularly enjoy the roast pork sandwich either. disappointing to hear but i still plan on going back since my previous visits have been good.

[weinoo]

i sent my friend there last wed night and she said the same exact thing. she wasn't impressed with the quality of the brisket and eye of round. she however thought the broth and the noodles were good. she didn't particularly enjoy the roast pork sandwich either. disappointing to hear but i still plan on going back since my previous visits have been good.

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That's cool, gastro. I just wish they were giving us 50% - 75% more value for the money...better, more authentic beef, rolls, etc.

[Orgasmic Moments]

I've noticed that there's probably as many Thai restaurants in NYC as Italian nowadays. But with Vietnamese, far fewer. My favorite in town is Thai Son, in Chinatown on Baxter St. near Canal (in this case, the designation "Thai" doesn't refer to a country, it's actually the name of a large mountain in South East Asia).

I always order their signature dish, a big bowl of Pho Tai (beef noodle soup), what I call "a meal in a bowl, adding a handful of fresh sprouts and basil on top with a squeeze of lime-- incredible!), an order of the best spring rolls I've ever had, and an order of their superb frog legs, fried in butter, French-style. I top off the feast with a wonderful glass of their excellent iced coffee, done in the old-fashioned French way, a marvelous way to compliment the other savory dishes.

If you have a Viet joint that you enjoy, care to share?

Edited March 15, 2010 by Orgasmic Moments (log)

[BKYLN]

Nha Trang One on Baxter off of Canal is the only Vietnamese place I go to anymore (other than when I want a banh mi).