A Vietnamese place without Pho and Bahn Mi? WTF do they serve? Good stuff I tell you, good stuff ! I'm embarrassed to admit in one week I dined here twice - once with Yelp's Misti and Keith and once with a coworker. Yup I'm a little addicted.
Atmosphere: Cute and homey. If you eat early (think 11:30 AM for lunch, you'll have the entire restaurant to yourself).
Staff: The woman running the front of house is a doll and very informative. The chef came out to meet us last time too and was also very friendly and happy to answer any questions about the cuisine. Very sweet personable people who care about their restaurant.
Drinks: First I tried the salty lemonade. It was a little sweet for my taste. The next time I tried Pennywort juice. It's like wheatgrass juice but tastier! Definitely recommend trying it if the green color isn't off putting to you !
Food:
*You must start with the grilled pork spring rolls. These are absolutely the best in the city. The ingredients are so fresh and they are served with an amazing peanut sauce that's made from scratch. Homemade peanut sauce is SO much tastier than the junk that comes in jars.
*At this point I've worked my way through most the meats. Personal favorites are the BBQ pork (think small slices, no chewy meat, perfectly flavored) and the Chinese sausage. I know you're thinking (wtf, chinese sausage at a vietnamese place?). The thing is, the owners love chinese sausage and wanted to put it on the menu for fun. My coworker is a chinese sausage expert and was extremely pleased with their rendition. YUM
*Oh lastly, you must get this on broken rice ! Yup, it's just cheap broken leftover pieces that are damaged in transit. We had a talk with the chef about this - somehow this rice is like crack. It's better than "normal" rice. The tiny pieces somehow taste better and are "creamier" in the chef's own words. Some pieces get a little burnt and crispy (yum in my book), but overall the flavor is unique and unlike any rice I've ever had.
One more thing - I told the house manager I'd love to see a gluttonous combination of BBQ pork and Chinese sausage on my next visit as one of the combo plates. She did say she's happy to accommodate and you mix and match the meats as you please. If you don't see the right combo on the menu - ask her, they are happy to create the combo plate of your dreams !