NamNam open in St. Matthews

I'll be checking them out next time I'm in town. It'll probably turn into a banh mi bingefest.

Which places in town, if any, serve banh mi with pâté on it? I've tried everything that Pho Binh Minh had to offer and I've had VK's banh mi only once.

DaLat's Gateaux and Cafe has banh mi with pork pate.

You can't beat their price either. $3 dollars.

Just had one of these for lunch today.
Still $3! Still yummy!

Overdue praise, but we've been getting food from Nam Nam, usually carryout, consistently since it opened, and it has always been very solid.

At first, I really enjoyed the clean, simple, and understated flavors, and read reviews, on hotbytes and elsewhere, that said the same.

However, it seems that as the restaurant has grown and progressed, the flavors have become deeper and more pronounced.

I am hesitant to say that it is better, because I have always thought the food was great, but it seems that the kitchen has now really hit its stride. The pho seemed richer and more vibrant, and the Saigon noodles had a decent amount of heat and were outstanding.

My girlfriend has always been a huge fan of the vegetarian bahn mi as well.

And to top it all off, one day I mentioned to the owner that i would like it if they made a combo pho with the tripe and tendon. He replied that the demand wasn't great, and I said that I understood completely and would be back regardless.

30 minutes later he told me that he would have a batch of tendon available the next time I came in. 2 weeks later I enjoyed a delicious bowl of combination pho with perfectly-prepared tendon. I would like to try more things on the menu, but usually get stuck on the pho and saigon noodles, which is always good for 3-4 meals.

Great place, and top of the line customer service. Glad to have it in the neighborhood.

[Robin Garr]

Great place, and top of the line customer service. Glad to have it in the neighborhood.

Excellent review and well deserved testimony. Thanks!

I want to go desperately but every time I get there I start drooling over Simply Thai. I am going to have to trick myself and go when Simply Thai is closed late afternoon.

I'm pregnant again, and have been craving both Vietnamese AND Thai food (amongst other things, such as Cinnamon Toast Crunch ) Perhaps I will hit up BOTH places. It's gotta be healthier than Cinnamon Toast Crunch!

i love cinnamon toast crunch...

Me too, but the hormones are doing crazy stuff. Like making me eat an ENTIRE large box at one sitting. If I'm going to pig out, I'd much rather eat the healthy stuff.

Okay, might be threadjacking, but I'm wondering. I'm a newbie to Vietnamese food (yet I live in the South End). Where should I go for a great first time Vietnamese experience? The only recommendation requirements are no shrimp and no cheese (taste and texture issues, not dietary). I could go to Yelp or Urbanspoon, but I'd rather get opinions from dedicated foodies.

[Robin Garr]

Okay, might be threadjacking, but I'm wondering. I'm a newbie to Vietnamese food (yet I live in the South End). Where should I go for a great first time Vietnamese experience? The only recommendation requirements are no shrimp and no cheese (taste and texture issues, not dietary). I could go to Yelp or Urbanspoon, but I'd rather get opinions from dedicated foodies.

I'd say Vietnam Kitchen or Annie Cafe (on Woodlawn). I like some of the others, too, but for folks new to Vietnamese, those would offer a good blend of great, authentic dishes and decent English skills on the staff.

No worries about cheese - you rarely see it in Southeast Asian cooking. Or any Asian, really. Shrimp are pretty widespread, but that should be clear from the menu.

Enjoy, and be sure to post your impressions!

Okay, might be threadjacking, but I'm wondering. I'm a newbie to Vietnamese food (yet I live in the South End). Where should I go for a great first time Vietnamese experience? The only recommendation requirements are no shrimp and no cheese (taste and texture issues, not dietary). I could go to Yelp or Urbanspoon, but I'd rather get opinions from dedicated foodies.

Depends whether you want "street food/peasant" Vietnamese, or upper-crust/city food!

For street food or peasant cooking, follow Robin's advice. For the more upper-class Vietnamese food, I'd tell you to go downtown for Basa, which is the more French-influenced Vietnamese cooking seen in the cities - dishes that developed from the years in which the French "owned" Vietnam. The two styles utilize many of the same basic ingredients, but the seasonings are very different, with the "city" food utilizing French spices and the "country" food utilizing more traditional Asian spices.

The two are very different; we like both, but we know many who like only one of the two (no way to tell in advance which you'd like). It's sort of like ordering a pork chop in the deep South versus Minnesota; both are pork, both look similar, yet the taste is totally different! One is not better or worse, they're just different.

[Robin Garr]

For street food or peasant cooking, follow Robin's advice. For the more upper-class Vietnamese food, I'd tell you to go downtown for Basa ...

Very good advice! I took Ron's South End comment to mean he'd prefer a choice in that area, but heck, if he's ready to saddle up and ride, there's no reason for him not to head straight for NamNam! Although the menu is smaller, in some ways I think it has the best Vietnamese in town, it's affordable, and the language barrier is zero.

Actually, Roots and Zen Garden might also be mentioned. They're more international, but they certainly start from Vietnam.

VK is probably my favorite place to eat in Louisville. Just don't go on a Wednesday, as they are closed.

It's shamelessly self-promotional of me to mention it, but it's actually topical: as my (sparse) posting history attests to, I'm overwhelmingly fond of bánh mì, and have decided to methodically visit everywhere in Louisville that serves one. It's an extremely specific sort of Vietnamese-cuisine review, but I've posted (thus far) writeups (with occasional blurry photos) on 10 Vietnamese sandwiches in the area:

Part 1 (featuring Zanzabar, Dong Phuong, and Annie Cafe)
Part 2 (featuring Cafe Mimosa, Phở Bình Minh, Morels Food Truck, and Vietnam Kitchen)
Part 3 (featuring Ramsi's Cafe on the World, DaLat Gateaux and Cafe, and Heart and Soy)

I've not made it to NamNam yet, largely because St. Matthews is outside of my usual bicycling orbit.

[Robin Garr]

It's shamelessly self-promotional of me to mention it, but it's actually topical:

Bravo!

I would also add that for a serious cyclist (which I, by the way, am not), once you've conquered Cochran hill, it's flat and easy going and not very far on out Lexington Road to NamNam - it's on the inner end of St. Matthews.

It's shamelessly self-promotional of me to mention it, but it's actually topical: as my (sparse) posting history attests to, I'm overwhelmingly fond of bánh mì, and have decided to methodically visit everywhere in Louisville that serves one.

I agree with Robin, excellent blog!

Your feed has been added to my reader. Carry on!

I'm pretty much willing to go anywhere within the county limits for the right meal, so South End vs Lexington Road isn't a necessary choice (and I'm usually not far from Lexington Road on the weekends anyway). I may have to get to NamNam this weekend and just jump right in before working my way back to street food.