I had the unique opportunity today to take my 2-year-old daughter and join my mother for lunch. I have switched jobs and had the rare opportunity to have a Tuesday afternoon free.
We decided on one of my favorite spots to eat, Vietnam Kitchen. I first fell in love with the place when a produce vendor took me and my sous chef out for lunch there around 7 years ago. It's a no fuss lunch spot that sits right by the bountiful Valu-Market in Iroquois Manor. The decor is plain if not "diner"-esque. The service is always warm and friendly and the food is outstanding.
We started with the special appetizer of chicken satays with spicy peanut sauce. My two-year-old who usually only eats chicken in nugget form loved them. They were lightly coated in curry and roasted. Very juicy and tender, my only complaint was the peanut sauce was off-putting, a little heavy on the fish sauce. We just enjoyed them without the sauce.
We also had an order of Guoi Con or steamed rice paper rolls with noodles, vegetables and shrimp. These were as great as always. Steamed rice paper spring rolls filled with rice noodles, shrimp and crisp vegetables, served with a hoisin based peanut sauce. This peanut sauce was better executed with a slight taste of peanut oil and chopped peanuts on to. The rolls were delightfully chewy with a fresh snap of napa cabbage inside. As soon as we were finished with the appetizers, we received our lunch entrees.
My mother had the stuffed grape leaves with vermicelli, and vegetables. She wasn't a fan of it, but it wasn't what she expected, I on the other hand knew that Vietnam's take on stuffed grape leaves would be strange to everyday folk but it is a dish that tantelizes the senses. There is an extraordinary amont of mint garnishing the plate, but use the mint sparingly and use the spring rolls to make small hand sandwiches with the vegetables, noodles and dumpling sized grape leaves. It has a strong floral scent, probably from the mint and rose water spiked dipping sauce. When combined correctly this is a feast.
Today, I had the Thit Kho tieu Hay son ram or Pork Simmered in black pepper in a clay pot with rice and steamed vegetables. The pork came in a steaming clay pot, the slices where tender, with just enough soy and pepper to make it savory, and mixed with a little sirachi hot sauce was heaven over the perfectly steamed rice and vegetables.
We had a little lag time between finishing dinner and getting the check as well as our table became overcrowded with the rising dish count. Pre-bussing isn't a strong point for them. Aside from a few lags in service everything was great. We spent $30.00 with tip, left very full and pleased.
I will definitely be back when I get settled in my new position as Executive Chef at Covered Bridge Golf Club.
