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Robin Garr

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You can't beat the pho at NamNam Cafe

by Robin Garr » Wed Mar 18, 2020 8:54 am

You can't beat the pho at NamNam Cafe

NamNam's spicy signature dish, Saigon Noodles, adds yellow curry fire to Asian veggies, rice noodles, and your choice of organic chicken, grass-fed beef, or tofu.
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It’s easy to overlook NamNam Café. It’s tiny, you don't hear a lot about it, and it’s off on a St. Matthews side street.

But you really shouldn’t miss it. It’s one of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants, even among a dozen strong competitors. I’d drop in even more often if I didn’t have so many other places to go. When I recently noticed, though, that its menu now boasts organic chicken, grass-fed local beef and cage-free eggs, I knew it was time to return.

[During the Covid-19 closure of dine-in restaurants, NamNam is offering carryout and curbside pickup for phone orders. Diners may also arrange delivery via Postmates or DoorDash.]

Decor in the two small rooms is simple but homey. The smaller front room is dominated by a large, charming street-art mural depicting two Vietnamese women watching a fierce dragon rising out a mountain lake. The addition to the left (watch out, it’s down a small step) is tightly filled with red booths and surrounded by thatched wall hangings and a pale-green scrim that softens the view of the parking lot.

NamNam owner-chef Dave Truong’s menu thoughtfully covers the Vietnamese culinary scene, with clear, brief English-language descriptions.

Starters include five appetizer rolls, both crispy fried (Imperial roll, $4) and rice-paper-wrapped rolls (priced from $5.50 for the all-veggie Buddha roll to $8.75 for a beef summer roll).

Salads range in price from $6 (with organic grilled pork or chicken) to $9.50 (with grilled shrimp). Four varieties of pho are priced from $10.50 (for pho ga chicken noodle or pho chay vegetarian) to $12 (for beef noodle pho with a combination of medium-rare grass-fed beef tenderloin, brisket, and Vietnamese meatballs).

The bill of fare spans 15 entrees, many of them offering a choice of beef, shrimp, chicken, pork, tofu, or grilled shrimp. There are noodle bowls, curries, Vietnamese crepes, fried rice, banh mi sandwiches, stir-fries, clay-pot dishes, and even Vietnamese-Mexican fusion tacos! Entree prices range from $7.50 (for a vegetarian taco) to $17 (for bo luc lac, the French-Vietnamese dish called shaking beef). All selections are clearly marked to denote vegetarian, gluten-free, and spicy dishes.

We noshed through two meals and didn’t encounter a single disappointment. ...

Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/pho-namnam-cafe

You'll also find this review in LEO Weekly's Food & Drink section today.
http://www.leoweekly.com/category/food-drink/

NamNam Café
318 Wallace Ave.
891-8859
http://namnamcafe.com
https://facebook.com/namnamcafe

Robin Garr's rating: 89 points.

Noise level: Sound level varied a bit depending on the crowd during our two visits, but conversation was never difficult. The average sound was around 75dB, within the normal conversational range.)

Accessibility: The main section is accessible to wheelchair users, but a step down makes access to the side room problematical. The tiny unisex restroom is back a narrow hall that also appears difficult to negotiate in a wheelchair.
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BevP

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Re: You can't beat the pho at NamNam Cafe

by BevP » Wed Mar 18, 2020 3:09 pm

Nam Nam is one of my family's favorite places. Personally I love the eggplant and tofu in claypot and hubby and son love the fish in claypot. I doubt if they would make the carry out to our neck of the woods so will just have to put it at the top of our list to visit when this mess is over.
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david.kranker

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Re: You can't beat the pho at NamNam Cafe

by david.kranker » Thu Mar 19, 2020 10:18 am

This looks excellent! I'm going to have to place an order. They're located on my drive to and from work.Thanks for sharing!
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Daren F

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Re: You can't beat the pho at NamNam Cafe

by Daren F » Thu Mar 19, 2020 10:28 am

Their banh mi reheat pretty well in the microwave if you are needing extra take home food. I always use to buy extra to take to work.
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Robin Garr

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Re: You can't beat the pho at NamNam Cafe

by Robin Garr » Thu Mar 19, 2020 10:38 am

Thanks for the idea, Daren! I'm always worried about microwaving bread, fearing that it will get tough if I nuke it too long. What setting and how much time do you give it?

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