I love this small restaurant. The owner, Justina always has something to talk about and is honest when you ask her about the menu items.
If you've never had Vietnamese food, this is the place to try it. The menu has a lot of variety and nothing is over $12. Justina is the owner and the only server in this 10 table restaurant.
My favorite appetizer is beef carpaccio. Aside from the beef carpaccio I had in Paris, this stuff is out of this world. It's paper-thin sliced raw beef, swimming in a sauce of lime and mint, which was SO good, I almost ordered 2 more plates for my meal. It comes with sesame crackers that look like twisted bread with black seeds in it. You put the meat on the cracker and add some chili sauce, and voila--you have a tasty treat. The mint and the lime compliment each other so well, neither one overpowers the other. The menu says it comes with pineapple, but I didn't see or taste any, but that's okay--it was perfect. In my opinion, this is the best thing on the menu.
My other favorite appetizer is the pepper shrimp, which is shrimp in a spicy pepper sauce and served with grilled bread. VERY TASTY. Entrees range from chicken to beef to seafood. The lemongrass chicken is a favorite as well as the crispy rice noodles with beef, scallops and shrimp. The Vietnamese soup bowls are HUGE and 3 or 4 people can share one. Again, the bowl is only $9, and each person who shares is $2. The best soup is the seafood noodle soup that has shrimp, crab and scallops and rice noodles. Served with the soups are Vietnamese condiments consisting of herbs, lime, chili, and sprouts that you add to your liking.
To drink, try the Thai iced tea, which is Thai tea topped with cream. It's so tasty and sweet, you won't have to add any sugar at all. If you've never had a Thai iced tea, give it a try.
There is a small dessert menu consisting of jasmine crème brûlée, rice pudding with mango, and a cake option. The jasmine crème brûlée is my favorite. Sweet and creamy, it's a can't-miss.
The second best part of the meal is the Vietnamese coffee. Starbucks has nothing' on this caffeine-laden drink. You get a small glass the size of a rocks glass, with condensed milk in the bottom. On top is a mini-coffee filter filled with coffee that drips into the glass below and is then served over ice. No need for sugar--the condensed milk is sweet enough, and the caffeine will keep you going all day long. SO GOOD.
Justina told me that her boyfriend told her he can never leave her because she makes him Vietnamese coffee, and he's addicted to it--he doesn't know how to make it. Too funny.