these are the best spring rolls i've had in years. i mean it. and those last ones that i had that were this good... well, they were at a place with fabric tablecloths, real flowers on the table, and a view of the bay bridge... so they weren't 3.75 for two of them.
vung tau, on y street at 27th, might not have tablecloths at all, but it's oddly pleasant inside and outside. two walls of the restaurant are completely lined with picture windows. the building itself is white-painted brick and boxy, and stands out on y street. the interior is simple, and there are about a dozen tables, with plenty of space inbetween.
the storefront had caught my eye several times, so i stopped in to get a sandwich (i'll write about the banh mi soon). there was an ljs review on the wall, to which i would like to link but can't find on their site, that mentioned the spring rolls.
they're wonderful. the shrimp has flavor and it's perfectly cooked, and there's a thin layer of pork wrapped up in there as well. the rice noodles aren't gummy and neither is the wrap. the mint is very fresh, as you can see in this picture... one roll split on the way home, but i blame that on a yellow light.
1 comment:
I used to go there a lot-- that place is the real deal. A lot of my Vietnamese students say that it's their favorite place in town. Thanks for reminding me of it!
Funny story: I went there with a big group of girls once. The owner came over and told us that he was thinking about opening a bubble tea stand at Gateway. He asked us if we thought that most Americans would like to buy bubble tea at the mall. We said that we thought that it was a great idea, but that he might want to limit the menu to flavors suited to an American palate like strawberry and mango and that flavors like green bean probably wouldn't sell too well. He got all angry, insisting that green bean bubble tea is delicious, and wouldn't talk to us anymore.
I guess I have a knack for pissing off restaurant owners with my (blunt) honesty-- hahaha.
I totally agree with you on the spring rolls. Vung Tau's might actually be better than the ones I make at home.
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