I was craving spring rolls, but I wanted something beyond the usual shrimp and pork options you…read moretypically find at pho restaurants. I was browsing through a delivery app looking for a spot that offered a wider variety of proteins, and I came across Paper Rice. I'd never tried this place before, but I knew they had a few locations, including one in Downtown LA, so I figured they must be doing something right to have expanded.
For the Spring Rolls, each order comes with three rolls, and each roll includes a crispy egg roll shell, lettuce, cucumber, cilantro, and pickled carrots, along with your choice of base and protein.
For the base, you can choose between rice noodles or mixed greens. Their protein selection is pretty impressive, with options including: Baked Nem (Vietnamese pork sausage), Braised Pork Belly, Soy Garlic Tofu, Garlic Shrimp, Lemongrass Chicken, and Sauteed Beef.
They also offer a complimentary dipping sauce with choices from: Traditional Citrus, House Spicy, Citrus Ginger, Savory Peanut, Soy Vinaigrette, and Vegan Citrus.
For my box of three, I went with the Braised Pork Belly, Garlic Shrimp, and Sauteed Beef. I also chose "The Mix" to all three, which includes chopped peanuts, roasted sesame seeds, crispy garlic bits, and crispy onion flakes. For the dipping sauce, I kept it classic and went with the Savory Peanut.
I also ordered the Skinny Shrimp Egg Rolls, which come five pieces per order. Interestingly, the egg rolls didn't include a complimentary dipping sauce, so I ordered the Traditional Citrus sauce separately to go with them.
When my delivery arrived, I was pleasantly surprised by how thoughtfully everything was packaged! Each spring roll was individually wrapped in a Paper Rice-branded wrapper and then secured with plastic wrap to keep everything intact. And even after about a 30-minute wait, the Skinny Shrimp Egg Rolls were still surprisingly crispy!
I thoroughly enjoyed the egg rolls! They had a satisfying crunch, and the Traditional Citrus sauce perfectly complemented the egg rolls. It was tangy and had the right amount of acidity to help cut through the slight greasiness of the fried egg rolls.
Now, onto the spring rolls! Of the three proteins I tried, the Sauteed Beef was definitely my favorite! The beef was tender and well-marinated. The Garlic Shrimp was also good, but I was didn't really taste a lot of garlic flavor. The Braised Pork Belly was my least favorite because the meat was surprisingly rubbery and tough to chew.
What I really liked about all the spring rolls was the crunch factor! Each roll has a crispy egg roll shell, which gives it such a fun texture and satisfying bite. The spring rolls definitely have so much going on texture-wise (which I like!). The Savory Peanut sauce is your classic Asian-style peanut dipping sauce--rich, nutty, and a great complement to the rolls.
I also noticed that Paper Rice offers Spring Bowls, which are basically deconstructed spring rolls served in a bowl with two spring rolls (your choice of protein). They also have banh mi and xoi chien, which are fried sticky rice patties stuffed with ground pork, shrimp, onions, and mushrooms. I've actually never tried xoi chien before, so that definitely caught my attention!
I'll definitely be coming back for the Sauteed Beef Spring Rolls, and next time, I think I'll have to give the xoi chien a try. Always excited to discover new Vietnamese dishes!