Came here on a friend's recommendation for some good Viet. This location is actually called Little Hanoi (the other loc is in the 11th). The place was packed at dinnertime (8:20) and 2 of us awkwardly waited in the small front area with other diners until we were seated at 9pm. There are maybe only 2-3 pho dishes here but a lot of salads, rice and meat/shrimp dishes, and vermicelli/noodle dishes.
I got the nouilles sautées aux légumes et crevettes (mi xao tom, see photo). It wasn't made with the usual noodle that I've known to be used for this dish (the thin, yellow egg noodle). I guess for that matter, it didn't taste like mi xao tom either. There was a lot of this brown sauce. It was good at first but soon I felt there needed to be some kind of balance to it. In the end it just was too salty and felt unhealthy. My bf had a beef vermicelli dish, which was also drenched in their sauce, and he found it to have too much of a vinegar taste. Drink prices aren't bad, for Paris. We skipped dessert; nothing stood out (no chè here!).
I'm Viet but I'm not familiar with North Vietnamese cuisine at all, so I don't know if this was this particular restaurant's take on things or whether this is how it is. Our experience was lackluster, so I'm going to continue my search for my go-to restaurant when I miss my family's cooking!
And on an extra note: credit cards are not accepted. read more