I must admit, I have somewhat of a bone to pick with Rice Paper given the first time I tried to dine there, they had posted that they would be closed until May 10th. When my party arrived on May 11th, excitedly awaiting our dinner at a place that had come so highly recommended to us, the owners had scribbled out the initial "May 10th" date on the sign and rewritten "May 11th." Well, we'll (try to) pay that no mind, as I had the opportunity to try Rice Paper on a separate, later occasion.
Located in the famous Eden Center in Falls Church (a market quite saturated with great Vietnamese food), Rice Paper has stood the test of time as one of NoVa's best Vietnamese restaurants, with a slightly more upscale vibe. The exterior is unassuming, but numerous culinary accolades and awards line the nondescript windows. Inside, the space is small yet cozy, with exposed brick walls and fun hanging lights. At around 6pm on a Tuesday night, the restaurant was about full, so our party of three was seated immediately (though the same cannot be said for weekends here, so come early!).
The menu has plenty of options for everyone, ranging from well-known classics like pho, bun, and spring rolls, to more adventurous traditional Vietnamese fare, such as roasted quail soup and pork blood congee. Our server was more than happy to walk us through her recommendations!
Two members of our party decided to split the Rice Paper Combo Platter ($25), which comes with a plethora of different options for those that want to try a bit of everything. It's a make-your-own rice paper roll dish, with grilled seafood, grilled pork, and grilled ground beef wrapped in grape leaves served with a side of thin vermicelli patties, fresh lettuce, cucumbers, pickled carrots, and daikon radish, all topped with a sprinkling of peanuts and a lovely tangy fish sauce for dipping.
The seafood was shrimp and salmon, I believe, which were both cooked and seasoned quite well! The pork was succulent and tender, and the beef was quite unique, wrapped in an herbal grape leaf, retaining a great amount of moisture. The vegetables were fresh and crunchy, adding a nice acidity and textural contrast to the rolls (especially along with the peanuts!). The assembly portion of it all is fun and novel: you dip the rice paper wraps in warm water, and then place toppings of your liking within the damp paper, and roll it up!
They also opted to share an order of their Tom Rang Muoi, which was fried and salted shrimp served in shells, with a lovely helping of acidic, sweet-and-sour vegetable salad. The shrimp itself was perfectly fried - not too greasy nor overly cooked, and quite easy to de-shell. The salad was bright and refreshing, with green and red onions, lettuce, and bits of cilantro!
Lastly, I chose a bowl of their Banh Canh Tom Cua ($17), which is described as a "fat rice noodle in thick soup with shrimp cake and crab meat." This was really a pleasant surprise...the soup is delectably savory, thickened with a tapioca starch slurry, making it filling and hearty. The noodles are truly fat and delicious, with a bouncy "QQ" texture, soaking up all the complex seafood flavors of the broth. Lastly, the shrimp cake tastes similar to something you might get at Chinese hot pot, and while I couldn't really discern any crab meat, I could taste the flavor in the broth, and they didn't even mention that there were a couple pieces of large shrimp in my bowl! This was quite a generous portion of a dish that you can't find very often in the States, so it was well worth it, in my opinion.
The prices are slightly elevated compared to other Vietnamese restaurants in the area, but you're paying for the critical acclaim garnered over years of patronage, as well as the cleaner, more visually-appealing interior. My one big complaint is that they don't serve tap water - you have to pay extra for bottled (so don't get anything too spicy...). Service is brusque but still happy to help out with any questions, the menu is extensive, with plenty of unique options to sample, and the food is flavorful and truly some of the best in the area...I will certainly return to sample some of their other items! read more