In my continued quest to check out the Asian eateries in my neck of the woods, I decided to try Thanh Vi to satisfy my craving for spring rolls. (*Sidebar: Not having something for a while and then indulging leads to a kick of wanting it for like a week straight - I had spring rolls just three days ago after months. This happens with sushi frequently)
Thanh Vi is located in a strip mall that seems a bit out of place, but then again, when doesn't a strip mall seem out of place. You can't miss it - it's the most prominent of all the businesses in the establishment situated in the coveted, larger corner site.
The cuisine they offer is Chinese and Vietnamese. A good decision by the owners because had they been strictly Vietnamese, Thanh Vi may not survive for long in the neighborhood it resides in. The place is very clean and spacious. The girl manning the front desk/check out counter was a little over the top friendly - innocent enough.
Their menu is pretty extensive and has a good selection - more Vietnamese than Chinese, as it should be. I was thrilled to see bahn mi being offered (5 varieties) - I was definitely going to get one of those for later. Not all Vietnamese restaurants sell these well known sandwiches, usually more of a deli offering. Along with a bahn mi, I ordered a vermicelli salad with grilled pork and fried egg rolls as well as, of course, spring rolls (the main reason I came to this place).
The total for my take out order came to just over $14, not bad - another reason I love Vietnamese food, so affordable! It took a total of 20 minutes to complete my order and 10 minutes into waiting I was told by the cashier that took my order that they ran out of bahn mis. This was disappointing to say the least and made me think that they weren't made onsite, more likely deli made and delivered - why else would it have taken them 10 minutes to realize they had no more to sell? I was asked to order something else within the same price range, which limited me to appetizers - ordered grilled pork spring rolls.
The rice paper wrappers on the regular spring rolls were a bit soggy and soft - either they were let soaking for too long while assembling or the rolls were stored in too damp of conditions after being made. The grilled pork version was perfect. The dipping sauce was a hoisin/oyster sauce type of sauce, making for a very dark, sweet and salty concoction. Usually it's either a peanut or fish sauce variety and I've been known to add hoisin to the peanut kind, but having hoisin be the base of the sauce was new for me.
The vermicelli salad was YUMMY and way more than enough for one person - good value at $6.95. They where careful to separate out the lettuce and veggies in a separate compartment away from the noodles and meat, which helps avoid wilting and keeps things crisp. I noticed the noodles were a little thicker than what you normally see for this kind of dish - I liked it. The thicker noodles stood up to the fish sauce dressing a lot better - by the time you get to the end, the noodles aren't completely saturated and falling apart. As mentioned, you get the traditional fish sauce dressing and the same hoisin/oyster sauce based sauce you get with the spring rolls for added flavor to the noodle salad.
Next time I go back, I'm for sure getting some pho or the bun bo heu - been years since I've had bun bo hue. read more