This restaurant, which anchors a Vietnamese-themed strip center just north of Plaza Fiesta, is spacious and surprisingly well appointed.
And the cooking, featuring many tantalizing dishes from central Vietnam, makes this the kind of restaurant that's a pleasure to explore with a group or repeated visits.
VIET CHIC: The space, with high ceilings and tiled floors, is decorated in pale colors that contrast with Asian-inspired ebony tables and chairs. Dangling lights with silk shades add an air of romance. Kitschy niches around the large dining room display assorted art objects, while a pair of plasma TVs are locked on soccer or music videos. The Tiki-style bar in back is home to the juicers, blenders and coffee makers used for turning out a variety of exotic drinks.The friendly staff will happily explain more complicated menu items, even if, inevitably, some things get lost in translation.
HUE FOOD: The first part of the menu, titled Cac Mon Hue (Hue Food), contains regional specialties native to Hue, Vietnam's ancient Imperial Capital. Among the traditional favorites, flour-based dishes, steamed with combinations of seafood, meat and vegetables, have a gelatinous texture that can take some getting used to. Banh La Cha Tom is a thin rice flour cake with grilled chopped shrimp. Something like a Vietnamese tamale, Banh Bot Loc Goi is a soft tapioca flour tube with shrimp and pork paste, steamed in banana leaves. Want something really different? Try the Tre, made with pig's ears and ground beef.
DIY FRY: Big fun for two or more, Bo Ne is marinated, thinly sliced steak you cook on a tabletop gas stove. The do-it-yourself setup includes a whimsical, cow-shaped frying pan and an array of condiments. You add oil and butter to the cast-iron pan and toss in the beef, which comes with thin slices of onion and bits of hot pepper. A few stirs with chopsticks, some rice paper soaked in a bowl of warm water, and you're ready to wrap things up in a lettuce leaf, with vermicelli, pickled vegetables, herbs and bitter banana slices. For a similar dish, but a different cooking method, go for the Bo Nhung Dam, with a hot pot of bubbling vinegar and tomatoes to quick-boil the beef in. Other hot pots can be ordered with meat or seafood. And for the less adventurous, there are lots of noodle and rice dishes, as well as salads and spring rolls.
BEVERAGE BUZZ: There's no beer or wine at Huong Giang. But the beverage list takes up nearly a quarter of the menu, ranging from basic Lipton tea to grass jelly and red bean drinks and avocado or soursop smoothies. Lemon soda comes with freshly squeezed lemon juice mixed with sugar. It's served in a tall glass with a second glass of ice on the side, along with a bottle of club soda to mix in to taste. Perfect Vietnamese espresso with sweetened condensed milk can be sipped hot in an elegant square glass or iced to make the equivalent of a coffee milkshake.
HOURS: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Mondays-Wednesdays and Fridays-Sundays (closed Thursdays)
CREDIT CARDS: Visa, MasterCard
PRICES: Salads, rolls and small plates $3-$7; entrees $6-$30
RESERVATIONS: Yes
RECOMMENDED DISHES: Bo Ne beef, Banh Bot Loc Goi (tapioca flour with shrimp and pork paste), espresso with condensed milk
PARKING: Lot
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Yes
SMOKING POLICY: Not allowed
NOISE LEVEL: Moderate
TAKEOUT: Yes
VERDICT: Kitschy-chic space and regional dishes from central Vietnam make Huong Giang a fun destination.
