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444 Spadina Ave.927-7596 Recently opened, this Vietnamese restaurant is clean and fresh along the dirty northern Chinatown strip. Tables stretch throughout the large area to the back, where a patio for late-night karaoke looms. A tinkling waterfall greets patrons while pleasant but tacky Vietnamese paintings line the walls. Vietnamese pop music fills the air. It's almost possible to imagine American G.I.'s coming in for a good meal in town. The busy street traffic brings a wide variety of clientele. The menu is very short and cheap, with only 24 items. The variety reflects strong outside influences: American, French and Chinese. The veggie rolls with dried shrimp and fried eggs ($2.50 for 3) have sharp lemongrass and eggy bean sprouts, a Vietnamese staple. The spring rolls ($3.00 for 2) are crisp but not oily, with steaming vegetables, clear rice noodle, tender mushroom and spiced ground pork bursting through. Grilled pork and spring rolls with vermicelli ($6.00) is a deal. Served with beefsteak leaves for a fresh scent, the ham steaks are a bit oily and over-cooked, but the rice pasta is firm and soaks up much of the pork flavour. The special house chicken ($6.00) dissapoints: moist but greasy chicken on a bed of bland, warmed-up rice with a salad on the side, and the ginger overpowers any natural flavour. Steer towards the beef. The Viet-French style NY steak ($12.00) is grilled in garlic and salted butter, and the beef is infused with the careful flavour of Vietnamese herbs. Rare in Viet cuisine, there's not a drop of oil. The red rice alongside is very pasty. A surprise winner is the plate of fried chicken wings ($6.00). They're a tad greasy, but the soft ground garlic coating comes alive well with a squirt of lime juice. No wines, but standard beers ($3.00) and a few Asian imports. The fruit shakes ($2.75) are more like dessert. There are many kinds- fresh avocado, sweet jackfruit or other seasonable produce generously mixed with crushed ice. |