179188 Mon Aug 05 09:15:13 -0700 2002 15 15 Pennsylvania 0 963625 During our recent trip to DC we were introduced to authentic vietnamese cuisine. We loved the experience and were looking forward to finding a similar restaurant in Philly. Yesterday we tried Vietnam and were shocked at the difference in cuisine. The restaurant in DC had a lot of grilled meats and light dishes. In contrast, most of the dishes served at Vietnam are prepared with soy, oyster or hoisin sauces. Missing were the light dishes prepared simply with fish sauces. It seemed more like vietnamese with a chinese slant. The food was not bad, it was just not what we expected. Are there any truly authentic vietnamese restaurants in Philly? Mon Aug 05 09:15:13 -0700 2002 0 Jo 1 963626 There are lots of pho joints around, many quite good and as "authentic" (whatever that means) as you could ask for. I like Pho Xe Lua in Chinatown, but there are others as good. You might try one of those. Mon Aug 05 09:50:51 -0700 2002 963625 0 Andrew Fenton 2 963652 I'll second this recommendation! Pho Xe Lua is ALWAYS packed, and generally with young native Vietnamese customers. Anyplace that is consistently filled with "locals" is always a good sign to me. The food is also excellent, and you can eat like a king for about $12.00! The soups other than the standard varieties of beef pho are great. I'm particularly fond of the beef satay soup, as well as the fire spiced beef soup. Seafood noodle soup really tasty too! More of a cold winter's day sort of thing, but absolutely delicious. The whole fish dishes have always looked intriguing to me. I've seen them fish the entree right out of the tank in front with much splashing and fuss! Always looks wonderful about 15 minutes later when it comes to the table though! Doesn't get any fresher than that! I haven't been brave enough to order one of those yet, but perhaps some Chowhound friends might be convinced to go try this out with me? Mon Aug 05 19:42:38 -0700 2002 963626 0 Katie 3 963653 I've had the steamed whole fish at Pho Xe Lua (with ginger and scallions), and it was excellent! I can also recommend the lobster and curried snails for special occasions (though you could get these at Chinese restaurants too). I'm still working up my courage to order the raw beef appetizer. The sour chicken coconut soup is wonderful (sized for sharing, not a single diner), as are the fruit shakes (soursop, strawberry, mango, avocado, etc.) However, for hard-core Vietnamese dishes (or what I think of as hard-core Vietnames dishes) -- beef in grape leaves, the uncooked shrimp rolls, other grilled things, clay pot pork, the sour shrimp soup with tomato and pineapple -- I think Vietnam Palace is better. Mon Aug 05 22:48:33 -0700 2002 963652 0 Deb A 1 963627 Where did you go in DC? Friday night I was at 'A Taste of Saigon' in Vienna? Tyson's Corner? that area anyway. It was fantastic! Not too many veggie options but the ones they did have were great - a green curry and a mock chicken in black pepper sauce... apparently the sauce is a secret, the family mixes it at home and brings it in - none of the employees know how to make it. That's the rumor anyway. I was disappointed in Viet Nam too, for other reasons. After all the hype I heard, there were few veggie options and what we got (fried noodle dish, can't remember what else) wasn't so great. Mon Aug 05 09:52:12 -0700 2002 963625 0 pipsqueak 2 963628 If you're looking for vegetarian Vietnamese, you might try Hoa Sen, near the Italian market. It's gotten some good reviews on this board. (I haven't tried it myself; I'm a little leery of mock-meat places, and tend to wait until I'm going out with a group of vegetarians.) Mon Aug 05 10:08:33 -0700 2002 963627 0 Andrew Fenton 3 963635 Yes I have been to Hoa Sen - it was ok, I will try it again for sure. Mon Aug 05 13:04:00 -0700 2002 963628 0 pipsqueak 2 963630 The restaurant in DC is Saigon Gourmet Restaurant at 2635 connecticut avenue. I can't comment on the vegetarian options because that wasn't a priority for us but the food was great. We were in DC for a conference and ate there 4 times. One of the menu items we loved was grilled meats over wide rice noodles served with a fish dipping sauce. There was nothing on the Vietnam menu that even resembled that dish. The people at Saigon Gourmet were so nice. During our last visit the owner asked us if we were leaving town the next day and gave us complimentary after dinner drinks and desserts. He knew we were from out of town and probably wouldn't be coming back anytime soon so there was nothing in it for him. Mon Aug 05 10:45:32 -0700 2002 963627 0 Jo 1 963629 My wife and I are partial to Vietnam Palace, which is across the street from Vietnam Restaurant. I think that the food is much better than Vietnam Restaurant. VR has, IMHO, dumbed down their food to make it more agreeable to American palates. We go to VP at least once every few weeks. We love the pho with all of the meat (the more tripe the merrrier). The unfried (summer) rolls are especially good also. I prefer the one with Chinese sausage, but Lisa likes the more standard pork and shrimp. The seven courses of beef is excellent, though a bit much for two to share. All of the buns (rice noodles topped with stuff) are good. I also really like the tofu and eggplant with black bean sauce that is served is a bubbling hot pot. I'm not sure how "authentic" it is, but it's pretty good. We've been to Capital Vietnam, but don't think it's as good. Try VP and report back. Mon Aug 05 10:31:47 -0700 2002 963625 0 mattylip 2 963631 I agree with Matt. Vietnam Palace has much fresher, flavorful food than Vietnam. When we ate at Vietnam my wife's chicken basil tasted like typical Chinese takeout, in a gloppy sweet sauce. It indeed seems to be very touristy food. But, I must say that my spicy Pho in a peanut-like sauce at Vietnam was very good. At Vietnam Palace the pho is excellent and really is a meal in itself. Plus, you see more local Vietnamese people there as well. Somebody recently also mentioned Saigon down around 7th and Washington I think (?). Is that reopened yet and is it any good? Mon Aug 05 11:13:28 -0700 2002 963629 0 David De Silva 3 963632 SAIGON is perhaps the original Vietnamese restaurant in Philadelphia, and blows all of the other Viet restaurants away. We hit VIETNAM occasionally, but usually only for its BBQ Platter, which is just fun, and some broken rice dishes, but I think VIETNAM PALACE is better, but I get outvoted in my group of less adventurous diners. Imagine that. Mon Aug 05 11:31:30 -0700 2002 963631 0 Rich Pawlak 4 963686 I agree. Saigon has reopened and it does blow all the other Vietnamese restaurants away as you said. Thu Aug 08 14:22:37 -0700 2002 963632 0 B 5 963688 I just called Saigon and they said they will not reopen for at least a month. Thu Aug 08 14:30:10 -0700 2002 963686 0 Jo 2 963822 Vietnam palace has always been a favorite of ours, too. Doesnt it also seem like since the fancy renovation the prices at Vietnam are a bit out of this world? Thu Aug 15 20:01:48 -0700 2002 963629 0 jen 1 963633 I second the recommendation for Pho Xe Lua on Race St. The menu there is as immense as Vietnamese cuisine requires. Having been to Vietnam myself, I can say that the scope of Vietnamese food available in the US is almost always a very narrow slice of what Vietnamese food actually is. I have never seen a more varied and interesting cuisine anywhere in the world--it's possible to eat at restaurants over there for a week and never see the same dish on a menu twice. What you get here tends to be either variations on pho (fine in its own right, but let's branch out!) or Chinese-type dishes. I haven't been to the Washington St. places but look forward to doing so. Mon Aug 05 11:32:39 -0700 2002 963625 0 Julie 1 965816 Hi, we moved to Philly from Boston a few years ago, but in our quest to find a "good" Vietnamese restaurant (my husband is from Vietnam), we have concluded that the best thus far is Vietnam Palace. We discovered after one visit, that Vietnam Resaurant right across the street from VP is a watered-down version created for non-vietnamese patrons. Yeah the French-colonial knock-off decor is chic, but when it mattered, the cuisine did not impress. Vietnam Palace consistently has good service, fresh ingredients, and memorable tones to the dishes. Parking is no picnic, but hey, that's part of the fun. We have also tried several Pho joints in town and our favorite is still Pho75. It depends upon how much of a fat miniscus you like on top of your bowl--I prefer it on the lean side. My husband likes it a little fatty, but he still thinks that Pho75 has the tastiest broth, generous basil & bean sprouts, and good tripe. I concur, we go every week at least once. Kristin Mon Feb 03 11:22:00 -0800 2003 963625 0 Kristin