Viet Cafe
Viet Cafe
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11 OP
~ 8 years ago
Jun 21, '15 5:07pm
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Viet Cafe
My husband and I tried this new Vietnamese restaurant in the Northpoint Shopping Center, off Knoxville. It's located next to Ashley Furniture, just a few doors down from Pita's.
The space is little changed from when it was Kirin Sushi. I don't think they changed the decor at all.
We've been wanting to try their banh mi sandwiches. The only other Vietnamese restaurant in Peoria does not offer them. But we've had them in other cities and enjoy them.
We got the sandwiches to go, ordering one chicken and one grilled pork.
While our sandwiches were being prepared, we chatted with one of the owners. All employees are family members, and they are originally from Vietnam.
A good bahn mi starts with a great roll. It should be crusty, with a soft, but chewy interior. These did not disappoint. In addition to the meat, the sandwich includes mayo (margarine is substituted here), sliced cucumber, cilantro sprigs, pickled carrot and radish shreds, and sliced jalapeno peppers.
We were VERY pleased with both sandwiches. The meats were well-seasoned...spicy, but not hot. I was surprised that the chicken was as good as the pork. I replaced the tired-looking cilantro with some from my garden, but otherwise the veggies were fresh and crisp.
We're already planning a return trip. Next time, we'll eat there, and try the pho, lemongrass chicken, and/or the vermicelli bowl. The young woman we spoke with described their food as "less sweet and more spicy" than Thanh Linh's. Sounds good to me!
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11 OP
~ 8 years ago
Jun 29, '15 9:05pm
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We went back tonight and ate there.
The menu is much smaller than Thanh Linh's. However, we found three of our favorites from TL, so we tried those.
The eggrolls are fantastic! Seriously...the best I have had anywhere. They are filled with pork, shrimp and very fresh vegetables, with thin wrappers. Perfectly cooked...crunchy without a hint of greasiness.
We also ordered the vermicelli bowl with meat (we chose chicken) and eggroll. The noodles are a bit thicker, and the separate sauce is VERY flavorful. The chicken is well-seasoned. It comes with lettuce, cucumber, bean sprouts, chopped peanuts, and mint. Very good!
Finally, we ordered the lemongrass chicken. I can honestly say I prefer this version to Thanh Linh's. It's less sweet, with a more pronounced lemongrass taste.
We again chatted with the young owner, telling her we enjoyed the sandwiches we got there last week. We were amused to find out they get the (excellent) rolls for the bahn mis at the Mexican bakery, Panaderia Ortiz.
I can see us visiting this place often. Sure saves the trip to Main Street!
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