Hanoi Kitchen: Restaurant Guide 2014

Hanoi Kitchen
By Martin Cizmar

7925 NE Glisan St., 252-1300, hanoikitchen.com

[HIT A HOMER] The pursuit of great Vietnamese food off 82nd Avenue leads diners into some divey spots—think barred windows, graffitied doors and craveworthy vermicelli with escargot patties. Hanoi Kitchen isn't one of them. The décor at this family-run restaurant on the last nice block of Northeast Glisan recalls a middle-brow central city sushi place, down to an Asian-inflected painting of Homer Simpson on one wall and the bright-colored pictures of a few of the plainer items on the menu. The house specialty is North Vietnamese steamed rice crepes (bánh cuon, $7-$7.75) which are made with Grandma's recipe and taste it: supple noodles, fried shallots, and chopped herbs dressed with a bright lime-chili-fish sauce. Even something as wimpy-sounding as fried lemongrass tofu with vermicelli (bun dau hu, $7.50) is made with care, haste and a little more spice than you expected. The pho is serviceable, but soup-wise you're better off with hu tieu ($7.50-$8.95), rice noodles in a rich and salty pork broth or the mì de tiem ($9.50), an even richer, even saltier soup with thin egg noodles, fatty braised goat and bok choy in a shiitake mushroom broth. MARTIN CIZMAR.

Pro tip:

The beverages include a very nice avocado smoothie and an interesting preserved plum soda.

10 am-9 pm Tuesday-Saturday, 10 am-8 pm Sunday. $.

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