NVM Review

By Warren Rojas

Though tucked into the bowels of the sprawling Eden Center, Viet Taste’s aesthetic charms put it head and shoulders above many of its neighboring competitors.

Sage green walls set a forestal tone, an outdoors-y illusion completed by the flocks of wide-eyed birds and shadowy butterflies perpetually frozen in mid-flutter amid illustrative perennials, free-floating phone lines and rows of 2-D windows.

The menu is predominantly Vietnamese but borrows freely from other Asian cultures (pad Thai, Korean short ribs).

Eastern ex-pats seem to favor roiling hot pots (fish, combo, oxtail) and assorted delicacies—vegetables stir-fried in pig’s blood, pork heart soup—while most Westerners tend to gravitate toward Vietnamese touchstones (seafood-stuffed crepes, grilled proteins).

Baby clams, lemon, hot peppers and onions pummel the palate with piquancy, their coordinated assault seamlessly abetted by a pile of peppery sesame crackers.

Frog legs falter tragically when sautéed (the meat is bland and unappealing), but triumphantly bounce back post-frying (deliciously juicy).

Seasoned pork—the handsomely grilled ham sweetened by soy and emblazoned with grill marks—calls to mind crispy, smoked bacon after a leisurely dip in maple syrup.

Clay pots runneth over with scorched rice, crunchy pea pods, baked quail eggs, five spice-packed sausages and caramelized meats (chicken, pork, beef).