NVM Review

By Warren Rojas

Restaurant tip No. 58: If staff appears mindful enough to keep even inanimate guests well fed and watered, chances are good you’ll be treated right.

The above observation is more of a maxim than an absolute, but the case is well made by Viet Crystal—a strip-mall escape with decidedly urban flair.

A handsomely appointed bar remains in full blossom year-round thanks to interwoven rows of budding flowers, towering bamboo and thriving foliage all around. Nearby, colorful religious icons display beatific smiles as they survey the daily gifts (gourmet coffees, exotic fruits) offered up in exchange for continued prosperity.

No slaves to fortune, staff does its best to ensure repeat business by treating every customer like one of the family.

Servers readily provide cultural guidance and dining recommendations to those unfamiliar with homespun Vietnamese cuisine. During the meal, discarded plates are shuttled away with deliberate swiftness. Once finished, patrons are invited to refresh themselves with a steamed, lemon-soaked towel.

Locals casually chat with staff (“Where’s your sister? How’s the baby?” one regular quizzes his waitress during a dinner visit) between sips of imported brews (native suds include 33 Export and Saigon lager). Early on, one server paused to inquire whether I was feeling all right after fielding my order of ginger ale (no worries; I happen to love the stuff). Another seemed almost envious of our dish selection (“good dinner tonight”) amidst an admittedly plentiful group outing.

Within weeks, I felt like a time-honored regular—a sensation cemented by one comely waitress glibly stating, “You know where it is; I don’t have to show you,” when I excused myself to use the facilities.

The menu is equally hospitable, featuring over 100 menu items—including a dozen homemade soups, a host of mixed vermicelli dishes and over three dozen weekday lunch specials (pho, noodle and grill items).

Whopping pho bowls produce aromatic brews brimming with fresh basil, rice noodles, assorted beef byproducts (ranging from thinly sliced steak to tendon, tripe and intestine) and diced scallions, all accompanied by DIY sides of sprouts, searing peppers and, of course, Sriracha.

A plate of shrimp vermicelli summons a flavorful medley of tiny noodles, sprouts, ground peanuts, fried egg, herbs and grilled shrimp doused in fish sauce (pleasantly filling dish). Saigon beefsteak brings marinated cubes of sumptuous steak sauteed with mixed peppers, herbs and sliced tomatoes served in a dark, soy-like sauce. Marinated steak is cubed and sauteed with mixed peppers, herbs and sliced tomatoes (hearty, soy-based sauce seeps into each morsel of succulent steak). Elsewhere, cod left to slowly caramelize within a traditional clay pot produces sugar-stung fish swimming in a garlic-onion-basil broth (magnificent).