neighborhood vietnamese place that earns respect.. visiting with friends in from the east coast and staying in a rental home off 82nd avenue in portland, i was overjoyed to discover that hanoi kitchen was just a few blocks away. hanoi kitchen was on our list of places to try, so later that evening after bidding a fair adieu to our friends, who were foolishly leaving the northwest the next morning for their home in maryland, we headed right there for a late sunday dinner.
we got into the restaurant a few minutes before 8:00 p.m. on a sunday, not realizing that they closed at that hour. the staff was kind and stated that there would be no problem in serving us dinner...though they kind of secured the door behind us, seemingly to keep out any others with similar ideas of late night dining. the physical plant of this place is unique in that it is a large space, with what seems like too few tables to fill it up. the result is a table arrangement system of ample space between the tables, and large aisles.
as indicated the staff was friendly, and very helpful in the ordering department.
we ordered the shrimp salad rolls as an appetizer. i am beginning to believe that the salad roll is the "chips and salsa" of vietnamese eating places. you can usually judge the overall quality of the cuisine to come by the rolls. here at hanoi kitchen, the salad rolls were good and fresh. they were accompanied by a tasty peanut sauce for dipping. available to ramp up the peanut sauce was a sambol oleack chili sauce and a oil based, smoky tasting dark chili sauce. both of these condiments elevated the dining experience.
for the main course, we had the shrimp rice crepes and a rice noodle vermincelli dish with pork and shrimp. the shrimp rice crepes were basically hand made rice noodles, stuffed with shrimp, and rolled up into thin enchilada type structures. the plate was also chock full of slivered cucumber, bean sprouts, and mint. the addition of nuc mam and the two chili sauces made this one excellent dish. the vermincelli dish was delicious, loaded with thinly sliced cooked pork, vegetables, and (sadly) only 3 small grilled shrimp. again, nuc mam and chili sauces worked their magic to bring out the flavors and shine of this dish. overall, a pretty healthy and nice meal to close out a holiday weekend. vietnamese cuisine is usually easier to digest that chinese or korean cuisines, and is our favorite.
because they were closing, i did not get the chance to excessively linger, and contemplate the ordering of additional dishes. the clear thoughts of me and the mrs. were that the hanoi kitchen does a great job and we need to return to savor and sample more off the menu. i would recommend that lovers of vietamese food give this place a try.