Soft Shell Crab Summer Roll
by Celia Cheng
May 27th, 2008
CAFÉ ASEAN
117 W 10th St
(6th & Greenwich Ave)
212-633-0348
$
The soft shell crab summer roll is currently a special on Café Asean’s menu, and it’ll only be around for the next two weeks, so go quick! A great variation on the traditional Vietnamese summer roll, the deep-fried soft shell crab is an amazing substitute for shrimp. Arugula adds a refreshing and pungent kick while the mango strikes a sweet contrast. The cucumber is crisp and the avocado — well, that just makes everything taste good. All these goodies wrapped in rice paper make a light and cool summer dish. And don’t forget the kaffir lime and jalapeño chili sauce that’s made in house. It’s spicy but a must-add!
Posted in American , Seafood , Vietnamese , West Village
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Honah Thanh (Seafood Dumplings in Soup)
by Celia Cheng
July 31st, 2006
NAM
110 Reade St
(W B’way & Church St)
Manhattan
212-267-1777
$$
Two to three gigantic seafood dumplings are served in broth. The combination of Chilean sea bass, shrimp and crabmeat is superb. The seafood is fresh and you can clearly taste the pure goodness of the ingredients. Though the dumplings are larger than normal dumplings, everything about the preparation of this dish is delicate and refined. It’s filling as a starter but not quite enough to be a meal in itself. These are some of the best seafood dumplings in town.
Posted in Seafood , Soup , Vietnamese
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Pho
by Celia Cheng
April 20th, 2006
BAO NOODLES
391 2nd Ave
(22nd & 23rd St)
212-725-7770
$
The pho at Bao Noodles is slightly more cleaned up than the usual authentic pho that includes everything from beef balls to tripe. Beef tendon is as adventurous as Bao Noodles gets, but the broth is really good and doesn’t have MSG. For soup noodles, this place serves some of the most satisfying in town and, though not as cheap as Chinatown, has very reasonable prices.
Posted in Noodles , Vietnamese
