Update May 2023: This place is now permanently closed.
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We had heard and read good things about Viet Kitchen, which is located in Atlas Valley where the Super Mini Walnut Café used to be on the southwest corner of 95th and Arapahoe. They have a patio that is probably quite nice on a still evening, but we were there last Wednesday night, when the wind was blasting through as if it really wanted to take us to Oz, so we did not try dining al fresco. Some friends also wanted to try this restaurant, so we got takeout and took it over to their place. The online ordering system worked fine, but as usual with these systems, I would have liked a bit more detail about some of the dishes. The website currently consists only of the online ordering system, so there is nowhere to get more info unless you order by phone or visit in person.
G and I shared an order of Vietnamese egg rolls (wrapped in
house), which were crisp and tasty. I almost always get a vermicelli bowl in
Vietnamese restaurants (even though I never saw this on a menu when I was
actually in Vietnam; maybe it is a regional thing?), so I decided to branch out
and order the roti chicken (“pan fried until crisp, slow braised in a sweet soy
marinade, and served over a bed of rice”). This was delicious, and my only quibble
was that I would have loved a bit more of the marinade/sauce to drizzle on the
rice.
G had the combination pho; we don’t know what it combined because
the menu didn’t say, but it was at least a couple of kinds of red meat. He was especially
impressed by the broth, which the menu says is “bone broth simmered over time
with aromatic herbs.” M mentioned that she had seen quite a few online reviews
mention the pho broth at this place. Pho is actually a dish that we had quite often
in Vietnam, mainly at the street stalls where you have to sit on a little stool
about 8 inches off the ground and right at the edge of the street to eat it. It
was always delicious, and you can get it any time of day, so we even had it for
breakfast a few times. G has been known to make it himself, which is a project
that pretty much takes all day, so he hasn’t done it in a long time.
M had an order of the spring rolls, which came wrapped
tightly in plastic to keep them from drying out and looked very good. She also had
the beef short ribs (marinated and char grilled) and said they were excellent.
S, the lone vegetarian among us, had the vermicelli bowl (rice noodles topped
with lettuce, bean sprouts, cucumber, and crispy shallots) with tofu and also liked
her meal very much. So I’d say this restaurant was four for four that night, and we would
definitely revisit to try some more things.
* Lafayette Restaurant Project Redux: visiting all the new places that have opened since the end of the previous round of the LRP.
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| G flopped this photo when he sent it to me so it wouldn't be backward, but I flopped it back--because this is actually what the banner looked like from the parking lot. |
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| I snagged this photo from Yelp because I forgot to take one. |
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| Roti chicken with rice; on the side is one of the Vietnamese egg rolls with fish sauce for dipping |
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| M's beef short ribs with rice and a fresh spring roll |
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| G's combination pho |
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| S's tofu vermicelli bowl |
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| Happy with my plate of food |
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