Long Island has long been in need of “Vietnamization” when it comes to dining. For too long we had no Vietnam cuisine, on either the North or the South shores. But now we can boast two places-one for takeout, one for sit-down casual-both having expanded their original Chinese menus.
Saigon Jasmine Asian Fusion in East Meadow is an unassuming Chinese takeout that has been quietly preparing an extensive roster of Vietnamese dishes for about a year. The original chef, who worked at Manhattan’s Saigon Grill, has departed, but the cuisine lives on despite an indifferent local clientele (the proprietor hasn’t been able to sell the cuisine to his neighbors). It probably doesn’t help that the sign above the door doesn’t even clue one in to the presence of the very extensive Vietnamese menu, despite its relative scarcity. Updating the name from Saigon to Ho Chi Minh City probably wouldn’t help, either.
But the addictive, sweet Bun Xao ($7.95) version of Pad Thai, loaded with beef (or shrimp or chicken) and morsels of egg, is well worth abandoning thoughts of lo mein. Very mildly spiced Curry Ga ($8.50), full of white meat chicken, eggplant and other vegetables in curry coconut milk, is also available as Curry Bo (beef). Lemongrass Shrimp ($10.95) with stir-fried prawns and red chilis is spicier. For only five bucks, you can make your midday meal a wonderful thing, with lunch-sized portions of all the above and more.
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There are a few salads, including Goi Muc ($5.50) with rubbery calamari rings on greens with a light tamarind-flavored dressing. For something really unusual, try the Sugar Cane Shrimp ($4.95) appetizer, with two huge shrimp, breaded and wrapped around a sugar cane stalk and deep-fried. Bite the shrimp and cane until the juice escapes.
Paradise Island, a dependable Williston Park neighborhood Chinese restaurant, also seems intent on keeping its new Vietnamese menu a secret. With no sign outside-perhaps they’re waiting to see how things go-one wouldn’t know that this is LI’s only sit-down Vietnamese restaurant until you see the menu. The interior is not much to look at and the kitchen seems to run short of rice crepes each time I visit. But Asian food lovers can celebrate-especially on cold winter days-the rare appearance of the national dish, Pho ($3.25/5.95). A hardy soup that serves as a very satisfying meal, its sturdy broth is flavored with oxtail, beef slices, long rice noodles and onions. Dishes of basil leaves and Hoisin sauce come alongside to add more flavor. After slurping noodles get some fried spring rolls called Cha Gio ($4.75) or steamed rolls called Goi ($4.50-4.95). We ordered Goi Ga with chicken one night and got Goi Cuon Chay, the less tasty vegetable version. Ga Xao Gung ($9.50) is ginger-honey chicken that surprised us with rather large slices of ginger in the sauce. Its version of Curry Ga ($9.50) was served with pancakes and the sauce had more of a nutty flavor. Coconut Rice ($2) always makes a meal better. A simple dessert of Fried Bananas ($3.95) disappointed with greasy, deep-fried fruit that lost batter on the plate. Vietnamese cuisine is delicious, and it helps to finally find restaurant brave enough to serve it.
For now, these are the only games in town.
Paradise Island
344 Hillside Ave.
Williston Park
516-248-3707
Saigon Jasmine Asian Fusion
512 East Meadow Ave.
East Meadow
516-794-2230
