"Safe" choice for non-adventurous palate at Vietnamese restaurant?

kshama2001
kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
in Food and Nutrition
My OH has a hard time getting me out of the house in the cold and dark this time of year, so I got to pick the restaurant. He's a meat and potatoes guy, and we're going to a Vietnamese restaurant. I'm not familiar with this cuisine, other than pho, which he has never had, and this particular Pork Meatball Banh Mi.

He'll probably have the pho, but I thought I would also ask here for suggestions for something "safe" for his not particularly adventurous palate (calories are not an issue). He only likes a little spice, and despises cilantro and fresh ginger (dried is fine.)

http://www.pho98degree.com/menu.php

TIA

Replies

  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    many also have a standard 'chinese' menu. i dont like vietnamese food, but the place my ex and i used to go on occasion had a chinese menu available.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    edited January 2019
    Most of the Vietnamese food that I have had hasn't been especially spicy so that probably won't be an issue. Any noodle or rice bowl should be fine but I wouldn't be surprised if he's fine with most of the menu, especially if it's catering to a largely non-vietnamese clientele.

    Are you able to look at the menu beforehand?
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,753 Member
    Bahn mi? Vietnamese sub sandwich? Even better if it comes with a broth, like a French dip. So awesome! You will have a converted soul. :fingers crossed:
  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,753 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    My OH has a hard time getting me out of the house in the cold and dark this time of year, so I got to pick the restaurant. He's a meat and potatoes guy, and we're going to a Vietnamese restaurant. I'm not familiar with this cuisine, other than pho, which he has never had, and this particular Pork Meatball Banh Mi.

    He'll probably have the pho, but I thought I would also ask here for suggestions for something "safe" for his not particularly adventurous palate (calories are not an issue). He only likes a little spice, and despises cilantro and fresh ginger (dried is fine.)

    http://www.pho98degree.com/menu.php

    TIA

    Quotes are whacked. See above.
  • happytree923
    happytree923 Posts: 463 Member
    edited January 2019
    Pho is pretty tame without the organ meat toppings- most places will have a list of meats you can pick from so you can just order the ones you like. Jalapeños, basil, bean sprouts etc usually come on the side so you don't have to add them.

    Edit: totally missed the part where you said he will probably eat pho. Anyway, pho is a great choice for cold dreary days.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    I second the lemongrass suggestion. The caramelized pork also sounds good for a non-adventurous person. I wish our local place had such a huge menu!
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    I totally missed the link to the menu. That said, with regards to spiciness, anything other than the hot pot should be fine. The rest will be a matter of whether or not you think he'll like the flavor. I stand by my suggestion of the rice plates and noodle dishes. They're a pretty safe option for people who aren't used to Vietnamese flavors. Either the grilled chicken or pork would likely be fine as would egg rolls.

    The bánh hỏi might be a little too unfamiliar for him, but all of the topics would be fine for the most part (which is why I'd suggest the bún over that).
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Thanks all!

    Turns out he'd seen Kevin James's "King of Queens character" trying pho so was more open to it than I originally thought, so that's what we both got. Yum!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYnW8K3rlqw

    One of the garnishes was Thai basil, which I just love in soup. I grew it last year, and will every year now.

    I also got the Thai tea. She asked me if I wanted bubbles and I said "Sure", not knowing what she meant. Now I know these are black tapioca pearls. That was fun.

    Boba-Thai-Tea-4.jpg

    I buy Thai tea leaves at the Asian store but put in a lot less sugar than they do at restaurants, and just use half & half, but enjoyed having it full strength last night.
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    I love Boba!!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    L1zardQueen wrote: »
    Bahn mi? Vietnamese sub sandwich? Even better if it comes with a broth, like a French dip. So awesome! You will have a converted soul. :fingers crossed:

    Ya, Bahn mi with pork meatballs is one of two Vietnamese dishes I've made and I love it. It's the recipe that introduced me to sriracha. The menu is all images, not searchable text, and I wasn't able to find it before I left the house, and it was a good night for pho last night, so didn't get any farther than the pho when in the restaurant.

    I think I might make it soon.

    banh-mi-meatballs-16-9.jpg
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Chef_Barbell wrote: »
    I love Boba!!

    I have tapioca pearls on my shopping list :smiley:
  • dsboohead
    dsboohead Posts: 1,899 Member
    Shrimp or chicken spring rolls. They are fresh and not fried. The peanut sauce is probably the highest calorie item but you don't need alot.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    L1zardQueen wrote: »
    Bahn mi? Vietnamese sub sandwich? Even better if it comes with a broth, like a French dip. So awesome! You will have a converted soul. :fingers crossed:

    Ya, Bahn mi with pork meatballs is one of two Vietnamese dishes I've made and I love it. It's the recipe that introduced me to sriracha. The menu is all images, not searchable text, and I wasn't able to find it before I left the house, and it was a good night for pho last night, so didn't get any farther than the pho when in the restaurant.

    I think I might make it soon.

    banh-mi-meatballs-16-9.jpg

    You should check out Andrea Nguyen's blog, Viet World Kitchen.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Lemongrass chicken and rice. Fresh shrimp rolls with peanut sauce. And of course pho.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

    We went to another Vietnamese restaurant yesterday and this time I got the lemongrass chicken with rice noodles. Amazing!
  • Butt_Snorkeler
    Butt_Snorkeler Posts: 167 Member
    I recommend bowls of rice + meat instead of soup. And if they have the chance, DIY rice paper rolls. We have a restaurant that I enjoy going to that will set the dried rice paper next to you with an assortment of ingredients. You wet the rice paper in warm water and then mix the ingredients to your liking and roll it up.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    O_shiri_shunokeru wrote: »
    I recommend bowls of rice + meat instead of soup. And if they have the chance, DIY rice paper rolls. We have a restaurant that I enjoy going to that will set the dried rice paper next to you with an assortment of ingredients. You wet the rice paper in warm water and then mix the ingredients to your liking and roll it up.

    Yes, while it was soup weather when I first posted this, it isn't now. DIY rice paper rolls sounds like a lot of fun! I'll have to do that at home some time.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,961 Member
    My husband has an unadventurous palate as well, though we have been to Vietnam twice on holiday. The main things with Vietnamese cooking that the unadventurous might have difficulty with is the use of fish sauce and the use of sweetness in savoury dishes.

    Of the starters the pork spring rolls (6) and the plain deep fried chicken wings (12). For mains, broken rice with grilled beef (95). Pho is always a safe bet.
  • leonadixon
    leonadixon Posts: 479 Member
    I am also not adventurous, but my favorate Vietnamese dish is "bun ga nuong". It's kind of like a salad topped with rice noodles, veggies, and grilled chicken. So delicious!
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    i had a dish at our local Pho place the other day which was vermicelli noodles and then 4 vegetarian spring rolls on top - simple and fiilling
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,961 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    O_shiri_shunokeru wrote: »
    I recommend bowls of rice + meat instead of soup. And if they have the chance, DIY rice paper rolls. We have a restaurant that I enjoy going to that will set the dried rice paper next to you with an assortment of ingredients. You wet the rice paper in warm water and then mix the ingredients to your liking and roll it up.

    Yes, while it was soup weather when I first posted this, it isn't now. DIY rice paper rolls sounds like a lot of fun! I'll have to do that at home some time.

    I do rice paper rolls at home for socialable, casual dinner parties. For a low calorie main filler I mix half and half grated raw carrots with chopped up cooked bean or rice vermicelli. Herbs such as coriander, mint, basil and chives are easy to find in a regular supermarket though if you have access to an asian supermarket you can get fancy stuff like perilla leaf and sawtooth coriander. For protein a selection of boiled prawns, grilled or parboiled and thinly sliced chicken breast or pork, thinly sliced lean grill steak. We normally have classic nuoc cham for people watching calorie intake. Peanut satay sauce for people who aren't. You can use either a bowl of hot or cold water for softening the rice papers. Hot water is quicker, but I use cold if there are kids at the table.

    Make this an easy three course meal with Vietnamese watercress soup that you can sip between bites of paper rolls if you chop watercress finely and a dessert such as Cambodian pumpkin custard. I normally add a dash of fish sauce to the watercress soup. You can cook the custard on the defrost setting in the microwave.

    http://missadventureathome.blogspot.com/2011/04/canh-xa-lach-son-vietnamese-watercress.html
    https://www.cambodiarecipe.com/recipe/cambodian-pumpkin-coconut-custard/

Categories