![]() At $3.95, Edward figured it would be a single portion. The rest came home with me for lunch the next day.ĭumpling soups have roots in Hong Kong. I squeezed in the juice, added the condiments and finished two small bowls. I received a side dish of lime wedges, bean sprouts and fresh, fragrant basil. The bowl was filled with tender seasoned meatballs and slender rice noodles. The homemade beef broth was tasty and free of salt. I selected meatball soup because I like the texture of the beef. I figured the medium ($3.95) would suit me just fine, but I was in for a surprise: The big bowl easily could have served four. Three sizes of pho - medium, large and extra large - are available at Viet Hoa. The Vietnamese are famous for pho, big bowls of soups made with noodles and a choice of beef, fish or chicken. I love soup so much I even enjoy it on a brutally hot evening. We found the shrimp to be a little bland, but the dipping sauce enhanced them. They sat atop a bed of shredded lettuce, surrounded by slices of ripe tomato and cucumber. The shrimp were so hot, we had to wait a bit before sampling them. Three small shrimp were, indeed, wrapped in squid, and quickly deep-fried. I looked at the second appetizer and asked a waitress, "Where are the squid?" She told us it was wrapped around the shrimp. A slightly sweet dipping sauce accompanied the dish. The platter contained fresh mint and basil, pickled carrots and turnips, a mound of cool rice noodles topped with chopped peanuts and slices of tomato and cucumber. They were grilled and came out piping hot. Tran prepared a mixture of seasoned minced beef and wrapped the grape leaves around them. The grape leaves - there were eight of them - are among my favorite appetizers. We began our culinary journey to Vietnam with grilled beef wrapped in grape leaves ($4.95) and deep-fried squid on shrimp ($5.50). It is a delicate style of cooking sauces are light, grilled foods are abundant. Fresh lime juice, basil, mint and coriander enhance many of its dishes. Vietnamese food is my favorite Asian cuisine. He chatted with us during dinner (he did not know my identity), and explained the different styles of cooking throughout China, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Thailand. In 1982, he came to Philadelphia and opened Hoa Viet. The person in charge is chef/owner Thang Tran, who left his native Vietnam for Hong Kong, where he attended culinary school. Each dish we savored was perfection in a bowl or on the plate. It’s a good thing we ordered course-by-course because portions are huge. There must be several hundred items ranging from soups to appetizers to entr�es and everything in between. Several staff members took good care of us. One depicted big bald American eagles, another was done up with pretty, colorful fruits. The ceiling was decorated with bunches of plastic red and green grapes, but the laminated tables were sort of interesting. A steam table contained foods that did not appeal to me. Interior design is not a high point at Hoa Viet. We brought along a bottle of chilled Orvietto, found a parking spot and stepped into the most welcome air conditioning. I called the restaurant and, to my delight, found it to be a BYOB. So on yet another brutally hot evening, Edward and I decided to have dinner at Hoa Viet. I soon discovered Hoa Viet is the oldest Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown. How could I have missed this place? I thought to myself. The menu was posted as well, along with newspaper reviews, one dating back nearly 20 years. Roast ducks hung in the window, while fruit and milkshake specials were advertised on brightly colored paper. While walking down Race Street, I happened upon Hoa Viet, a Vietnamese restaurant. Chinatown has become a major shopping destination, an outdoor mini-mall filled with restaurants and all kinds of stores. The neighborhood is usually bustling, filled with people buying Asian greens, fresh fish, fruit, lucky bamboo plants, jewelry, books or a silk jacket. When I finish shopping at the Reading Terminal Market, I sometimes stroll over to Chinatown. ![]()
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