"I'll admit that it's difficult for Vietnamese restaurants to impress me since we have some wonderful ones in my hometown. After an afternoon of walking around Clifton in the cold, I was excited to find this fast casual place to warm up with a late lunch. This small spot, that I'd consider pan-Asian, a great window overlooking Clifton Ave and a menu filled with standard dishes. I love a noodle bowl, but with the frigid weather I decided on a hot, veggie stir fry with satay sauce and wide, rice noodles. My friend ordered a veggie, spring roll and the vegan (no fish sauce) noodle or vermicelli bowl. I've never seen cauliflower in Vietnamese cooking, but it was in both our dishes and we enjoyed it. Her noodle bowl was almost like a stir fry on top of a traditional, vermicelli bowl. She doesn't like spicy, so she was pleased. My dish was nose-running spicy, even at medium, with large pieces of vegetables. I liked the flavor, but wished the veggies had been cut to smaller, more manageable, pieces. The noodles were cooked well and had a lovely texture. We chatted over lunch, watching the students from UC (our alma mater) come and go down the street. After a lunch large enough to have leftovers, we made the brisk walk back to our car several blocks away. The parking is tough, but that's the nature of the neighborhood. Since we used to live in it, we weren't surprised. The price was a bit high for students, but with portions that yield two meals, not a bad deal. This wasn't the best Vietnamese I've eaten but it was a solid, healthy meal prepared with care and served with attention to the fact that they had a vegan guests in our party."
