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Green Papaya
Oct. 29th, 2006 01:43 pmOfficial site.
Green Papaya is the closest vietnamese restaurant to my apartment, so when my first visit wasn't so great, the disappointment had an extra sting to it. That day, I'd studied the menu online before going, and tried to order bun thit nuong, which I knew they had. The waiter had no idea what I meant, so I found it on the menu and pointed it out. "Oh, you mean a vermicelli salad bowl!" I guess so, but that's like working in a mexican restaurant and offering "tortilla wrap sandwiches" when you mean burritos. Then I asked for iced coffee, figuring that was the safe way to order cafe sua da, and he said, "All we have is vietnamese coffee."
While I waited for my order, a couple of other parties came in and were seated, and then a woman came in for a to-go order. He told her that because a couple of large parties had just ordered, she was probably looking at a 15-20 minute wait. A good chef ought to be able to expedite the to-go orders, especially in a place where they heavily advertise their to-go counter with a separate doorway and special name.
Then my bun thit nuong came, and I hated it. It was a warm wet mess, much like the one I had at Saigon Bistro and hated so much.
But deciding never to come back made no sense, since it's so close, and it's a nice place. The room is spacious and well-decorated, and they've spread the tables out nicely instead of packing them in the way so many restaurants do. So a few weeks ago when I called in sick to work, I decided to drag myself out of bed and try their pho. But I couldn't, because they were closed to have the hood in their kitchen cleaned.
Today I was in the mood for a good greasy breakfast and some cocktails at Linda's, but about 7 people went in as I approached, and a few left because there was obviously going to be a long wait. And the crowd at Linda's isn't exactly one I like when it's larger and louder. So I figured it was time to give Green Papaya another chance.
CONDIMENTS ON THE TABLE
The last time I went, there was nothing on the table, and I had to ask for chili sauce to go with my bun. This time, most of the tables had salt, pepper, and soy sauce. I was worried they wouldn't bring hoisin and Sriracha, but they did, in small glass condiment jars they keep refrigerated. That was a nice touch, except it's pretty hard to spoon cold, thick hoisin evenly over the soup.
Their pho bo (beef pho) is pretty expensive at $7 a pop, but they use Angus beef, and the strips of it in my soup were fantastic. The soup itself was pretty dull, but after I added the requisite hoisin and Sriracha, it was pretty damn good. I started off with a half-order of their spring rolls, which was pretty good, but also pricey at $3.
I originally wanted cafe sua da, but not for $3.50. The coffee at Than Brothers is among the best, and they only charge $1.75 for it. But I realized that there was a full bar, and I could have a screwdriver. So I did. Twice.
It's easier to find good vietnamese food in this neighborhood than it is to find a Samoan at the airport, but it's nice to have a decent one so close by. I'm glad my favorites aren't as close, because I'm forced to venture out of my immediate neighborhood.
By the way, the bathroom has a urinal in a private stall. That's weird.
Green Papaya is the closest vietnamese restaurant to my apartment, so when my first visit wasn't so great, the disappointment had an extra sting to it. That day, I'd studied the menu online before going, and tried to order bun thit nuong, which I knew they had. The waiter had no idea what I meant, so I found it on the menu and pointed it out. "Oh, you mean a vermicelli salad bowl!" I guess so, but that's like working in a mexican restaurant and offering "tortilla wrap sandwiches" when you mean burritos. Then I asked for iced coffee, figuring that was the safe way to order cafe sua da, and he said, "All we have is vietnamese coffee."
While I waited for my order, a couple of other parties came in and were seated, and then a woman came in for a to-go order. He told her that because a couple of large parties had just ordered, she was probably looking at a 15-20 minute wait. A good chef ought to be able to expedite the to-go orders, especially in a place where they heavily advertise their to-go counter with a separate doorway and special name.
Then my bun thit nuong came, and I hated it. It was a warm wet mess, much like the one I had at Saigon Bistro and hated so much.
But deciding never to come back made no sense, since it's so close, and it's a nice place. The room is spacious and well-decorated, and they've spread the tables out nicely instead of packing them in the way so many restaurants do. So a few weeks ago when I called in sick to work, I decided to drag myself out of bed and try their pho. But I couldn't, because they were closed to have the hood in their kitchen cleaned.
Today I was in the mood for a good greasy breakfast and some cocktails at Linda's, but about 7 people went in as I approached, and a few left because there was obviously going to be a long wait. And the crowd at Linda's isn't exactly one I like when it's larger and louder. So I figured it was time to give Green Papaya another chance.
CONDIMENTS ON THE TABLE
The last time I went, there was nothing on the table, and I had to ask for chili sauce to go with my bun. This time, most of the tables had salt, pepper, and soy sauce. I was worried they wouldn't bring hoisin and Sriracha, but they did, in small glass condiment jars they keep refrigerated. That was a nice touch, except it's pretty hard to spoon cold, thick hoisin evenly over the soup.
Their pho bo (beef pho) is pretty expensive at $7 a pop, but they use Angus beef, and the strips of it in my soup were fantastic. The soup itself was pretty dull, but after I added the requisite hoisin and Sriracha, it was pretty damn good. I started off with a half-order of their spring rolls, which was pretty good, but also pricey at $3.
I originally wanted cafe sua da, but not for $3.50. The coffee at Than Brothers is among the best, and they only charge $1.75 for it. But I realized that there was a full bar, and I could have a screwdriver. So I did. Twice.
It's easier to find good vietnamese food in this neighborhood than it is to find a Samoan at the airport, but it's nice to have a decent one so close by. I'm glad my favorites aren't as close, because I'm forced to venture out of my immediate neighborhood.
By the way, the bathroom has a urinal in a private stall. That's weird.
