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| ATLANTIC CITY — New Yorkers have been known to grouse about the Vietnamese food in their city. Many have tasted mind-numbingly good pho in places like Houston, San Diego and Falls Church, Va. (national hot spots of Viet cuisine), yet when they encounter the iconic beef and rice-noodle soup at home, the flavors often seem pallid and unknit. | ATLANTIC CITY — New Yorkers have been known to grouse about the Vietnamese food in their city. Many have tasted mind-numbingly good pho in places like Houston, San Diego and Falls Church, Va. (national hot spots of Viet cuisine), yet when they encounter the iconic beef and rice-noodle soup at home, the flavors often seem pallid and unknit. |
| There’s no need to hop onto a plane, though. A scant 125 miles away, in and around this gambling mecca, are a clutch of Vietnamese cafes that arguably rank among the nation’s most authentic, where the steaming bowls of pho have the kind of flavors that can make connoisseurs of the dish leap up from their plastic chairs with pleasure. | There’s no need to hop onto a plane, though. A scant 125 miles away, in and around this gambling mecca, are a clutch of Vietnamese cafes that arguably rank among the nation’s most authentic, where the steaming bowls of pho have the kind of flavors that can make connoisseurs of the dish leap up from their plastic chairs with pleasure. |
| Take the pho dac biet at Hu Tieu Mien Tay. This modest cafe owned by Ha and Thomas Vu — its neon-lighted walls hung with Chinese paintings of raptors soaring over sunlit cliffs — is deep within the food court of Asian Supermarket in Pleasantville, N.J., just across a bay from Atlantic City. At lunch the place is packed, not just with Vietnamese, but with working-class patrons of every stripe, who eat silently save for the loud sound of slurping. | Take the pho dac biet at Hu Tieu Mien Tay. This modest cafe owned by Ha and Thomas Vu — its neon-lighted walls hung with Chinese paintings of raptors soaring over sunlit cliffs — is deep within the food court of Asian Supermarket in Pleasantville, N.J., just across a bay from Atlantic City. At lunch the place is packed, not just with Vietnamese, but with working-class patrons of every stripe, who eat silently save for the loud sound of slurping. |
| The pho is a favorite with this crowd, based on a deeply amber beef broth glittering with tiny droplets of oil. The first flavor to hit the tongue is star anise, followed in quick succession by scallions, cilantro, garlic, onions, charred ginger and perhaps a touch of chicken in the long-boiled broth. Last to unfold is pungent Chinese celery, an ingredient that Vietnamese restaurants in New York usually omit. In the depths is a hoard of meats, including raw steak sliced razor-thin — the bright pink color fading as you watch 00 along with bumpy white tripe, gobs of gluey tendon and tender brisket like something a Jewish mother might make. | |
| But as good as the soup already is, you are encouraged to customize it, first from a plate heaped with bean sprouts, sliced jalapeños, holy basil, lime wedges and the elongated herb called Vietnamese cilantro. Finally, there is a caddy of a dozen jarred and bottled condiments, some obviously homemade, including fish sauce, a red-chile purée, a caramel-like hoisin and (in an apparent tip of the hat to French colonialists) red wine vinegar. | But as good as the soup already is, you are encouraged to customize it, first from a plate heaped with bean sprouts, sliced jalapeños, holy basil, lime wedges and the elongated herb called Vietnamese cilantro. Finally, there is a caddy of a dozen jarred and bottled condiments, some obviously homemade, including fish sauce, a red-chile purée, a caramel-like hoisin and (in an apparent tip of the hat to French colonialists) red wine vinegar. |
| How did such serious pho in come to settle here? | How did such serious pho in come to settle here? |
| Lien Pham, the chef and owner of Little Saigon, recounted how she started Atlantic City’s first Vietnamese restaurant, far from the gambling haunts on a side street that has become the center of a Vietnamese neighborhood. “I came to Atlantic City in the 1980s to take a job as a dealer in one of the casinos,” she said. “There were many Vietnamese casino employees. One day my friends asked, ‘Why don’t you start a restaurant?’ And I did.” | Lien Pham, the chef and owner of Little Saigon, recounted how she started Atlantic City’s first Vietnamese restaurant, far from the gambling haunts on a side street that has become the center of a Vietnamese neighborhood. “I came to Atlantic City in the 1980s to take a job as a dealer in one of the casinos,” she said. “There were many Vietnamese casino employees. One day my friends asked, ‘Why don’t you start a restaurant?’ And I did.” |
| Decorated with banks of customer snapshots and framed articles from local publications, Ms. Pham’s small cafe is the best known of the Vietnamese restaurants, and the one most likely to attract random beachgoers, vacationers and gamblers. Among her specialties are examples of what might be called French-Indochinese haute cuisine, including tom ram man (succulent grilled shrimp cooked in caramel sauce in a clay pot, tendered with a sprig of fresh mint) and bao xao luc lac (cubes of sautéed beefsteak coated with black pepper, served with lettuce and radicchio for wrapping). | Decorated with banks of customer snapshots and framed articles from local publications, Ms. Pham’s small cafe is the best known of the Vietnamese restaurants, and the one most likely to attract random beachgoers, vacationers and gamblers. Among her specialties are examples of what might be called French-Indochinese haute cuisine, including tom ram man (succulent grilled shrimp cooked in caramel sauce in a clay pot, tendered with a sprig of fresh mint) and bao xao luc lac (cubes of sautéed beefsteak coated with black pepper, served with lettuce and radicchio for wrapping). |
| Little Saigon opened in 1991, and now there are a half-dozen Vietnamese restaurants on the city’s slender barrier island and in adjacent Egg Harbor Township. The 2010 census counted about 1,400 residents of Vietnamese descent in Atlantic City, a municipality with a population of only 40,000, and there are certainly a sizable number in the surrounding area. Over the last two decades, the casinos have worked to attract Vietnamese and Chinese customers, partly through Asian-themed gambling areas, foreign-language entertainment extravaganzas and small, semi-secret noodle bars where patrons can quickly indulge in Asian staples before returning to their games. | Little Saigon opened in 1991, and now there are a half-dozen Vietnamese restaurants on the city’s slender barrier island and in adjacent Egg Harbor Township. The 2010 census counted about 1,400 residents of Vietnamese descent in Atlantic City, a municipality with a population of only 40,000, and there are certainly a sizable number in the surrounding area. Over the last two decades, the casinos have worked to attract Vietnamese and Chinese customers, partly through Asian-themed gambling areas, foreign-language entertainment extravaganzas and small, semi-secret noodle bars where patrons can quickly indulge in Asian staples before returning to their games. |
| Right on the Boardwalk, Bally’s has one such cafe, Noodle Village, in which pho and the fried spring rolls called chao gio are prominently featured on the short menu; on peak gambling nights, the place remains open till 6 a.m. Tasted near midnight on a recent evening, the pho was entirely respectable, but with a simpler broth and fewer add-ins than at the full-blown Vietnamese cafes in town. | Right on the Boardwalk, Bally’s has one such cafe, Noodle Village, in which pho and the fried spring rolls called chao gio are prominently featured on the short menu; on peak gambling nights, the place remains open till 6 a.m. Tasted near midnight on a recent evening, the pho was entirely respectable, but with a simpler broth and fewer add-ins than at the full-blown Vietnamese cafes in town. |
| But even though pho is a magnet for lovers of Southeast Asian food and available in multiple memorable versions, it is not the preferred soup of Atlantic City’s Vietnamese immigrants, who regard it as originating in the north of the country. “Food from the south is better with more noodles, and much less heavy than northern food,” said a waiter at another Vietnamese restaurant, Pho Sydney. | But even though pho is a magnet for lovers of Southeast Asian food and available in multiple memorable versions, it is not the preferred soup of Atlantic City’s Vietnamese immigrants, who regard it as originating in the north of the country. “Food from the south is better with more noodles, and much less heavy than northern food,” said a waiter at another Vietnamese restaurant, Pho Sydney. |
| The soup that these immigrants often prefer is hu tieu, originating in the Mekong Delta, southwest of what is now Ho Chi Minh City, which many Vietnamese-Americans in Atlantic City still refer to as Saigon. This arrestingly white soup is based on a rich pork broth, and comes rife with pork and seafood, rather than beef. Indeed, the restaurant in the Pleasantville food court is named after this soup: hu tieu mien tay, meaning “hu tieu of the southwest.” | The soup that these immigrants often prefer is hu tieu, originating in the Mekong Delta, southwest of what is now Ho Chi Minh City, which many Vietnamese-Americans in Atlantic City still refer to as Saigon. This arrestingly white soup is based on a rich pork broth, and comes rife with pork and seafood, rather than beef. Indeed, the restaurant in the Pleasantville food court is named after this soup: hu tieu mien tay, meaning “hu tieu of the southwest.” |
| This soup, too, is a value-added riot of flavors. Garlic chives grace the foamy top of the dac biet, or special, version with shrimp, sliced pork, ground pork, pork liver and chewy pork heart underneath. Floating languidly in one corner are bits of pig skin fried crisp, with fat adhering; in another are caramelized shallots. But lacking the same catalog of fresh herbs as pho, the flavor seems positively Chinese. | This soup, too, is a value-added riot of flavors. Garlic chives grace the foamy top of the dac biet, or special, version with shrimp, sliced pork, ground pork, pork liver and chewy pork heart underneath. Floating languidly in one corner are bits of pig skin fried crisp, with fat adhering; in another are caramelized shallots. But lacking the same catalog of fresh herbs as pho, the flavor seems positively Chinese. |
| Other dishes on the cafe’s menu reflect the deep Khmer roots of southwest Vietnamese culture, including a cold papaya salad featuring crisp shredded green fruit, mint and basil, with a pile of crushed toasted peanuts on top. | Other dishes on the cafe’s menu reflect the deep Khmer roots of southwest Vietnamese culture, including a cold papaya salad featuring crisp shredded green fruit, mint and basil, with a pile of crushed toasted peanuts on top. |
| Vietnamese restaurants in Atlantic City offer several variations of hu tieu, often named after one city or another in the Mekong Delta. Some versions substitute egg noodles — probably introduced to Southeast Asia by the Dutch — for rice-stick noodles, while others offer transparent mung-bean threads instead. | Vietnamese restaurants in Atlantic City offer several variations of hu tieu, often named after one city or another in the Mekong Delta. Some versions substitute egg noodles — probably introduced to Southeast Asia by the Dutch — for rice-stick noodles, while others offer transparent mung-bean threads instead. |
| Far from the casinos in a residential area, Pho Cali offers a version called My Tho, after the capital of Tien Gang province. It features sliced pork roll (which tastes something like bologna), shrimp, fish cake, mung bean threads and an herb mixture that emphasizes cilantro and scallions. | Far from the casinos in a residential area, Pho Cali offers a version called My Tho, after the capital of Tien Gang province. It features sliced pork roll (which tastes something like bologna), shrimp, fish cake, mung bean threads and an herb mixture that emphasizes cilantro and scallions. |
| The Vietnamese restaurant closest to the casinos on the east end of the Boardwalk is Com Tam Ninh Kieu, which sports an unmistakable fuchsia facade to distinguish it from the bodegas, liquor stores, massage parlors and check-cashing centers on it. | The Vietnamese restaurant closest to the casinos on the east end of the Boardwalk is Com Tam Ninh Kieu, which sports an unmistakable fuchsia facade to distinguish it from the bodegas, liquor stores, massage parlors and check-cashing centers on it. |
| Ninh Kieu refers to an urban district in the Can Tho region, and com tam connotes the over-broken-rice dishes topped with things like pork chops, shredded pig skin, crab omelet and grilled chicken that are a staple of Vietnamese vernacular cuisine. Here are a whopping 11 types of hu tieu, including ones involving pig feet, chicken, beef balls, and several shapes of egg noodles and rice-stick noodles. | Ninh Kieu refers to an urban district in the Can Tho region, and com tam connotes the over-broken-rice dishes topped with things like pork chops, shredded pig skin, crab omelet and grilled chicken that are a staple of Vietnamese vernacular cuisine. Here are a whopping 11 types of hu tieu, including ones involving pig feet, chicken, beef balls, and several shapes of egg noodles and rice-stick noodles. |
| A few blocks west on the same hardscrabble Atlantic City avenue is Pho Sydney (so named, the waiter said, because the owner once lived in Australia). This is the island’s largest Vietnamese restaurant, and, at five years old, the youngest. The walls inside are stylish bare brick, with the name spelled across the wall in tiny glittering lights, as if in a casino. Tables fill with extended families who appreciate the comprehensive menu and diner-style atmosphere. There’s a splendid version of bun bo hue, a heavy and spicy beef soup scented with lemon grass from Hue, in the middle of Vietnam, and rice noodles that do a convincing imitation of spaghetti. | |
| As the waiter warned us, this soup is much heavier than any of the southern hu tieus. But maybe, if the outdoor temperature dips, or you haven’t had much luck indoors at the gaming tables, this fortifying potage might be exactly what you’re looking for. | As the waiter warned us, this soup is much heavier than any of the southern hu tieus. But maybe, if the outdoor temperature dips, or you haven’t had much luck indoors at the gaming tables, this fortifying potage might be exactly what you’re looking for. |
| • | • |
| Hu Tieu Mien Tay, 700 Black Horse Pike, Pleasantville, N.J.; (609) 646-8977; hutieumientay.com. | Hu Tieu Mien Tay, 700 Black Horse Pike, Pleasantville, N.J.; (609) 646-8977; hutieumientay.com. |
| Little Saigon, 2801 Arctic Avenue, Atlantic City; (609) 347-9119. | Little Saigon, 2801 Arctic Avenue, Atlantic City; (609) 347-9119. |
| Noodle Village, Bally’s Casino, 1900 Pacific Avenue, Atlantic City; (609) 340-2000; ballysac.com. | Noodle Village, Bally’s Casino, 1900 Pacific Avenue, Atlantic City; (609) 340-2000; ballysac.com. |
| Pho Sydney, 2323 Atlantic Avenue, Atlantic City; (609) 348-5946. | Pho Sydney, 2323 Atlantic Avenue, Atlantic City; (609) 348-5946. |
| Pho Cali, 3808 Ventnor Avenue, Atlantic City; (609) 340-0063; phocaliac.com. | Pho Cali, 3808 Ventnor Avenue, Atlantic City; (609) 340-0063; phocaliac.com. |
| Com Tam Ninh Kieu, 1124 Atlantic Avenue, Atlantic City; (609) 572-9211; comtamninhkieu.com. | Com Tam Ninh Kieu, 1124 Atlantic Avenue, Atlantic City; (609) 572-9211; comtamninhkieu.com. |