Old Worthington has an iconic, deliciously walkable downtown stretch cluttered with outlets for edibles; ice cream, baked goods, French food, lots of continental eateries, and pizza.
Now it’s home to a new Vietnamese restaurant too. The option is excitingly off-theme for the mainstream scene. An old-fashioned Chinese restaurant, the sort of place that serves up a ubiquitous General Tso’s, might be more anticipated. The newbie is not that sort of place; its offerings are distinctly Vietnamese. Even better news for local diners: most of the menu items are priced under $10.
A Taste of Vietnam set up shop inside the shell of Rivage. The spot has a deceptively tiny storefront, but is impossibly huge and cavernous inside with something close to a pub-feel.
So far, the absolute favorite, most beloved thing on the menu has been the Thit bo nurong ($8.25). That’s a beef version of Banh Mi (“Banh My” on the menu). Before further discussion, an admission: the whole Banh Mi craze among the uber hip has been a personal mystery. The sandwich concept is fine, but as delivered, it’s been mostly a big bread event that involves a scant supply of quirky interior accessories.
So When it comes to Banh Mi: this place delivers. You get the ubiquitous long sub bun with soft bready insides, savory pate, julliened carrots and daikon, both soaked in something vaguely sweet, cucumbers, peppers, and piles and piles of thinly sliced marinated beef. It gets the balance right, and that makes it a crave-worthy sandwich experience.
A noodle dish, Bun thit nurong ($9.60 — pictured at the top), scores too: it offers loops of noodles with grilled pork plus lettuce, mint and cucumbers in the mix. Topped with chopped peanuts, it’s compelling in a briny, endlessly entertaining way.
In the appetizer department, Goi cuon tom thit ($4.99) are spring rolls with shrimp and pork. The roll itself is more of a textural adventure, with a translucent rice wrapper filled with sliced fresh shrimp, stretchy noodles, long shreds of lettuce and thinly sliced pork. In essence, its neutral flavors make the roll a vehicle for the accompanying peanut sauce. Totally worth a try.
Because everything on the menu is so affordable, you can branch out into some other culinary experiments that might be a little riskier. The Salad tron thit bo ($8.95) is described as a beef salad. That sounds about right. Topped with beautifully crinkle-cut cucumbers and ground peanuts, it’s basically giant shards of iceberg and cubes of steak with sliced tomatoes. It feels like functional food, rather than an object of cravings.
Or there’s Banh cuon nhan thit ($9.45): that’s a rice crepe with ground pork. This dish seems like it might be an acquired taste: a pile of stretchy, translucent rice crepes hold granules of seasoned ground pork. It’s lots and lots of starchy crepe, basically seasoned with a little bit of meat. For this eater, the crepe one is a one-and-done sort of thing.
That’s not to say there won’t be more future experiments. As long as the sandwich is there, it’s worth return trips, and there will be return trips. There are some Vietnamese coffees to try, and full bar with a happy hour that runs from 4pm-8pm. You’ll find it at 652 N. High Street in Worthington.
Photos by Walker Evans.
For more information, visit www.vietnameserestaurantworthington.com.
