Viet Chopsticks, Van Ness, Washington, DC

The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. So I went out for soup on that cold, cold, wet day.

Soup is just the thing when it’s cold and gray and wet. But which soup? Pho! I’d recently enjoyed a bowl at Pho Tan Vinh in Silver Spring, and in response to my post on Thai Pad in Van Ness, a reader had suggested I try Viet Chopsticks. Off I went.

Inside Viet Chopsticks, it was warm and cozy, just what I wanted. It’s an attractive space, with a mural of scenes from Vietnam covered one long wall, and a similar painting shared space with pre-war (or inter-war) photos of Vietnam next to the bar. I relaxed and looked over the menu.

Viet Chopsticks has a wide-ranging menu, about eight pages, and it covers all manner of Vietnamese dishes. The menu was full of delicious-sounding options, and although the pho page seemed an afterthought, I was hell-bent on pho. I ordered a small pho with brisket, flank, fat brisket, soft tendon, and bible tripe ($11.95).

Inspired by the range of flavors on the menu, I ordered an entirely unnecessary pork bahn mi ($7.95), which looked a lot smaller on the menu than on the platter, but I may just have assumed a $7.95 sandwich around here would be small. In fact the bahn mi is a substantial sandwich.

I started with a few bites of the bahn mi. The pork was lean and tasted of the slight sweetness of Vietnamese seasoning. It was topped with a mix of julienned carrots, cucumbers, and scallions sprinkled with cilantro, all on a flavorful light bread with a very crispy exterior.  I enjoyed the blend of flavors and textures. This is a good sandwich.

I set most of the sandwich aside to focus on the pho. The broth was delicious. It was accompanied by a particularly large amount of basil, which I think adds a wonderful dimension to pho. I added that and squeezed in the lime. I held off on the jalapeños to eat with the meat and noodles. I find that if I add jalapeños they tend to permeate the broth, and the heat sometimes interferes with the flavor. I set aside the bean sprouts, period. One odd thing: the accompanying sriracha and plum sauces were poured into the same bowl, and presented a sort of yin and yang design. It was pretty, but I can do without the plum sauce, so prefer separate containers. And I’m not sure that the bowl contained all five meats.

It was a very satisfying meal in a pleasant, comfortable setting. The pho was just what the doctor ordered, and I took most of the bahn mi home for later. I look forward to going back and exploring the menu. I did leave with the feeling that my. choices, although I enjoyed them, didn’t really tap the best of Viet Chopsticks, the dishes that they do best. What should I order next time?

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