A new spot in Union Square serves some of the best pho in town
La Dồng, a new Vietnamese restaurant on East 17th Street, describes itself as an "Asian colonial house" focused on street food.
The opening was announced in Resy and, apparently, nowhere else. The restaurant occupies 11 East 17th Street, at the corner of Fifth Avenue, and its dining room features a bright mural on exposed brick: a woman in a straw hat adorned with jeweled tassels holding a bouquet of pink flowers.
The chef is Pithayakorn Panapoi, and the owners are Jaruwijit Jaruthiphayakhantha and Hathaichanog Setasathien, the latter responsible for the space's design. The group had previously opened the nearby Thai Villa and Pranakhon, a restaurant south of Union Square that recreates a Thai market. At La Dong, a bar with bamboo walls leads to a room with private booths under stained-wood arches, and lotus-shaped lamps complete the impression of a 19th-century colonial space.
The menu, which is presented on both sides, includes 45 dishes divided into seven categories, including appetizers, salads, pho, bánh mì and main courses.
The $21 pho Hà Nội is one of the best phos I've had in New York. Named after the northern city, it's simple and minimalist: a light, not-too-salty broth with scallions and cilantro. The most prominent cut of beef is the fatty brisket, but even more remarkable are the rice noodles, wider and more substantial than expected. It's served with Thai chilies with seeds, which should be handled with care, and vinegar. There are five other types of pho, including chicken pho gà and a dried duck pho served with a separate broth.
Among the appetizers, the $15 summer roll is served in a basket of four amidst lettuce and aromatic herbs. Its wrapper isn't fried rice paper, but rather finely shredded wheat with a perfect crispness, and inside it contains shrimp, pork, crab, and mushrooms. The bánh cuốn, rolled rice dumplings topped with shallots, are a rare sight in the city. They arrive attached to the bottom of four individual dishes wrapped in banana leaves, inside a basket, and are served with a dipping sauce.
The best dish of the evening, besides the pho, was a whole fish Hanoi-style (cá chiên nước mắm): a good-sized sea bass, $39, seasoned with turmeric and dill. It arrived at the table a bright yellow, and each boneless bite was wrapped in lettuce and herbs, with enough to take home.
Not everything is convincing. The beef stew has chewy, slightly rubbery chunks of meat, smothered in a sweet glaze and topped with crushed peanuts, and it's too similar to a typical steakhouse dish. The $17 bone marrow pâté comes with three pieces of toast, which would have been appreciated, and is covered with a cognac-flavored jelly that masks its taste.
The classic bánh mì, served hot, has a sliced surface spread with pâté and topped with a thick slice of sausage, lettuce, grated carrot, and basil, making it quite distinct from other bánh mì in the city. Although the establishment doesn't yet have a license to sell alcohol, its non-alcoholic drinks are exceptional, especially the coconut salt coffee, a recipe originating from the port city of Huế. Served in a tall, chilled glass, it's not sweet, and its slight bitterness pairs well with many dishes on the menu.
