Van Đa

Wow. The flavors at Van Da are amazing. This was one of the best meals I have had in awhile. Our party of 3 was likely the last seating of the night so we were asked politely to order quickly ahead of the kitchen closing. We ordered an array items. It did take awhile for an our drinks to come but the food came quickly and kept us occupied. Bahn beo- rice cakes with minced shrimp. Wow, i ended up loving these. Between the scallion oil (and maybe a hint of fish sauce (?)) the flavor was sweet and savory and the texture of the rice cake was dumpling - esk. I recommend using a spoon to scoop it. Comes with 4 pieces. Pho short rib grilled cheese- pretty good! Pretty much exactly what you would expect paired with a dipping liquid of pho. Comes with 3 pieces. Bahn Khot- are little baked cups of mushroom. Once you added the sauce and topped with cilantro it had a ton of flavor. Loved these so much!! Shaken beef- delicious. Similar to cubed beef I've had previously. Cooked medium rare and was flavorful and juicy. Duck entree- forget the name but it came over a bed of noodles. This was a uniquely sweet meat as it seemed to be covered in a brown sugar based sauce. I enjoyed it but it might be too much for people who do not love sweet meat. Ambiance is warm and inviting, they have tables downstairs as well and did a nice job creating warm vibes using the white exposed brick. The drinks were great, one gin martini is more than enough! Cannot wait to return!

I went here for Valentine's Day and it was pretty good. I definitely loved the ambiance, it was very dark and crammed together but it felt comfortable and wasn't too loud. The servers were very nice and we were seated for our reservation as soon as we arrived which was very nice.The foot itself was pretty good. We ordered from the set menu -- which lets you choose 2 appetizers and 2 entrees along with a 3 courses of dumplings. The dumplings were decent but definitely the worst part of our meal. The tartare I was a bit disappointed in as it could have used a bit more salt but it was still enjoyable. The Shrimp and Sweet Potato Fritters are served with greens and a great sauce to make wraps and dip. They were delicious. The Mi Vit Tiem (or Duck noodles) were fantastic and easily the best part of the meal. If you were thinking of getting a cocktail, definitely do so. I'd highly recommend the Ho Chi Smokey or the Passion of Thanh Hoa.Overall this is a solid restaurant with good drinks and good food. Not everything on the menu was great but the stuff that was--tasted fantastic!

I finally got around to stopping by recently! We got a last minute res for dinner on a weekday and it wasn't crowded at all. We got the set menu for $53 pp, which included one banh beo, banh it ram, and banh bot loc per person - all were pretty good, though I've only had banh beo and banh it ram once before, so I don't have a good basis for comparison. I like how they gave bottles of spicy sauce and fish sauce on the side for us to add to the food.For appetizers we got the the pho short rib grilled cheese (this was solid, nothing super amazing), and the beef tartare, and for entrees we tried the branzino and the duck noodles. The fish and duck were well cooked, and we enjoyed the flavors. Overall it was a great experience, and I'm glad we stopped by!

So, I'm not happy about having to leave this review. BEWARE as this restaurant would rather have patrons come in with COVID than allow someone to cancel without a cancellation fee as punishment. I had a reservation for 6:00. At 2:30 my friend let me know she had COVID. I called at 3:15 and 3:45 to cancel, assuming they would be decent about the situation and not charge me. they did not answer at those times, and I assumed it was because they had Not yet opened, so I resumed my work day.... Once I got home from work I called again at 4:55.The woman I first got said she would cancel without charging. I then looked at my banking app, and saw I was charged. I called back, and that is when the saga began. I asked to speak to a manager multiple times.... And was disregarded. As we all know, once BOTH being told you wouldn't be charged, and then not allowing to speak to a manager, tempers start to rise. And mine did. I insisted again to speak to a manager. She got in the call and gave me the same "this is our policy" BS. This woman said, "covid has been around for 5 years"... WHAT that comment means, not sure? I can only assume it's uncaring about the health of their workers and patrons. She told me people lie, I insisted, I am an honest and decent human, and AM NOT LYING. They asked why I didn't call earlier. I told them I had. They then called me a liar. I asked if they would like my friend and I to come in with covid - to which they went silent. This manager then stayed on the phone with me, ignoring me and not responding for about 40seconds. At this point, I obviously had no faith they would do the right thing, because of how upset they made me. We all know how a good old "f you" works, am I right? She literally told me to email her SCREEN SHOTS of when I called them. THIS is how desperate they are to earn a dishonest $30? Hey said I could use it as a future credit, but at this point, why would a person EVER want to visit this establishment? Clearly they don't care about Illnesses, so can you imagine how they react if an employee tries to call out as sick, and they don't care? It's bad business. i shouldn't have to defend myself for being an honest person - and be given some personal "view" about how covid has "been around for 5 years". For me, this is wnough to not visit a restaurant. Some of you might not care. But I sure hope a lot of you do. It's just not right. I wouldn't be surprised if they come back around and ask for my friends Covid test result. That's how slimy these people are.

3.5 stars overall -- IG posted a foodie video and down the rabbit hole I went. This restaurant has two levels, first floor is dimly lit, cozy and is quieter and good for conversation. There are several small tables and bar counter seating. Downstairs is where you'll find the larger dining room with a much livelier crowd of patrons (and restrooms). Definitely good for groups and the more social, drinking crowd as it's even darker downstairs. The main menu is two sided, the front - it's tasting menu received a Michelin Bib Gourmand award at $53/pp (Dec. 2024), which is served family style. They will do their best to accommodate food allergies but in some cases it may not be possible. (My shrimp allergy made it a bit challenging to dine here but there was plenty on the menu to choose aside from that). On the back of the menu, you'll find the a la carte style options. Overall I liked the menu options here better and the waitress was mindful of my shrimp allergy so she pointed out what could be altered and what couldn't.We started off with the vegetarian turmeric crepe with mushrooms and fish sauce (served on the side). There was an option to add protein for an additional supplement but we chose to keep it vegetarian. The crepe was very crisp like an egg roll would be. But the mushrooms being so mild in flavor, this dish could've used another ingredient to bring out more taste. We were not a fan and didn't finish it. As per the IG reel, you know I had to order the Short Rib Grilled cheese sandwich. It was served with a Beef broth as a dipping "au jus". The sandwich looked and tasted good! They could've been a little more generous with the meat portion as it was a bit skimpier looking than the IG post. The beef broth was the best compliment and that completed this dish to make it satisfying.For our main entrees, my friend ordered the fish, Cha Ca La. It was a turmeric branzino perfectly pan seared. The skin and outer texture was crisp without drying the rest of the meat. The flesh was soft and very moist. It was the best dish we had this evening. I ordered the Mi Vit Tiem, which was a roasted five spice duck. Paired with thick egg noodles and shitake mushrooms with duck sauce. This duck was served sliced, a bit fatty but it was perfectly seasoned. The egg noodles were soaking up some of that duck sauce which gave it more flavor. Just the dish was a bit oily. Duck was a good portion.I must mention the wine list and cocktail menu. Lots of great choices for those who like to drink and dine. I had a glass of the orange rose (Das ist Schon). It smelled wonderful and should have had an Asian pear undertone but I think I tasted more citrus instead. Very fragrant and the waitress was right to pour first to taste before serving a regular glass. That I appreciated very much. I took a photo to remember the brand and type.The execution of the dishes overall, were a bit inconsistent. I think the restaurant tried very well to accommodate the "sauce on the side" and adjusted for my allergy. However, some of the dishes just didn't work out. Great service overall and thanks for the complimentary duck fat to go!

Ambiance is good, small intimate restaurant although they have a downstairs that I didn't see. Overall too fusiony for my taste but I knew coming here it's not hole in a wall Vietnamese food id find in California. The food and service is good, it has some authentic flavors but the portion is way too small considering how much they charge for it. It really deters me from wanting to come back.At least give a decent amount of noodles with the entrees.

Mixed bag.The good: the branzino was delicious, perfectly cooked with a crispy skin and good flavour. The chicken salad also had nice flavours although there was little chicken to be found.The okay: the pho short rib grilled cheese was fun and interesting but well overhyped IMO. The flavours were not as bold as they could've been.The less good: the shaking beef lacked complexity of flavour (mostly just tasted like salt/soy and some sugar), and the beef was tough. The banh beo had so little topping it really felt like the leftover rice wrapper from dim sum. As others have mentioned, the ambiance and lighting are nicer upstairs. Service was fine. Overall okay. I've definitely had better Vietnamese, including modern/fusion styles. Might consider returning for the branzino.

Cuisine: 6Service: 6Decor: 7Value: 4Overall: 6Five of us friends went out last week for some "unique" Vietnamese cuisine from the Hue region. We really don't have much variety when it comes to Vietnamese food in NYC. This restaurant however offered some of the items we enjoy from that part of the country.Banh Beo (Steamed Rice Cake) - 7/10, Not as flavorful as what we had before, but still decent.Banh It Ram (Crispy Mochi) - 3/10, Terrible and absolutely nothing like what it should be. Mochi was not smooth.Banh Bot Loc (Tapioca Dumpling) - 7/10, You could taste the shrimp and pork with the chewy tapioca flour.Banh Knot (Crispy Turmeric Rice Crepes) - 6/10, They replaced shrimp with king mushrooms. Not bad.Other than the Hue region dishes, we ordered everything else on the menu except for two dishes that sounded more Thai - Green Papaya & Mango Salad and Vietnamese Larb Salad. Shrimp & Sweet Potato Fritters - 6/10, the fritters were too hard and crunchy, rather than airy and crispy.Pho Short Rib Grilled Cheese - 6/10, Flavors were light and under seasoned. Broth has too much cinnamon. Bread was good though.Lemongrass Beef Tartare - 5/10, Best part of the dish was the cracker. Flavors were lacking and needed lots of added fish sauce and hot sauce to taste better.Stir Fried Pho Noodles - 6/10, Not bad, but I rather have a traditional pho in beef or chicken soup.Turmeric Noodles - 4/10, Mushy texture due to being way overcooked. Definitely skip.Cha Ca La Vong (Tumeric Bronzino) - 7/10, Best savory dish of the night for a few of us, including me. Really enjoyed the presence of dill with the fish.Goi Ga - 6/10, Essential a cabbage and fennel salad with shredded chicken. Sesame cracker was too hard and unnecessary.Mi Vit Tiem - 7/10, Noodles were certainly the highlights of this dish, chewy and delicious. Duck was just okay.Bo Luc Lac - 6/10, Beef was a bit tough, and there was not enough garlicky flavor. Watercress should have been cut or torn into smaller bite-sized pieces.Che w/ Taro Dumplings & Coconut Tapioca Pudding - 7/10, This was an enjoyable dessert. Not too sweet and very comforting.Vietnamese Coffee Flan - 7/10, The flan should have been smoother, but it tasted pretty good overall.As for service, the waitresses were nice enough, and the owner had a kind smile whenever we did see her. However, there was one thing that bugged me. We were the table closest to the kitchen and this place is quite small. I sat on the end seat and was constantly brushed on my shoulder as the wait staff went by me. Rarely did they actually feel the contact and apologized.Btw, decor is fine, but the prices are quite high for Vietnamese cuisine imho. I know we ordered a lot, but the portion sizes are small, and therefore no one left feeling bloated or overstuffed. At about $90 a person, I feel like I could have eaten at my usual Vietnamese restaurant at least twice and be much happier. I would say my overall feeling was overpaying for underwhelming quality.

Checked a great spot off my list last night. Had an incredible meal at Van Da! This is definitely a small plates style restaurant, so I recommend coming with atleast one other person to experience more of the menu, here's what we got:- Short Rib Grilled Cheese & Pho (this is what originally caught my eye) this was so perfect in every way, I could easily eat 2 of these by myself - Sweet Potato and Shrimp fritters: these were such a great texture contrast and I loved the sweet potato with the sauce that this came with (my friend's favorite dish)- Green Papaya and Mango Salad: this was good and a nice fresh dish to incorporate into our meal but this wasn't a must order - Bahn it Ram: (crispy mocho dumplings) these were also a crowd favorite. Also, these were spicer than expected but I loved that. Perfectly crunchy on the outside but deliciously chewy on the inside. - Mi Vit Tiem: this five spice duck and noodles had INCREDIBLE flavor. We just wish the ratio of duck to noodles was better.- Che: Tarot dumplings in pudding, this was a type of dessert that I've never really had before but I really enjoyed it! Just sweet enough For drinks we got the Hue of the Dragon and I had their version of a Vietnamese espresso martini. Both were very yummy!Super glad we came here. It's a great spot to check out in EV!

Nice to explore some Vietnamese food other than pho and banh mi. Upscaled light & clean flavors, small menu highlighting different regions/types of food. Not too pricey, great ambience inside.