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Dining review: Indochinois has old favorites in a new setting

Tribune photo by JULIE BUSCH

At right, Bun Thit Nuong with an egg roll is a lunchtime favorite at Indochinois. It's a dish of rice noodles, grilled barbecue pork, vegetables and Thai basil grown behind the restaurant.

By SHERRI ACKERMAN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 26, 2009

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TAMPA - Seven months have passed since Indochinois moved from its tucked-away location on Gandy Boulevard to a front-and-center spot along South Dale Mabry Highway.

Devoted fans of the 11-year-old restaurant can rest assured. Quality and hospitality haven't skipped a beat in the new digs, which showcase an intimate bar surrounded by tables and simple black-and-white portraits of the Huynh family's homeland of Vietnam.

An and Doi Huynh came to America with their children in the early 1980s and opened a Chinese restaurant because that's what it seemed Americans wanted in Asian fare, their son Kien says.

Twenty years later, they got back to basics and began focusing on the traditional dishes they grew up eating, such as pho, a rice noodle soup with thinly sliced beef swimming in a basil-laced broth; and marinated beef, chicken and pork served on mixed greens or noodles.

On our first visit, well after the traditional lunch hour, we still had to dodge a flurry of drivers vying for the few open parking spots in front of the busy strip mall. No worries, though. There's ample parking behind the restaurant, said our waiter, who seemed unflappable despite a full house.

We started off with an appetizer of Cha Gio: fried eggrolls generously filled with ground pork, crabmeat, vermicelli, onion and carrots that paid homage to Indochinois' humble beginnings as Chinatown.

The crispy wrapping offered a gratifying crunch. The grease lovers among us declared them "just right," while those who eschew anything oily enough to puddle found them tasty, but a bit "too much."

Everyone, however, agreed on the virtues of Soup Mang Cua -- crabmeat and white asparagus in an egg-droplike broth seasoned with cilantro. A hint of seafood, a burst of asparagus and the bite of tangy cilantro were a refreshing combination that proved the perfect segue into the more ornately seasoned main dishes.

It seems every Asian-inspired eatery likes to dabble these days with Chinese, Thai and sushi. Indochinois knows how to pace itself and focus on what it does best. There's the Great Wall Shrimp, your basic sweet-and-sour sauce offering, and the tried-and-true Pad Thai -- billed as a Vietnamese version of an old favorite. And no sushi.

We stayed on task with the Bun Bo Xao: sliced lemongrass beef on a bed of steamed rice noodles and topped with lettuce, mint, carrots, cucumbers, bean sprouts and crushed peanuts. The lemongrass beef sounded so good, we ordered more of it under the specialties section of the menu and were pleased it tasted entirely different on a bed of mixed greens served with a side of white rice.

Gluttons for a good meal, we returned for dinner and this time sampled the Oriental Bouillabaisse, a beef broth simmering with salmon, shrimp, tomato slices and fresh herbs. This soup was fabulous. We also tried the fresh spring rolls, your basic two-to-an-order shrimp, pork, vegetable and vermicelli rolls bundled in soft rice paper served with a peanut dipping sauce. No surprises.

Next, we ordered one of the "Roll-Your-Own Meals," the Three-Way Delight with chicken breast, pork and beef each marinated in its own special sauce then skewered and grilled. The meal is served with sides of lettuce, mint, carrots, cucumbers, bean sprouts and a red pepper-tinged dipping oil. The delicate rice paper is splayed out on individual plastic plates that make this do-it-yourself deal less messy.

We also tried the Key Lime Chicken, a chicken breast marinated in a zesty Key lime sauce and sprinkled with fresh herbs, skewered and grilled, then served on a plate of mixed greens with a light house vinaigrette. This was packed with so much more flavor than the lemongrass beef that we may have to listen to those Chick-fil-A cows and eat more chicken.

Dessert didn't disappoint. A huge helping of coconut ice cream kept some of us occupied so the others could scarf up the scrumptious homemade flan -- sweet and light. Wine and beer lists offer a good variety. Thai coffee caught our eye, but we found ourselves longing for the sweet, creamy Thai tea that's not on the menu.