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Any foodie out there mourning the sale of Ben Thanh, the tiny Vietnamese Restaurant of a Thousand Dishes on 34th Street N in St. Petersburg (it became A Taste of Asia), should try Kim Van, a new pho shop with a sizable menu.
Kim Van opened late last year in a motley strip center on 54th Avenue N that had been home to other Vietnamese restaurants, including Mai's, one of the first in Pinellas.
The new owners, from Houston, have revamped the space in bright napkin white except for a small altar where an offering of mangoes balances on a can of Cafe du Monde coffee. Granted, we have enough pho spots to hold a Tampa Bay area competition to find the best of that delicious broth, but the spirits of some of our best Vietnamese restaurants have settled in this one.
The pho bo, as it happens, is quite good, a slightly sweet beef soup with hints of anise and ginger. The joy of pho, and the reason it comes in such large bowls, is that while it comforts and nourishes, it also "cooks" thin slices of beef, rice noodles and a heaping plate of bean sprouts and herbs. Kim Van's goes beyond the usual slices of pepper, lime mint, basil and long, jagged leaves of culantro, cilantro's precious cousin.
Though pho comes in 21 combinations (all beef), and bun, the noodle salad, comes in 10 variations, Vietnamese food fans want an even bigger menu, and Kim Van has it.
For pure fun, start with rice crepes on handy plastic paddles. Fill them with ground shrimp, sprouts, mint and a spicy Vietnamese coriander called rau ram, wrap, and dip in fish sauce and vinegar.
Or try the most unusual chicken (or duck) salad of your life: thinly sliced onion, cabbage and carrots with chunks of poultry, even drumsticks, tossed with chili garlic and lime, with ginger sauce for dipping. Can there be more refreshing eating for Florida?
Even simple "broken rice" entrees that amount to meat-and-potatoes dining can have more treats than you expect: One, for $6.95, included rice, a pork chop, shrimp paste wrapped in bean curd and stuffed baked egg. That's hardly plain; plus, you have hoisin, sriracha, soy, vinegar and more to add. Or try chili with squid, as tender as it is in Thai restaurants but with a special chilied sweetness, or canh chua, the hot and sour bouillabaisse of Vietnam, where catfish meets tomatoes and pineapple in the same pot.
Drinks can be part of the fun if you dare to try salty lemonade (a great pairing with Vietnamese food) or want to try one of the rare local sources of bubble tea (mine was a thick green tea cappuccino with large black grains of tapioca and best as dessert).
There's much more in an authentic Vietnamese kitchen, but I'm glad Kim Van puts some of it on our tables again.
-- Chris Sherman dines anonymously and unannounced. The St. Petersburg Times pays for all expenses. A restaurant's advertising has nothing to do with selection for a review or the assessment of its quality. Sherman can be reached at 727 893-8585 or sherman@sptimes.com
KIM VAN VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT2705 54th Ave. N, St. Petersburg
(727) 527-8138
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday
Reservations: Yes
Details: Credit cards accepted; wheelchair-accessible; takeout available
Prices: $5.25-$24.95