Nem Nuong Kanh Hoa

• Cuisine(s): Vietnamese
  Hours: Sun-Mon, Wed-Sat 10am-9pm
  Price: $$
• Payment Types: cash
  Features: Takeout
  Serving: Dinner, Lunch
• Alcohol: None
  Reservations: Not Accepted
  Parking: Lot Available

Description

Kanh Hoa's serves house-made rau ma, astringent pennyworth juice that tastes like freshly mown lawn, and strong black coffee dripped to order. But that nem nuong! At Kanh Hoa as at Ninh Hoa, nem nuong is served as part of a two-person combination platter, flanked with tiny pork patties grilled in banana leaves and a heap of cha ram tom, crunchy cigarette-size egg rolls filled with perhaps a half-gram of shrimp apiece. At Kanh Hoa, there are also the sour fermented pork lozenges called nem chua, studded with hot chiles and spiked with a single peppercorn, a preparation as complex as Italian charcuterie. At Kanh Hoa, assembly is distinctly required. You moisten the rice paper until it is sticky and just pliable, shake off the excess water, and lay it out on a plate. Then you delicately layer it with scraps of bean sprouts and shredded carrot, cilantro and mint, Vietnamese purple basil and rau ram, perhaps some cucumber for crunch, and then the nem nuong, or, better yet, the nem nuong and one of the skinny egg rolls for crunch. Recommended dishes: special combination for two or four; bun bo hue. See full review.