"Chef Nikki Tran’s unique take on Viet-Cajun — or Viejun, as she calls it — cuisine has officially arrived in Houston. The chef just opened Kau Ba Saigon Kitchen, her first Houston restaurant. Known for making appearances on Netfilx’s Ugly Delicious and Somebody Feed Phil, Tran currently operates two restaurants in Vietnam that have earned praise from hordes of diners and major American chefs like David Chang and Houston’s own Chris Shepherd. The menu for Kau Ba Saigon Kitchen features plenty of Houston favorites, including spicy bun bo hue, pho, and bun thit nuong, a dish of grilled pork kebabs served on a bed of vermicelli. A few different banh mi options will be on offer, including a “United Nations” banh mi made with curried shrimp, shrimp roe, apple kimchi, and cream of arugula. Tran’s take on fried rice — a “five color” fried rice with fish and a seafood version with shrimp and squid are in the works — will likely become one of the restaurant’s most popular offerings. Scope out a few exciting highlights from the full Kau Ba Saigon Kitchen menu below, and get ready to chow down on banh mi and pho when the restaurant opens on July 31." - Amy McCarthy