"Vietvana Pho Noodle House, previously name Khanh Vietnamese Kitchen, opens Friday, August 16, in the former Our Way Cafe space in Avondale Estates. The new name “reflects the idea of Vietnamese food meeting nirvana,” according to the press release. Vietvana is owned by Dinh Tran and Khanh Dang, who also own Khanh Vietnamese Pho and Sandwich in the north metro Atlanta city of Duluth. The restaurant features murals of Vietnam throughout the dining room, a large test kitchen, and an outdoor patio. Tran and Dang say they have spent months working to perfect their pho noodle and banh mi bread recipes as well as courting local farmers for ingredients to use in the dishes for Vietvana. “We know exactly where all of our ingredients come from,” Tran says, “...including the beef and chicken that goes into our phở broth.” Noodles are made fresh daily at the restaurant, as opposed to being bought prepackaged and in bulk quantities. Pho is prepared as it’s done in Vietnam, with broth cooking by 3 a.m. The couple have also worked with a local French bakery to develop Vietvana’s own banh mi baguette batter for sandwiches on the menu. Both Tran and Dang were born in Vietnam and hope to provide food at Vietvana reminiscent of their childhood cities: Hue and Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). Tran’s mother, Tina Nguyen, assists in the kitchen and creates dishes based on family recipes. In addition to pho and banh mi, Vietvana offers appetizers such as pork and shrimp spring rolls and Hue-style beef and pork meatballs in a sweet tomato garlic sauce, salads like the fiery papaya salad, a selection of bún (rice vermicelli noodles), and cơm (rice) dishes, including fried rice and broken rice. “Atlanta has many great Vietnamese restaurants. For us, VIỆTVANA represents the food and flavors that we remember and crave from our childhood homes and that we want Atlantans to try,” explains Tran. “We love Vietnam, and we love Atlanta, and we think this restaurant combines our love of both.”" - Beth McKibben
