James L.
Yelp
Ok...Real Talk here. When it comes to rating Viet restaurants, the most important question should be, "is this place good enough that I don't have to drive to Eden Center?" By now, most folks in the DMV, but especially in NoVa are at least familiar with Eden Center (https://www.yelp.com/biz/eden-center-falls-church) which opened in 1984 and has been the long time epicenter for authentic Vietnamese cuisine and grocery. I still loving going to Eden at least once a month, but I don't always enjoy the drive along I-66, and especially what I term the "bumper car" parking lot, where I've definitely found a few scratches and dings on my car from inconsiderate people.
So it was with this litmus test in mind that I stopped by Brother's Bistro recently with a few folks, and while we may not be "experts," I'd characterize our group as "authoritative enthusiasts," since we all have relatives of Viet descent in our families. And after my meal the verdict is...yes, Brother's Bistro is good enough that I don't have to drive to Eden Center to get Vietnamese food...and in Springfield of all places!
This space used to be the former Pho Hong Anh, which I used to patronize back in the day. As some of the other reviewers have noted, the interior has been modernized with brighter color schemes, decorative lighting, and just a more spacious feel.
TIP: Try not to get a table by door during the winter months, because even though there is a small foyer, every time that door opens, you're gonna get a blast of cold air!
We ordered several dishes and dined family style, so we could all sample from the entrees. The Bò lúc lắc (aka Shaky Beef) had wok stir-fried beef-marinated with subtle hints of fish sauce and the familiar finish of butter at the end, while being served over a bed of fresh watercress, tomatoes, and onions. Beef was not tough and had a good char on the meat.
The Bánh xèo đặc biệt, was super tasty. Unlike at many Viet restaurants, this specialty of Southern Vietnam, the delicate crepe was stuffed (almost overflowing) with shrimps, pork, mung beans, onion and bean sprouts. Take some of the Romaine lettuce and herbs (perilla leaves, mint) a piece of the banh xeo, and then dip into the nuoc cham sauce and bam! It is an umami explosion.
Slightly disappointed in their version of the Bún thịt nướng chả giò, since this is one of my favs at several restaurants in Eden. Grilled pork is paired with crispy spring roll which is served over rice vermicelli, lettuce, cucumbers, pickled carrots, daikon radish, and sprinkled with ground peanuts. My main gripe is that there was one lone skewer of meat and one spring roll which was cut into pieces; that and I thought the noodles were a bit over boiled leading to a gloppy consistency. But the flavor of the grilled meat was good and I could definitely taste the lemongrass and fish sauce marinade.
Service was a bit slow, but mainly I attribute that to Brothers Bistro being a new place and working out the operational kinks. But water glasses remained filled and they didn't mind when we kept asking for the house nuoc cham sauce, which is REALLY good!
Three entrees with just waters for the table came out to about $60 with tax and tip. Not the cheapest meal but also not outrageous...and I also factor in the time and gas and it's probably about the same as if I drove to Eden Center for an equivalent meal.
Four solid stars for this welcome addition of Viet cuisine to the Springfield/Annandale area.