Jonathan T.
Yelp
Hey there,
Official Vietnamese-American repping the Asian delegation here. (Chapelle show reference, FYI.)
Would I drive across town to eat at Dua II? Would I bring my angry, yet very loving and hard-working refugee mother there if she visited me? No. But if I worked Downtown and wanted to eat Vietnamese, I would consider eating at Dua II often. Things to know:
*****
I. LOCATION & PARKING: Their stand resides inside of Sweet Auburn Market, near a soul-food and juice stands. About parking, Sweet Auburn Market has a lot, but finding a spot can be difficult at times.
II. FOOD & DRINK: They focus on mainstream Vietnamese fare ranging from your standard egg rolls and spring rolls, several different iterations of pho, com (rice dishes), and bun (tapioca + rice) noodle iterations. Don't expect to find any street food or cafe sua (da) there. My suggestions:
===Not Recommend===
*Eggrolls ($3.25): Filled with ground pork meat and other fixings their egg rolls lack key ingredients such as daikon, carrot, shiitake mushroom, and bean thread. Even if they did use these ingredients, though, then I don't taste them. Also, the size of them resemble Chinese egg rolls (smaller), so they don't seem authentic to me. I have no major qualms with their fish sauce, though.
===A-OK===
*Spring Rolls: Not bad. It comes with slices of pork and pieces of shrimp, and it's complemented by herbs and noodles all wrapped in a rice paper. The spring roll itself could be wrapped tighter. Regarding the sauce, it's a peanut one mixed with hoison sauce. Not bad. But not something I would go out of my way for, though.
*Spicy Lemon Grass Tofu w/ Rice ($8): I need more lemongrass in their tofu, and I think the sauce they have (which seems like an altered oyster sauce) overpowers everything else. Accompanied with a cup of rice and helping of veggies, it'll just do enough to satisfy your inner vegan.
*Beef Pho ($8.75): This pho caters to non-Asian folks (and that's fine). And, as a person who both cooks pho and has high standards for it, it's passable. The broth lacks layers of umami, but it does have an appropriate ratio of spices and savoriness. The slices of brisket taste fine, but it needs more accompaniments (slices of onion, scallions). They could also include culantro, too.
===RECOMMEND===
*Bun Bo Hue ($8.75): I could say similar critiques about their bun bo hue similar like I did with their pho, but I like their bun bo hue. Aside from street vendors in Vietnam, I haven't found many places that serve bun bo hue this quickly (without sacrificing TOO much quality). Yes, I wish they added more spice, a pork foot, and banana blossom, but I would eat this regularly if I worked nearby.
*Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio ($8.95): Their marinated meat is delicious, and it reminds me of Vietnamese potlucks I used to hit up as a shorty. They provide a generous amount of food, too.
III. SERVICE: A bit slow, but they're a lot faster than other stalls in Sweet Auburn Market. I found the person taking my order very friendly and helpful, too.
IV. PRICES: A substantial lunch for under $10? Yes, please. Sure, they're a few cents more than other Vietnamese restaurants, but authentic Vietnamese eats rarely break the bank.
V. OVERALL: A fast-casual Vietnamese stops in one of Atlanta's premier Downtown institutions appealing to non-Vietnamese audiences? I can support that. And I would more often if I worked Downtown.