Enit S.
Yelp
We walked into Soc Trang Vietnamese Restaurant on a Friday seeking warmth from the cold, and something deliciously nourishing. At first, there was some hesitance because they're still doing some work/remodeling outside, and to be honest; the establishment doesn't really look like a restaurant from the outside. At first glance I thought it was a hardware store, but hopefully the outer appearance is being worked on and once it's finished it'll look more inviting.
Our reason for coming here is because we were told that this is the new Vinh Chau which I always enjoyed when visiting the New England area but personally, I tasted differences with the food, and I didn't think it was as good. I shall momentarily explain specifically what that means.
I'd say the overall new location is about 3 times bigger than the old Vinh chau. Service was excellent, and our waitress was really kind and patient - especially with my excessively undecided aunt that kept changing her menu option every 5 seconds.
I was able to get my meatless options and the Vegetarian style pho I ordered was absolutely delicious. The broth was golden and rich tasting, the tofu was lightly fried so it had a slight crunch; really very good, I'd come back for that happily. The summer rolls however, i'd definitely skip that. It was literally just rice noodles, a slab of tofu, and a thai basil leaf wrapped in rice paper - very boring and uneventful and in my opinion doesn't warrant the almost $6 price tag.
Everyone else at the table ordered the chicken noodle soup which they said didn't measure up to Vinh Chau's, they still liked it, but again; it just wasn't the same.
I was torn between 3 and 4 stars here and I finally decided that because service was so good, I'd give them a 4 but the food was between a 3 and 4. I'd still recommend Soc trang because of its good service, and definitely give that vegetarian soup a try.