Mike J.
Yelp
We went on a bike ride on the Hank Aaron bike trail. While taking a break at Three Bridges Park, we decided to find a local place for lunch. Using Yelp, we found Vientiane Noodle Shop up on W National.
I told my wife, "this is the kind of place we drive past four times a month, but never stop." One reason is that there is limited on street parking. But, as we were on bikes, we were just a block off the trail.
I am always amazed at how restaurants handle a crowd. At this noodle shop, one waitress handled five tables, and she was attentive to every one. Every table seemed to be enjoying their meal, while engaged in conversation with great food.
As it was 1:00 our party of four opted for the lunch menu.
There were 5 lunch specials. Each one started with a spring roll filled with cabbage, vegetables, and pork. A light sweet sauce with crushed peanuts accompanied it. It was great to have an an alternative to the deep fried egg roll.
Next came a very good Tom Yum soup that had a wonderful kick to it, as the broth was rich in chicken stock and spices.
The main lunch entree I had was the Vientiane stir fry. It was a stir fry with red peppers, broccoli, bamboo shoots, mushroom and chicken. It was served on a very colorful plate with a side of hot fried rice.
The other 3 bike riders all opted for the Pad Thai. It was filled with chicken, a hot and yet sweet peanut sauce and flat noodles with bean sprouts. Crushed peanuts came on top. They also enjoyed the spring roll and soup.
Again, this entire meal was brought to our table efficiently, while the waitress serviced four other tables.
It is an intimate little restaurant on a very busy street. The type of place that is soooo easy to just drive by. If you do, you are missing a great meal!