The discovery of Huong Viet

Parkville is a neighborhood that is best described as an homage to the phrase: melting pot. The main strip, Park Street is chock full of interesting stores, bakeries and restaurants that represent the needs of this diverse community. Last night, my friend and I decided that we were going to try a relatively new arrival on the scene, called Huong Viet. Admittedly, it was the neon noodle sign that caught my attention more than anything! The cuisine, as perhaps you can infer from the name...is Vietnamese. We had held off on visiting the restaurant because we thought it was a take out place, but when we went inside we were pleased to see a sparkling clean restaurant decorated with flowers lining the ceiling (no joke), and a warm glow from the hanging pendant lamps. Our server brought out some warm tea and was exceedingly friendly and was willing to take the time to explain some of the finer points of the menu to us.

My friend decided to have the Hu Tieu Hai San soup. It came with a side of lettuce, sprouts, hot peppers and a wedge of lime to mix in. This soup, reminisent of pho...I was told was delicious and quite possibly the best that she had experienced lately. Instead of the beef broth in pho soup, this one was a chicken stock.

I was in the mood for something vegetarian, but didn't see anything on the menu that fit the bill. Our server was willing to accomodate. She suggested the Mi Xao Tom or Shrimp Chow Mein but substituting the shrimp for bean curd. I could not have been more happy with the dish. It was not greasy, the noodles were fun to slurp, and the flavor was well balanced. I usually add some heat to my entree, but chose not to because I didn't want to alter the taste of it.

We were extremely happy that we decided to give this place a shot, and are most certain that it will be at the top of our list! Especially since the two meals with tip included only came up to $19. What a steal.

Address: 2014 Park Street, Hartford, CT 06106
Phone: (860) 233-0888
** While on street parking is usually available in the evenings, there is a secured lot across from the restaurant which is available for patrons. Additionally, they do take credit cards, but only visa and mastercard, and they are closed on mondays.