Vietnam 1 BBQ is located off W Broad Street at Horsepen, next to the Tan A Supermarket in Richmond’s west-end.

Vietnam 1 is about simplicity, not a place to impress anyone on decor or out of the ordinary service. Instead, it’s about simple, classic Vietnamese-restaurant classics, served affordably, and quickly. The server will come and take your order, and bring it out, but otherwise, you can concentrate here on choosing some delicious choices. When you’re done, go pay up front, and know your table number—a check won’t be brought over.

I remember this establishment in its slightly more regal incarnation as Saigon Bistro in Innsbrook. The owner moved closer to Richmond, and closer to more Asian diners, off Horsepen Rd. Since doing so, it’s always busy. Standards include broken-rice dishes, Pho and noodle soups, and even some more Chinese-style dishes served with rice. Things like lemongrass pork, BBQ tofu, and chicken.

I’ve never been a fan of those dishes that serve rice paper instead of rice. The appetizers here, such as the “fresh” style shrimp spring roll, or fried spring roll, are good. The vermicelli bowl with BBQ pork and spring roll is a favorite. Today I had their “N7,” a chicken-based noodle soup with pork wontons.

Nothing here is ever very fancy, but the quality is pretty consistent. Soft drinks are served from the can. Some dishes are spicy enough, you’ll feel like blowing your nose afterwards. And for Pho soups, it is among our favorites in the area.

If you like plain and tasty Vietnamese food, this one should be sought out.

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 3rd, 2006 at 8:16 pm and is filed under Asian, Restaurant Review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.