WHAT TO ORDER AT DI AN DI
Pho Thin.
My discovery of Diandi marked an important date for me personally.
On the day I decided to look beyond the usual, mediocre Viet food (that I was not bothered learning to make myself) and made a Yelp list of places I should try, Diandi happened to be on the top of the bookmarks.
The method of searching changed, and it’s seemed to work out ever since. I started Yelping specific dishes (or ingredients) and saw what came out at the other end. And it did not disappoint.
Diandi’s menu looked really, really good on paper. So I decided to gamble on my Saturday afternoon.
My impression still aligns with my thoughts regarding many items that Diandi has to offer:
Pho: Ok, let’s address the biggest buffalo in the room -> the price (haha, yes but no, I only talk about the food here. We will have the price fight another time). Pho Thin is precisely the dish in question. “Thin” is the name of the original creator (Nguyen Trong Thin). If you’ve read my other blog about northern pho, this does not come as a surprise. Many families would try to make their pho stand out without disrupting the very distinctive, iconic taste. Very hard thing to do, and this guy’s recipe took off. Without going too much into detail, the recipe stands out by prepping the beef (or buffalo) differently. Beef is stir-fried lightly (not to the point of being done) with chicken fat (or oil, what have you), spring onions, garlic, and ginger before serving with the rest of the bowl. It is a quick, efficient, and affordable way to add lots of flavor to the meat. And it’s incredibly popular in the capital. Diandi’s offering is just that, and some more. The presentation is correct. Pho Thin bowl is known for having all the greens, veggies, and shit at the top, hiding the goodies below. The broth is correct: rich, fat, and has this egginess to it that I haven’t gotten anywhere else. The noodle is correct: this alone deserves the price of admission. Do you know how hard it is to get that shit done right in NYC? This is the only one that does it. And last but not least, pho donut (Chinese called it youtiao): very, very essential, and only 2 or 3 joints offer it. As I declare many, many times: Pho Thin from Diandi is one of a very few that is worth eating in NYC.
Cha gio: okay, nothing special here. It’s never been my thing, and it’s not here, not now.
Cha gio chay: same thing, but vegetarian.
Banh trang tron: rice paper salad. Pretty good. A bit preppy and overpriced (but you can say that about 90% of this menu. I said not now).
Banh bot chien (rice cake omelette): pretty carby and fatty dish, indulgent.
Banh Trang Nuong + sth sth: same comment.
Bun Thit Nuong: very difficult to fuck this one up. Go ahead and order this if you’re not sure about anything else or simply don’t know anything.
Cha Ca La Vong: (La Vong’s grilled fish) behold the dish featured in Patricia Schultz’s NYTimes bestseller “1000 places to see before you die”. This created such a buzz in 2003 that took this specific dish at this specific joint on this specific street in Hanoi (the street is called "Grilled Fish,” mind you) to this obnoxious popularity. I remember it cost 10 dollars in 2003 in Vietnam to eat at this place. Madness. The key is the color yellow and dill, lots and lots of dill. Very exciting to see it among Diandi’s offerings. I think they captured some of the goodness that I associate with it. Note: to enjoy it on the $48 platter (Jesus, it used to be $32…).
Banh xeo: turmeric crepe. A staple street food in Vietnam.
Thit heo quay: Vietnamese take on chicharrón?
Ca nuong (Ca = fish - nuong = grilled): This will acquire some taste. At the end, it’s just a fish. So do what you will with that information.
Com chay ga nuong: crispy rice with roast chicken. I guess if you have this in some other non-Vietnamese restaurant before, you’re not gonna be terribly surprised with this one.
In conclusion, Diandi is one of the finest Viet joints that NYC has to offer at the moment. Much of the reason why it ranks so high in my eyes is what Diandi persuaded me to pay a visit in the first place: the bowl of Pho Thin. And it ranks high justifiably so. But sadly, so is the price.