WHAT TO ORDER AT LA DONG
At Christmas time in 2024, La Dong has had roughly 4 months under its belt as the newest Vietnamese restaurant NYC has to muster. On the grand scheme of things, it’s not a massive feat for this particular city, where even Tripadvisor managed to sniff out 65 worthy entries for their list.
Regardless, La Dong entered this saturated market and was ready to make a mark of its own. So how do they do it?
Alright, before I sound more and more like a television program, let’s get the list down. Ultimately, this is why you’re here:
Sugarcane Shrimp (chao tom). The Vietnamese way of making an equivalent to crab cakes. They just kinda ball it with shrimp instead, stick it on a stick, and grill it. If you’re not sure if you’re gonna like it or not, try the frozen package at Trader Joe’s first.
Manila Clams: Probably the most common way to eat clams for us.
Cha Ca: quite a show-stopper. They give you a whole fish.
Ca Chien Nuoc Mam: A very humble family dish—fried fish tossed in fish sauce.
Bo Luc Lac: Do I really need to explain this thing at this point? Just read the menu description. If it sounds enticing to you, it will be enticing for your tummy.
Morning Glory: Water spinach. Call me crazy, but this is the best thing they have on their menu (ok, I’m being hyperbolic, but yes, I am).
Tofu Scallion: One of the Vietnamese household staples. This is when you know your parents are either broke or didn’t have enough time to prepare for a decent dinner, so they just go to the market, grab some wet tofu, then fry it at home with fish sauce and scallions. The simplicity of this dish gives bad tofu no place to hide and gives great tofu all the places to shine.
Green Papaya salad: Something to cut the fat and salt. A classic way to do it (or you can get a drink, haha…).
Banh mi: I have not tried it. It looks decent. But you know my stance on banh mi: it’s just a sandwich.
Pho Hanoi: A courageous attempt, surprisingly. This goes beyond just slapping standard pho entries onto the menu. How do I put this politely? If a Vietnamese family tried really, really hard to home-cook a bowl of pho themselves instead of giving up and eating out, this would be it. A solid attempt.
I’m not much of a drinker so Bia Hoi (draft beer) could be a fun choice.
Stachyphrynium placentarium (aka La Dong)
As I usually go into any Vietnamese restaurant, I tend not to let the context or, in fact, anything else cloud my judgment. The only thing that matters to me in the end is the food. However, since a lot of my audience has much more sane expectations when forking out money for dining out, I occasionally lend my ears and entertain other aspects (yes, including pricing) of a restaurant. Needless to say, La Dong does have a lot of things going for it.
Operating in a setup similar to Madame Vo: a dining space with a liquor license. This immediately creates a very warm welcome at the front of the house before you’re eased into a dining table. Its interior package, decoration, and a mix of different seating layouts (from banquette, 2-top, 4-top, to giant family seating) display the thought process of a team that has done this before. Not to go into the details, but the people behind this venture did have two successful Thai eateries in the city, and this is their take on Vietnamese food. I found all of this out after visiting and ranking it on the list. Ok, all I wanted to say was: this restaurant’s interior is lit. It was a truly nice place to be. Plus, branded plates were a nice touch.
Yet, as much as I wished I could say the same about the menu and the offerings, it was simply not the case. Ok, inherently, there was nothing wrong with this menu. Sure, it may be a tad bloated (compared to Madame Vo or Van Da, for instance). But it does show the enthusiasm and excitement a novel venture can typically bring to the table.
For all the ones I’ve recommended above, La Dong hits the note comfortably, plus some more. If I went to some high school friend’s house in Vietnam and his/her parents made these dishes for me, I would never question them one bit. Sure, there may be some questionable add-ons or cooking choices here and there. I would just assume this is how this family prefers to cook these dishes. You know what I mean?
However, these slight tweaks and add-ons do pose certain questions and catch me off guard on some entries. And this just boggles my mind to no end. Exhibits A:
banh xeo: Half the name of the dish is “banh,” referring to the crepe (or pie in literal translation). Why are you using waffle shells?
bun cha ha noi: I do not know where in Hanoi this comes from—please tell me where, because I lived there for 16 years. Why are the carrots on stems and served as sides? The meat is skewered and served on sticks? Who told you that? The vinegar bowl is comically small (to be fair, that’s everywhere in New York). The noodles resembled plastic more than rice. I don’t even know where they get these noodles from.
banh beo: The batter is too doughy and thick. The consistency of banh beo should be loose and almost sliding on the mini plate with the help of fish sauce vinegar. If I can pick the batter up with two fingers, it is simply too thick. The toppings are nice, but the “banh” is as important as the toppings.
These are some immediate exhibits that make me question part of this menu. It is a very exciting menu with many flaws in execution. However, without being cursed with this information, the remaining question is: do they still taste kinda nice?
Sadly, I cannot answer that since I’m imbued with this curse. And it is up to you to decide that (or not, since you made it this far).
In conclusion, La Dong is a very strong contender to Madame Vo. The menu is exciting while still maintaining proper standard offerings. Execution needs more ironing out on some key offerings, but I don’t either guarantee or expect them to be done.
So, a good mixed bag?