Every time a new restaurant opens in Kingwood, the comments tend to go something like, ”Ugh! We already have one of those!” Well, someone was listening to your complaints! Owners Tuan & Kim (right) Nguyen and Nam & Vicki (left) Hoang are proud to announce the opening of
VN’Wich Cafe - a new Vietnamese restaurant coming to Kingwood. VN’Wich Cafe will serve fresh and healthy Banh Mi sandwiches, rice & vermicelli bowls, salads, rolls, smoothies, teas, tapioca and more. They’ll feature original Vietnames-style recipes, all the while taking into account the traditional taste preferences of local customers. “We’re very excited to be joining the community,” said owner Kim Nguyen. “After looking at many possible locations for 2 years, we felt Kingwood was the area where a Vietnamese-style restaurant was needed and would be welcomed. We can’t wait to serve customers authentic dishes made with quality meats fresh off the grill.”The VN’Wich crew was kind enough to invite me to their friends & family open house over the weekend to taste what they had in store for Kingwood. Since it's part of my job to report on these things for y'all, I willed myself to accept their invitation.
Here are my thoughts:First off, the place is immaculate...and worlds above how it looked before. The murals are a very nice touch. They feature every day Vietnamese scenery, and were hand-painted on the walls by a UofH student named Josh Hernandez.That's enough about the building. Onto to the important stuff....The food! I tried their pork Banh Mi, House Vermicelli Bowl, spring rolls and egg rolls. OMG, the bread! It was delicious, crispy and very fresh. And those tasty French baguettes are made locally and delivered daily. The pork had a nice grilled flavor with that hint of sweetness you’d expect from a Vietnamese place. In short, the sandwiches are a must-try. The rolls were good. Not to downplay them, but they’re not why I visit asian restaurants. These were perfectly prepared though, and tasted great. And they get bonus points for the fat shrimp they used in the spring roll.
I’d have to say their House Vermicelli Bowl was definitely my favorite overall. It had a beautifully seasoned & seared mixture of meats, a generous portion of vermicelli cooked just right, fresh veggies, and then a perfectly paired spicy fish sauce brought it all together. It was heaven in a bowl. I, like most of you, was expecting them to have Pho. Well, have no fear…They assured me that it's coming to the menu soon enough. It is first on their priority list after getting through the initial opening phase of the restaurant. They will open for business this Friday, 2/24/17, at 520 Northpark Dr (old Philly Cheesesteak location). Hours will be 10AM - 9PM every day. 4951