The metro area has exuberant options for Vietnamese noodle soups and banh mi, but Nam Phuong reminds us how much more of Vietnamese cuisine there is to explore. The centerpiece of the dauntingly large menu is Ba Vi, or Three Delights, a do-it-yourself kaleidoscope of sugarcane shrimp; pork strips; grilled betel leaves (close in taste to grape leaves) stuffed with spiced pork, vermicelli rice noodles; and a pandemonium of vegetables—all waiting to be rolled into rice flour wrappers softened with a quick dip in hot water. Gingery duck salad and a glass of freshly squeezed sugarcane juice refresh in the summer.

Photo by Christopher T. Martin