Chinatown Eats: Tamarind Tree

Shu has been introducing me to the restaurants in the International District, and I have to say that I am very impressed. Yes, the ID is rather dirty, can be stinky, sometimes sketchy with unsavory characters- but the FOOD is darn good! Cheap, good eats is the criteria, and so far, the ID has been 3 out of 3.

First up, lunch this week was at Tamarind Tree in Little Saigon. A half-mile walk from Harborview, Tamarind Tree was absolutely worth it. A hidden-away restaurant in the back corner of some Asian plaza, I was slightly turned off by the stink and uncleanliness of the area before entering the restaurant. However, once inside, Tamarind Tree does not fail to impress. The decor reminded me of upscale Japanese sushi restaurants in Belltown, not something I expected from Little Saigon. The restaurant was polished and classy, definitely not your typical Vietnamese pho shop. Shu and I both ordered from the $5 lunch menu (apparently their "anniversary" menu that's been running for at least 2 years). Shu ordered the Shrimp Patty Noodles, and I requested Grilled Steamed Rolls. Considering the only Vietnamese food I am accustomed to is pho, I had no idea what to expect. In fact, Grilled Steamed Rolls made me think of wrapped spring rolls you get as appetizers, and I wasn't sure if I would be full from that single order.

I was blown away when the food arrived. I cannot adequately describe the dish, but here goes. On a bed of steamed rice "paper" (think: thick rice noodles) was heaping amounts of bean sprouts, fresh basil, and thinly sliced marinated grilled pork. On the side was a small bowl of flavorful sauce that I poured all over the dish. To my consternation, I wasn't quite sure how to eat all the delicious food in front of me at first. Still holding to my "spring roll" bias, I thought perhaps I was suppose to roll up the ingredients with the rice paper. Nope, after double-checking the rice noodles, I decided there was no way I could separate the sticky sheets into individual pieces. So, I simply dug in. The fish sauce with mixed herbs was amazing. So good sauce- I could probably drink it as soup if I could! The grilled pork was perfectly flavorful. The whole time I was chewing, I was trying to pinpoint the singular taste of the pork marinade. The unique underlying flavor was just out of reach... eventually, I gave up and just chalked it up to general "yumminess". I was completely stuffed at the end, but I couldn't bear to leave even a scrap of the delicious food uneaten.

You'll have to ask Shu how good her food was; I was a bit preoccupied with my own dish. If it was even half as good, I would be willing to try it in a heartbeat. Our lunch conversation was punctuated by exclamations of "Wow... yum...." and "This is really really really good." Even better, the $5 menu makes the meal completely affordable. There probably isn't a more delicious, cheaper option in the ID. No wonder Shu's coworkers go to Tamarind Tree at least 3 times a week! If you can try anywhere in the ID/Chinatown- go to Tamarind Tree! (This post is making me salivate in anticipation of my next visit already...)

Pardon the poor quality of the pics- the lighting of the restaurant was dim and I was too eager to start eating to waste time (I mean, focus) on taking a good picture!

Grilled Steamed Rolls

Shrimp Patty Noodles

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars