After living here for nearly six years, I had not had the pleasure to eat at Quang until early 2006. Since then, I can’t go there enough and when I do, I get the same thing each time: 101 and 310. If I did not order by number, I’d for sure make a complete ass of myself and mispronounce the glorious food they serve. This is not to say I shouldn’t try though.
101 is the fresh spring roll appetizer. It comes with shrimp, pork, noodles, vegetables and most importantly, cilantro. Before going to Quang I had never fully appreciated how cilantro tastes so fresh and lightens up a dish in such a surprising way. If you are on the fence about cilantro, give it the old college try in any cooking (or salad! yum!), not just as a garnish. Don’t listen to the naysayers, it’s delicious.
In addition to the fresh spring rolls (which my mom, upon visiting refused to eat, as they reminded her of maggots. Whatever. There was then more for me.), you are served with a small dish of peanut sauce garnished with peeled carrots and chopped nuts as well as a fish-like sauce.
(please excuse these pics, I took them with my phone as my camera battery had died.)
The 3XX section of the menu refers to Vermicelli Salads. Vermicelli itself is a thin spaghetti-like noodle and the salad consists of that, carrots, lettuce, more cilantro (yum!), and cucumbers. My 310, Bun thit, cha gio also had a fried egg roll and slices of grilled beef. It is served with the fish sauce, but personally I like to just add some hoisin sauce and stir everything up.
The best part of my food at Quang is not only how awesome and addictive it is, but often times I have leftovers that I get to reheat the next day. And I did just that for lunch.
I have been to Jasmine Deli, Lotus to-Go-Go and another Vietnamese deli on the 2500 block of Nicollet and ordered the same thing. The unnamed restaurant came closest to satisfying my 310 hunger, but it did not live up to Quang, not in a million years.
The atmosphere is lacking. It is not Rainbow, but it is not trying to be (Chinese v Vietnamese anyway). You are not going there for the atmosphere anyway, you are going for the great Vietnamese food. Out of all the Vietnamese delis that line Nicollet, this is the only one you need to go to (although a stop at Jasmine Deli wouldn’t hurt, and truthfully I want to try Jasmine 26 as well!).
Oh! They also have awesome Pho, and if bubble tea is your thing (it is not mine), I’ve been told it is awesome here.
2719 Nicollet Ave. S.
Mpls., MN 55408
612-870-4739
ha ha ha…i like the cilantro link! it’s going to be my new favorite blog.
I did think of you when I found it. I thought, “man, there is a whole public forum out there for people who don’t/can’t taste the deliciousness of cilantro, and for them, I feel bad.”