Van Đa brings modern Vietnamese cuisine to 4th Street starting tonight

Van Đa makes it debut this evening over at 234 E. Fourth St. just west of Avenue B.

The project, from restaurateur Yen Ngo and Gramercy Tavern alum chef Hannah Wong, focuses on the food of Ho Chi Minh City, Hue and Hanoi.

Eater had a preview:

The duo is resisting traditional versions of pho or banh mi on the menu, with Ngo instead harking back to the food of her youth in Vietnam that she doesn’t often find here.

The menu is split into three sections of food from those three cities, Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) in south Vietnam; Hue, in the middle and which was once the royal capital of the country; and Hanoi up north. Ngo says that the food of central Vietnamese city Hue is very time-intensive and complex, though with gentle flavors, and she’s not seen many versions of it here. One example is shrimp and pork tapioca dumplings, which are made from tapioca flour and steamed in banana leaves. Dishes from other categories include stir-fried pho noodles and lemongrass beef tartare.

You can find their menu at this link.

View this post on Instagram

Bánh Bèo. Bánh means cake. Bèo means duckweed (a fresh water floating plant) and is the shape of this pearl-base-colored-gem. This Hue specialty will be featured on our menu, and it’s one we hold close to the heart in our stomachs. 📸 by @chazcruz

A post shared by Van Đa (@vandanyc) on Mar 6, 2019 at 7:57pm PST

The two-level space has been several restaurants in recent years, most notably The Cardinal, the Southern-style restaurant from chef-owner Curtis Brown.