Authentic Hanoi Hoagies and
Saigon Street Soup on Austin Street
» BY JOE DISTEFANO
The name might be Violet’s
Bake Shoppe, but this tiny
storefront, which opened last
January has a claim to fame besides
the dainty dan tat—Hong Kong style
egg tarts—made by owner Chris
Tang. It has the distinction of being
the only Vietnamese restaurant in
Forest Hills.
After being open for about six
month Tang, whose family hails from
Hong Kong chose to focus on a very
specific Vietnamese specialty—the
bánh mì,—or Vietnamese sandwich,
a glorious combination of pickled
vegetables, and Vietnamese charcuterie
layered into a crusty baguette.
“Th ere was nothing like this around
the neighborhood and I really really
like bánh mì,” says the trained pastry
chef who fell in love with the sandwiches
while living in Philadelphia.
Violet’s off ers 11 varieties, including a
house special ($6.95), baked fi sh with
lemongrass and turmeric ($6.95), and
a pâté supreme ($6.95), and a pork
belly ($7.95). All are dressed with
the standard bánh mì fi xings—pickled
daikon and carrots, cucumbers,
cilantro, and a schmear of mayonnaise
mixed with umami-rich Maggi
sauce—but the star is the house special.
It’s quite simply the best old school
Vietnamese sandwich in Queens. Th e
Vietnamese ham, Vietnamese salami,
head cheese and crumbled red-tinged
roast pork layered into the demi-baguette
come together to create a sandwich
that’s far more than the sum its
parts.
Frankly its a sandwich that this
seasoned food writer was pleasantly
surprised to fi nd in a neighborhood
better known for margarita mills and
Bareburger than authentic ethnic cuisine.
It took some work for Tang to
start off ering the sandwiches. First he
head to track down his Auntie Kim
Nguyen, who for many years made
glorious bánh mì at a shop on the
fringes of Manhhatan’s Chinatown.
“My aunt had to go looking for her,”
Tang recalls.
Like many Vietnamese restaurants
Violet’s off er soup, but rather than
the classic pho, which takes hours
and hours to make Tang chose to
off er bún riêu ($9.75), at the suggestion
of Auntie Kim. Billed as Saigon
style street noodles, the massive bowl
is filled with noodles and pinkish
meatballs made from ground pork,
minced crab, dried shrimp and egg
fl oating in a ruddy chicken and tomato
broth. One bit of the unabashedly
fi shy irregular meatballs will put to
rest any question about whether Austin
Street has authentic Vietnamese
food. Th ere’s also blocks of tofu and
some iceberg lettuce that frankly we
wish were mint or cilantro. Despite
the color of the broth, it’s not so spicy,
but that’s fi xed easily enough with a
few squirts of Sriracha.
Lighter bites include summer rolls
(two for $5.75) and pork belly buns
(two for $6.75). Th e former served
with fish sauce based dip are perfectly
fi ne, but once again some fresh
herbs would be most welcome. Th e
24 SEPTEMBER 2017 | WWW.QNS.COM | LEFRAK CITY COURIER
pork bao, each cradling a slab of mahogany
colored belly, make for a nice
alternative to the heft y bánh mì. To
wash it all down there’s good strong
Vietnamese coff ee and some truly refreshing
fruit smoothies in such fl avors
as lychee and mango.
True to its roots Violet’s still off ers
desserts, including the classic egg tart,
which has a wonderfully fl aky crust, a
decadent green tea panna cotta, and
what are surely the largest macarons
being made in Queens.
Ask him what his favorite Vietnamese
sandwich is and Tang quickly
responds, “I like the classic. It’s got
everything.”
Tip: If you see egg tarts in the case
be sure to grab one or two. Sandwiches
keep Tang so busy these that
sometimes he doesn’t have time to
make dan tat.
Violet’s Bake Shoppe, 72-36 Austin
Street, Forest Hills, 718-263-3839
dining out