Beverages at Huynh including the iced tea with sugar syrup and a BYOB.
When I moved to Houston I found a world of cuisine that I could have never dreamed of before—growing up in rural Louisiana we thought that Mexican food at Casa Manana in Lake Charles was the bomb. And I had no idea that there was such a thing as Vietnamese cuisine—but I fell in love with it as soon as I tried it. Of course back at that time Kim Son was all the rage and seemed to be the pinnacle of Vietnamese cuisine in Houston. But lately I have a new restaurant obsession. My friends and I have rediscovered Houston’s favorite BYOB Vietnamese: Huynh.
Huynh is pronounced like win, but with an H sound, Hwin. Consistently listed in Alison Cook’s Top 100 Houston Restaurants, including 2015, the Huynh family, from Quang Ngai (Central Vietnam), owns and operates the chic eatery in the downtown China Town district “behind” the George R. Brown Convention Center.
There is an art to Vietnamese food. And it is considered one of the healthiest cuisines in the world. Admired for its fresh ingredients, minimal use of dairy and oil, recipes use fresh lemongrass, mint, ginger, coriander, chili, lime, and basil with components such as fish sauce, shrimp paste, soy, rice, herbs, and fruits. One never leaves the table bloated from heavy food! So now that I am two weeks into my New Year diet, I crave this food.
Chargrilled Pork Spring Rolls with fish sauce at Huynh.
Start with the GỎI CUỐN THỊT NƢỚNG, chargrilled pork spring rolls in rice paper—served with special fish sauce instead of the traditional peanut sauce. They are about as big around as a finger but are packed with taste. $2.95
My favorite entrée, though it might seem less adventurous than one of the house specials, is BÚN THỊT NƢỚNG, chargrilled pork Vermicelli. The bowl of cool thin rice noodles and fresh vegetables including mint is served with chopped peanuts and fish sauce. $7.95
The TRÀ ÐÁ (iced tea) is smooth and refreshing; but the best part about the iced tea is the little creamer full of sugar syrup to sweeten it. Even watching the waistline it is impossible to turn down the proposition of sweetening with true sugar syrup. When it is poured in it swirls around in the glass like treacly storm clouds. $2
Keep in mind, if you have a sweet tooth, Vietnamese restaurants are not known for their desserts–which is surprising given the cultural influence of the French. Celebrating my birthday earlier in the year we asked for a dessert but somehow a candle in bean paste, SƢƠNG SA HỘT LỰU, is not so appealing.
My friends love this restaurant for many reasons. Those who are vegetarian can easily find menu items to work within their regimen. And my friends on an unswerving weight loss program relish the fresh, low cal ingredients.
Though one of our favorite servers is Caesar, specific waiters are not assigned to a table; the staff works in unison to provide a most excellent and seamless service.
But one of the best aspects of the restaurant is BYOB. We can stop at Spec’s on the way downtown, buy a couple nice bottles of wine, and Huynh only charges a $2 per person uncorking fee. This equates to gourmet food with a very pleasant surprise when it is time to pay the check.
Oh, and as always the food photos included here are real… simply snapped with my cell phone right from the table.