Hy Vong Restaurant: A Little Vietnamese Heaven on SW 8th St.

“HOPE” FOR MIAMI

One of the great things about Miami is the sheer international-ness of it.  And the fact that an authentic, landmark Vietnamese restaurant could be thriving in the heart of Little Havana is a tasty reminder of just how true this is.

(ABOVE) TUNG NGUYEN (LEFT) AND PARTNER KATHY SERVE UP HOSPITALITY AND DELICIOUS HOMEMADE RECIPES AT MIAMI’S OWN HY VONG.

Hy Vong (3458 SW Eighth St., Miami, FL 33135, 305-446-3674) owners Kathy Manning and Tung Nguyen reflect this diversity particularly well.  A lacquered Miami Herald article on the wall at the entrance of their business tells their story:  In 1975, Tung, then 27 and pregnant, escaped her war-ravaged homeland aboard a fishing vessel, not certain where it would take her. 

Fortunately, after a series of several opportune twists of fate, she eventually ended up in Miami, with Kathy as her refugee sponsor.  A few months later, Tung’s daughter Lyn was born, and the three became a happy family, first opening Hy Vong in 1980.  Vietnamese for “hope”, Hy Vong epitomizes the dream that has brought so many to this neighborhood,  and to this country.

A MIAMI HERALD TRIBUTE TO HY VONG

Lyn grew up in and around the restaurant, and was a regular whiz kid at Coral Gables High, so much so that she won admission to Harvard, later getting her degree from Cornell.  She tried out life as an investment banker in New York for a while, but the pace of the Northeast was a little too fast for her.  With fond recollections of her childhood at Hy Vong, she changed her life plan, and returned to Miami to join the business.  Using her enterprising savvy, she began marketing the restaurant’s favorite dishes to food stores throughout South Florida, out of a plant in Dania.

Today, word of Tung’s delicious recipes has spread far and wide, and those in-the-know line up in droves each evening for a taste of this home-style Vietnamese cooking.  Tung herself mans the kitchen, while Kathy holds court up front, making sure that the customers all feel welcome and content.

Says one satisfied regular, “Walking into Hy Vong is like going to a favorite relative’s for dinner. On my way to the table I say hi to many of the regulars whom I have come to know from sharing time in the restaurant. Bey brings me a glass of my favorite wine, and I know the food will be consistently good.”

Dave and I arrived after 9 pm on a Saturday night, when we were told the crowds would be waning.  Although we were seated right away by the afore-mentioned Bey, the crowd was still lively and plentiful. 

Kathy came to our table in short order, and, after we selected a glass of homemade lemonade and some iced tea, I asked her to choose for us, so we could be sure to sample their very best selections.  These were her recommendations:

BANH CUON

Banh Cuon are steamed pork rolling cakes, and this, confides Kathy, is the restaurant’s most popular dish.  One taste and you can see why: similar to dumplings in taste and texture, this dish is seasoned to perfection in a zesty sauce, and richly garnished with chives and various other assorted veggies; it’s insanely delicious, and a real bargain at $6, for an order of two.

CHA GIO

Cha Gio are spring rolls, and they come two per order with a brothy dipping sauce.  The trick is to roll them up in the lettuce while dipping them in the sauce, and then to pop them promptly into your mouth.  The dish is also garnished with fresh mint leaves. $4.

HEARTY SOUP

Next on Kathy’s list of suggestions was the Hearty Soup, or, as it is known by its proper name, “Pho” (pronounced fah).  This is perhaps the most familiar item in Vietnamese cooking—that large broth filled with veggies, noodles and meat.  Other ingredients include anise star, basil, cilantro, and lime.  You can enjoy it spicy or sweet.  For a spicy taste, go with the red sauce, and for a sweet taste, Hoisin is the bottle to grab.  Kathy maintains that spicy is best, so we mixed the red sauce with some homemade sauce on the table and came up with a mixture that cleared our sinuses rather quickly.  A couple of limes were also provided, which we dutifully squeezed over our soup.

(STAR ANISE IS ONE OF THE EXOTIC SPICES USED IN TUNG’S COOKING)

Kathy explained that Pho is the typical Hanoi soup, while Bun Bo Hue, a beef broth of cellophane noodles, chicken and shrimp is more common in the central regions;  another dish, called Hu-Tieu, is the popular dish of the southern realms, which contains soy bean, lemon, chili, and soy sauce—instead of herbs and lettuce.  $6.50.

SCALLOPS WITH FRESH FRUIT

After finishing our Pho, we didn’t have room for two entrees, so we had to go with only one.  Dave and I both agreed on one of the items Kathy had suggested from the specials list, the scallops with fresh fruit ($16.95). 

This was exquisite, to say the least!  There were about six scallops, cooked to perfection, topped with shreds of mango and garnished with mint and cilantro.  It was the perfect coup-de-gras for an evening well-spent!

FULL OF PHO!

The best part of this atypical Calle Ocho meal was that it left you feeling full but not bursting.  The cuisine was light going down, and the abundance of fresh herbs and veggies is a welcome relief from our super-processed American life. 

We left thinking what a great experience it had been on so many levels—the customer interaction was so sincere and outgoing that I had to pinch myself a few times to make sure I was really in Miami.  And the food was not only delicious, but so healthy that I made a resolution to seek out Vietnamese cuisine more often.  And when you’re in South Florida, you can do no better than Hy Vong!

Hy Vong
3458 SW Eighth St., Miami, FL 33135
Phone: (305) 446-3674

Related Links: • Star anise spice Related Categories: Restaurants Miami: Local News, Douglas Eames is a freelance writer, homespun philosopher and budget bon vivant who divides his time between Southern California and South Beach. See more articles by Doug. See more articles by Doug Was This Post Helpful? Please Share It With Others! Tweet

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