Ever since I moved in, I would pass by this what seemed like empty storefront. It wasn't until they uncovered the windows and revealed what was inside that I knew I had to try this place.

Right from the beginning, I fell in love with the interior - the herb wall, the open kitchen, and the intimate atmosphere. When you walk in you're greeted with an enthusiastic host, and since we had made reservations we were seated pretty much instantly. 

Into one of their booths that shared the floor to ceiling windows we went!

The infamous sparkling or still, followed by just the right amount of drag time you need to adequately read through the cocktail/wine list and skim the food options (the worst thing is when you're immediately ambushed after being seated for a whole twenty seconds to ordering a drink that you picked because it was the first thing you saw). 

I ordered the Da Nang (their fruity take on a passion fruit martini? I think), he got the Indo-fizz (tumeric, lime, coconut milk, scotch, and a whole egg).

They encourage you to order about 4-5 dishes between two people, as it's a family style restaurant that promotes sharing.

We went with:
- Hamachi Crudo (viet herbs, puffed rice, sesame mushroom aioli)
- Tom Khu Gai (sour and spicy coconut chicken broth with squid, clams, mushrooms, tomatoes)
- Pad Gra Pow (spicy ground chicken, thai basil, chilis, fried egg)
- Hokkien Mee (pork, oyster sauce, noodles)

Hamachi Crudo - pretty standard, I think the fish could have been cut a bit bigger, a few too many chilis as it bit overpowering at times - and I love me some chilis, trust.

Tom Khu Gai - I slacked on capturing the presentation, which was spot on - they bring the broth separately and pour it over the ingredients right in front of you. It was probably one of my favorite things we ordered - the perfect amount of sour to spicy, great flavor profile, and moderately priced (the portion is really only for one person, but we split everything anyway).

Pad Gra Pow - this would have been killer if it weren't so damn spicy. Maybe I'm a wuss, but I generally do like spicy food, but I seriously couldn't hack it. Our waiter actually brought over rice at one point (best guy ever, so knowledgable and the perfect amount of checking-in) and although it did help cut the spice a bit, I had to pack the rest home.

Hokkien Mee - this was quite delicious! I'm a big fan of oyster sauce, but this was slightly heavy handed. I think if they dialed back the salinity this could be a real gem and a go-to for people who are a bit less adventurous but still want something different.

All in all, we'll be back probably more so for the cocktails and the service/atmosphere (there's a tiki bar!) but we're definitely up for trying the rest of their menu.

• aesthetics: 9/10 - I'm a sucker for herb/plants/anything green indoors really, and they nailed this. The music was on point, not to loud or overbearing, and the selection was upbeat and diner friendly.
• taste:  7/10 - dial back the spice and the salt and we're in real business here. The cocktails were fantastic!
• presentation:  7.5/10 - nothing out of this world, everything was simple & clean, it was clear that they had put some thought into it.
• service:  9/10 - our server was super attentive, we never felt pressured or like he ready to chew our food for us. He gave us some rice out of his own free will which was much appreciated, not to mention his beard was on point.

Tiffany Faison - owner of Sweet Cheeks BBQ did a great job with this place.

keep it raw.