Xe Lua
Xe Lua (Vietnamese Cuisine)
88 Mulberry St
bet Canal & Bayard
(212) 577-8887
Reservations: No.
Like most restaurants in chinatown, the service is quick and they only take cash for transactions.
This restaurant is fairly new, just opened a couple of months ago and it’s trying to be different than its competitors. Most vietnamese restaurants are on Baxter Streets, you know what I’m talking about. Like that same block that has 3 viet restaurants there, and they’re all practically the same. Xe Lua is not just on another block, but it looks completely different than its counterpart.
Refer to softrice for further pictures on the interiors of the restaurant. I felt like I was in Vietnam all over again, haha.
So anyways, as I entered the restaurant, I had to cross this cool bamboo bridge to get to the tables, which I thought was pretty cool. And then I can’t help but notice the little things like there are mexican/spanish people working there. Almost all the viet restaurants I’ve been to have them there, so it was just a little surprising but oh well, cheap labor.
Another thing I couldn’t help notice was that I felt like I was being rushed. The second I sat down and the menu’s were handed out, two second later that waiter, some old man in white hair, asked what we wanted to eat. Nothing grinds my gears than me being rushed. He came by three times before Dawen told him to get us appetizers and drinks. And within a minute, he comes out from the kitchen that was probably next to us and he got us the food. Holy crap, makes me wonder how long the food’s been sitting there.
This is it, the Pork Summer Roll
I apologize for not taking the picture of the peanut sauce that came with it. Oh man, it was such a good sauce.
Verdict: This isn’t much different than the summer roll because it still has that same dryness, but the meat actually makes it that much tastier. And when you dip it into the thick peanut sauce that they provide you, oh man does it taste good.
Recommended: Yes, especially for the peanut sauce!
Spring Roll
Price: $3
Unlike most vietnamese restaurants, this one does not give you the option of ordering a large spring roll. For $3, you get what you get.
Verdict: For $3, what can you lose? When I got this plate, steam was coming off this roll and it smelled delicious. The meat is very juicy and the skin is very crispy. And remember, if you choose to wrap it in lettuce, make sure you rip the lettuce in half, that way you can wrap it nicely. I was so hungry that I neglected to do that and ended up eating lettuce for the most part.
Recommended: Yes!!
At this point my dining partner’s throat was dying of thirst so he ordered the Lemonade.
Verdict: I had a sip. Do you know what grinds my gears? Seeing ice in my drink and then tasting how warm it is. This lemonade is incredibly watered down and it tastes like sugar water.
Recommended: No.
Btw, I like their tea. It wasn’t bad because it was kinda sweet. I have no idea what kind of tea it was, viet tea? lol
Grilled Beef Vermicelli
Verdict: You have no idea how good this plate smelled. To eat this, you should pour the carrot vinegar dressing that they give you to moisten the vermicelli. Don’t pour it on the pork because it’ll make it sour.
Recommended: Yes!
House Special Soup! Thinly sliced beef with vermicelli
As you might know, the reason why the pork looks raw is because you have to let your soup cook up the meat, that way it’ll taste nice and tender, instead of being hard and chewy. Then you need to add your little bean sprouts, mint leaves, and lemon juice to further enhance the taste.
Verdict: Actually the best bowl of vermicelli I’ve ever had. No really. The soup is thicker and it has more taste.
Recommended: Yes!
I came to this restaurant starving and I was indeed satisfied. I couldn’t help but notice again that other people have ordered better food than I have, like their fried rice on a sizzling platter. I will definitely come back here next time.
And oh yeah, man can the Starbucks in Chinatown make a Mocha Frap. This Frap is so sweet and delicious! Taste just like chocolate.
Comments
29 Responses to “Xe Lua”
Leave a Reply
i used to drink mocha fraps at school all the time, but now i dont really like it. i prefer just the coffee one.
thinking about our lunch the other day, i wish you wouldn’t have made me reveal all this “work” related info to the girls, especially Moushumi. I’m afraid something is going to slip out of her mouth, like how i’m done before 12 and what i do when i’m not working, etc. who knows, she could be trash talking about me when i’m away from my desk.
erin is getting bitchier now… maybe she’s cranky that she’ll be 25 REAL soon???
i’m not a fan of Amir’s “best” friend. he’s such a jerk and i’m thinking that amir tells him an elaborated story of me. who knows. everytime that guy calls, amir makes me talk to him over the phone. and i seems to always get giggly when i drink.
but i had a fun time. i went all the way up to Mad River, 81/3ave to meet with clay and john because none of us got the memo that the place has been changed. the bartender guy was super nice and gave us drinks on the house. then phil calls and tells me the new place. then we took a cab ride down to 49/2ave to The Press Box. The place kind of sucked, and there was a problem with the bar tab and they had an agrument with the bartender. then the boys paid up anyway without a tip. then the bartender says “hey, you need to pay a tip.” so the boys gave him a $5 for $50+ worth of drinks and food, not sure how much the tab was… then we went to Sutton Place, 51/2ave and left the place around 11p, had pizza next door, i ate phil’s pizza, and was sitting across from him. and then he didn’t look away, and sneezed in my direction. then i didn’t finish his pizza and of course he ate it. got home around 1am and my parents were asleep.
i must’ve missed somethimg because when i woke up saturday afternoon, my parents are mad at each other again. they’re still mad at each other. but you know, after a few more days… or weeks, they’ll be making up in bed. when? i have no idea.
it’s too much work that i dont feel like doing on the weekend – to write a blog. blogging is meant for work only.
i think it’s better to be “normal” around my friends because they keep referring you as “the crazy girl.” no way, you’re totally not mellow and quiet. At work, you’re just a perky zombie. you should seriuosly get more sleep.
when i was going from bar to bar to bar to pizza to train station, it wasn’t raining.
i’m taking my GMATs on feb 5. it’s so hard to study for them though.
geez and what do you and your bf do at your place besides computer games?
i’m debating on a haircut and/or bangs. i can’t find a good pic of how i want my hair either.
when people get perms, they only get small curls, right? they aren’t big curls? i like my curls when i do it with a curling iron so it’s not too too curly, but it’s too much work. i dont think perming will have the same effect? who knows.
i’m done with my work. lunch was ok. my clementines were tastey.
i want to meet mr. ricecakes. i’ve never eaten at Sequoia. have you? well actually i have. i only got stuffed mushrooms and they were super expensive with 6 little mushrooms filled with crab for like $15 or some shit like that.
btw, that lemonade looks like iced water with a piece of lemon in it. i hate lemonade.
oh yeah, i went shopping on saturday. well i had to return a North Face coat and a shirt back at nordstroms, both totalling about $158. Then i took that money and spent it on a Lacoste fleece jacket instead for $151. then i looked in the shoes dept and found another pair of Seychelles that i really like. Seychelles are my new favorite shoes. check them out at http://www.solestruck.com and http://www.shoes.com. they have a lot of cute shoes.
i’m bored at lunch…
you’re asian and you dont know what clementines are? if you were one of my boys and they asked that question or mistake it for a tangerine or a little orange like Phil has before, i’d say “they’re clementines you idiot!”
they are these little oranges that are easy to peel, like the size of a golf ball, maybe bigger and they are sweeter. the spanish ones that comes in a little wooden crate for like $4.99 when it’s not on sale are the ones i eat. the chinese ones have the stem and leaf, but those you just place everywhere in the house and my mom tells me i can’t eat them.
sheesh!
no way, they aren’t cheap. the bartender messed up the tab and wouldn’t fix it. samir (the indian) was gonna just leave a $1 tip but felt bad so he gave him $5. so $5 was nice.
take me to Mr. Sam on the weekend, when you have time. let me know…
no i’m not going back to sequoia, but if you’d want to rate that place, i’d go there to eat with you kids.
lol, it sounds like you and your bf are married already. my parents barely go out. all they do is sit around, go grocery shopping together and watch a chinese movie at night. married life is so boring, or so it seems.
hey i did post a pic of my dog. except it’s super tiny. he’s eating wonton on my avatar.
yeah you probably triggered erin’s madness.
my dog doesn’t need his nails clipped, because they get filed down when he walks in the street.
just got a call from my recruiter, and jp morgan in brooklyn wants to meet with me.
of course i drove to nordstroms. cant get anywhere without a car. why dont you come out to jersey and i’ll take you to my parents favorite chinese restaurant and show you how much food you can get for a low low price.
i might go to lacoste on 5th ave to see if they have this other fleece jacket that i like. the one i have is cute, and it’s a cream/white color but i want black because the last time i bought a light colored jacket, it gets dirty so fast in the city.
p.s. they’re called clementines you idiot! have you ever eaten a tangerine? the taste is so much different. tangerines are a lot sweeter than clementines but they are notoriously filled with too much seeds and they are harder to peel.
I think you have beef mixed up with pork. Because all the pork you’ve mentioned on your entrees, they’re cow meat. Lol.
i’d actually like to settle down soon. i’m getting sooooo old. but yeah, 30 IS the new 20.
i have to go over to brooklyn for that JP interview though. i wonder how much taht is going to suck traveling from manhattan to brooklyn. how’s the financial district there? is it boring like jersey city? give me details! i wont get killed on the train, will i?
commute is going to suck, i i prefer the nyc subways more than the PATH train. i’d have to go to penn and then transfer to some unknown line.
and they are called CLEMENTINES YOU IDIOT!
so i make these wierd pics of amir because he loves them, but his best friend seattle dave doesn’t like them. and amir begs me for more pics but today i told him hell no.
so give me details about brooklyn’s financial district, and how long would it take from WTC, and/or penn station. is it ghetto? can i find a place that sells singing shrimp in the morning?
oh yeah the other week, Alisha saw my little clementines and she was like “oh, what are they? little oranges?” and good thing i payed attention to who asked me that question, otherwise, i would’ve accidentally called her an idiot and she’d probably get mad.
damn it, they’re clementines!…you idiot!
thanks for that detailed description! that helped out a lot.
and i got a “screening” interview with merrill lynch on that day too! basically, it’s a phone interview to see if i’m worthy enough to interview in person.
wanna do something on friday afterwards? you didn’t start class yet, right?
so i got an email from wordpress.com and the subject line is “Please Moderate” for today’s post. does that mean you kids are posting excessively or that i keep calling you an idiot???
CLEMENTINES YOU IDIOT!
erin just gave me work at 5pm… i should probably do them
so tiff, help me with my interviewing… what kinds of questions did those LA people ask you abuot what you did here and tell me what other questions they asked….
i dont know if i’m going to have time studying for GMATs because now i’m busying preparing for these interviews. so i’m going to study up on those handouts that we got in those 1-too many pointless meetings and make bullshit out of that… hopefully that will do the trick.
but tell me the questions LA asked you.
p.s. what stop in brooklyn is JPMorgan on?
ohh, did you read what ricecakes wrote to me. “i love sequoia. i just won’t go with you.” wow.
p.s. there was fart in the air this morning. it was pretty damn gross
Um, why does the restaurant have a chinese name. even i know how to write water in chinese and they sell jap food? looks good though. i dont know how long i can stick around in the city because i’ll be bored. i have jp morgan at 11-12, maybe shorter and then i have to find a place to sit down and talk to merrill lynch. so i’ll be bored to death in the city afterwards. well actually i dont know what time merrill will call, but it will be after 12 pm. then i dont know if i can last by myself until 5pm. oh, lunch, but then i might not eat dinner. and i’m not sure about shopping b/c i dont want to hold my bags if i do go out, unless it’s with you because i know you’re not that wild and will make me forget/lose my bags.
have time for lunch or at least take me to dim sum after my JPMorgan interview? since i’m done at 12, i’ll be traveling back to manhattan at around 12:30/1. and then i have my Merrill phone interview at 3pm. need to find a quiet spot for that… is your school opened? can i sit inside the lobby and is it quiet?
i’m so nervous.
i’m done with work, but i call it a mediocre day because i’m so psyched about these interviews and trying to find an excuse or make myself sound sick enough so sharon will believe me…
i think my excuse will be, “I woke up with a fever and a major headache, so i’m calling out sick today.”
~~~~~~~do i have to say “bye” after that, or should i just hang up?
you know the way i talk on the phone, when i’m done talking, i always say “ok bye”. but me saying “bye” after my sick line doen’st sound right.
TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK. so bye or just hang up?
i’d study at work for GMATs but i hate lugging that big book in my coach bag b/c it’s heavy for 1 shoulder. and if i bring a backpack, i’m going to be suspected as a terrorist and get my bag checked.
So uh, should i say “bye” after i tell sharon i’m sick???
i’m gonig to call early and leave a message, so should or shouldn’t i say bye?????
tell me which sounds better:
1- sharon, i have a fever and a really bad headache, so i need to call out sick today. ok bye
or
2- sharon, i have a fever and a really bad headache, so i need to call out sick.
the last 2 times i called out sick when i wasn’t, well here’s the conversation:
me: hi sharon, i don’t feel well today so i’m calling out sick.
sharon: your sick? (in this tone like she doens’t believe me)
me: i don’t feel well
sharon: ok, feel betta.
my friends tell me i should just call in early when she doesn’t pick up. except sometimes sharon doesn’t come into work, so if i leave a voice mail and leeann doesn’t get it she might fire me or something.
no, i’m not into sports at all. but since i went to OSU and we are this big crazy football school, and our team usually does really well, etc. and our games are always televised nationally… but my friends from ohio are really bummed out.
where do you work? i dont want to drag you from midtown all the way downtown and back up again.
and am i allowed to sit by myself in a class room without looking suspicious? can’t i just sit in the lobby or something?
for JPMorgan, it’s Business Analyst for Client Services. and for Merrill, i forget, i need to look at my email tonight.
i haven’t read death note since i started blogging so i kind of forgot what had happened earlier and i dont feel like starting from the beginning. but that’s what i’m donig today.
hey what kinds of questions did you ask the interviewers about the job? i never know what to ask. do you think i should ask my interviewers about his wife and kids? lol. j/k.
give me questions to ask… or at least an idea.
and i dont think i can use the excuse, “i have to drive my mom to the hospital” because that’s what “personal days” are for.
i asked sharon last year “can i take a sick day for a doctor’s appointment?” and she said to me “thats what personal days are for.you have 2 of them.”
i could say i’m going to a funeral but i’d need documentation to submit to HR. ridiculous.
p.s. don’t forget about my face/oil blotting sheets!
and you got stuff for blemishes? or any good acne treatment i can buy? i don’t know sheseido too well
yes, ohio is a swing state. and i dont think the people there are rich. depending on where you live, some of the kids grew up on a farm, like Phil, except he’s from Maine and eats deer meat. he picks them up from the street aka roadkill meat.
but it’s definitely a lot cheaper to live out there. my rent was only $450/month for a studio because i only got a 6month rent. if i got a 1 year lease, it would only be $375. the most expensive single/studio apartment is lik $500-600. but if you get a double or more, it’s only like $250 per person per month. so it’s cheap for a nice apartment.
yes! i remember taht address. metrotech! that’s where JPMorgan is!
thanks
p.s. i just peed like 10 mins ago and i have to go again! i’ve been chugging water
deathnote already has a movie version? last week there was no new episode right?
yeah i’m so excited for bleach this week!
and i gotta pee soooo bad. can’t hold anymore
p.s. traveling there doesn’t look bad bit it looks like a “long” walk of 1 mile, though i can do it in 15 mins…
do you mean the starbucks near the kaplan place or the starbucks near your school? i’m not sure if i remember how to get to the one near your school, but near the kaplan place yes. is that where i’ll meet you?
traveling to brooklyn so far, doesn’t seem that bad. just dont know how bad the walking and how confusing the streets are like downtown. maybe you should hold my hand since i’m on your turf.
sure i’ll call you when i get out of JPMorgan if you’re awake.
yeah there isn’t much to do in Ohio. but they do pay tax on clothes, like 6.35%. and there are a lot of wild bars around the campus area and yes, drugs. my bf smokes a lot of pot. he even does it at work. and his supplier grows it in his basement.
the neighborhood to JP looks alright. it’s says it’s near the fulton mall or something? well it looks more interesting than jersey city fo’ sho’.
yeah i’m not really a fan of Inoue. she’s too week. i like confident people. and i LOVE ichigo’s dad. he’s so hot! wow.
in the manga, wow, i would’ve never thought that Inoue likes Ichigo that she would’ve almost kissed him before she became a traitor.
you know what kind of people i can’t stand… people who swing their arms so far back and forth when they walk/run. if they were a runner, that is really bad form because #1 it wastes more energy and #2 it’s bad because your body isn’t aligned with your feet (it’s twisting = back strain).
people, especially chubby ladies trying to walk up the escalator, and run out of gas before they can reach the top and start slowing down, keep hitting me in the face with their big swinging arms.
my bad, i totally forgot Rice is not an element. i’ll pretend like Rice does not exist.
I’ll pick up my clothes on tuesday night, if you have work. i can jsut stop by downtown and pick themm up on that day. it’s not a hassle. it’s actually quicker to go to nyc in the evening since eveyone else is going back to jersey.
but yeah, i want to use the computer lab! though i dnot kow if i can sit around surfing the web for 2+ hours. i can’t even do that at home. only at work… but it’s kind of boring at work.
but blogging is pretty cool. yeah…
time to leave in 2 mins.