Vietnamese in Atwater Village

November 5, 2006 at 8:35 pm in Food & Drink

Many years ago my husband and his mother and I ate at an amazing French-Vietnamese restaurant in New York. My mother in law is visiting this weekend and last night I remarked that I’d love to find some food like that around here – the only Viet food I’ve eaten in Los Angeles has been Pho (and some of the Thai food that crosses over, and some that I made myself, but nevermind). When I brought it up her eyes lit up and so I started searching google and CitySearch. I found Indochine Vien – not French so much as Vietnamese, but known for a vegetarian selection, which is important for me. We had lunch there today and it was divine – and around $50 (maybe less, I didn’t see the check) for three of us.

It’s a cute place, nice simple decorations. They are closing on the 17th for about a month to renevate the kitchen. Get there soon! It is really worthwhile. The spring rolls and egg rolls are especially divine, with or without meat. There’s parking in the back, which is where I took the photo. It is kid-friendly, but there is no changing table in the bathroom.

Indochine Vien, 3110 Glendale Boulevard in Atwater Village. Yum.

20 Comments »

http://www.lukelittle.blogspot.com beopenguin

I drive by that place almost every week. Its been calling to me, but I haven’t been brave enough to try it. Especially since India Sweets keeps taking all my cash.
sam

It is quite good. If you have the money to go Crustacean in beverly hills also has decent vietnamese/french.
Pho Phun

I think that little detail about cost might be ultra-important in this case, 50 for 3 people?!? That’s not even funny…
http://blogging.la/profile.phtml?author=859 Annika

Three appetizers, three drinks, three entrees. What’s the problem? The entrees were under ten bucks apiece. That is really cheap.
Pho Phun

$50 = really cheap? For 3 people? You are either kidding, from the right side of the track, or just completely clueless about how the bigger half lives. Just because your friends can also afford this price bracket that DOES NOT MAKE IT REALLY CHEAP!

Pros: Veg friendly, divine, cute place, reminds you of some fancy place in NY.

Cons: Expensive for most, semi-yuppie Vegs like the place.
oslowe

The menu: http://www.indochinevien.com/gpage.html1.html

Pho Phum Pros: Funny name.

Pho Phum Cons: fucking prick.
Greg

i stopped reading at $50.
http://blogging.la/profile.phtml?author=859 Annika

I would say something, but I am laughing too hard at the very idea that anyone could mistake a broke work-at-home writer for a yuppie.
cranky mcGump

NO KIDDY CHANGING TABLE?? WHAT!

Someone call the coucilman. why thats discrimination
mrhooks

$50 for 3 (under $17 per person) is not expensive, although it depends on how much food you get. When I go eat Vietnamese with friends or family, we don’t order one appetizer per person, and most will just drink tea, so the cost is more like under $35 for 3, which might then make $50 for 3 seem a little pricey.

To me, expensive means places that charge $25-$45+ per entree, the kind of place most people only visit on special occasions. But I’m more willing to spend more for good food than most people I know, so maybe my opinion is skewed.

Crustacean is the most awful, overpriced frou-frou Viet/French place ever. The only decent thing they make are their noodles.

And sorry to nitpick, but the phrase is “never mind” – two words, an adverb and a verb. “Nevermind” is a slang term used only as a noun. Thanks, Nirvana, for fucking up the English language, even if it was unintentional.
http://www.daisychurch.com daisy

whoa! who knew a thread about vietnamese food could get so nasty?? I took a look at the menu- I think it looks plenty affordable on an item to item basis. It’s on par to most places this side of town, if not a little less! $50 for what you listed (appetizers, dinner, drinks, + tip) seems about right.

Anyway, thanks for listing this place- I’m always on the lookout for good vietnamese as well, and this is near my neighborhood, so thanks for the heads up :)
c

Has anyone tried Vietnam House or Golden Deli in Alhambra? Delish and less expensive!
sam

Pho is usually around 5-6 bucks so TECHNICALLY you can argue that 7 dollars IS expensive (for PHO) but some of their appetizers seem cheaper than they usually are at most pho restaurants that i’ve been to (i.e. egg rolls). San Gabriel/Alhambra DOES have the best pho places though IMO.

I guess people are too used to their 99cents hamburgers and chicken sandwhiches at mcdonalds now…

Pho Phun- We’re in LA. Think of the cost of living.

And, you’re eating out and taking your MOTHER-IN-LAW somewhere. Why would you go out of your way (even with financial difficulties) to go to some cheap fast food joint or somewhere less? Even when she specifically requested a certain type of food? I’m guessing you’ve never had a significant other or a relation of them to take out to eat, unless both of them put together aren’t even worth 50 dollars.

Annika they had a nice article on this restaurant in the LA Times when it opened and they also recommended a couple of other similarly priced (except Crustacean) Vietnamese places that are very similar.
Pho Phun

OSLOWE, thanks for posting the useful link to the menu, I guess it can be affordable as long as I don’t order like Annika. Anyone that can claim $50 for 3 is “really cheap” is well on the road to yuppie-ville, even if they hit a broke patch.
http://blogging.la/profile.phtml?author=859 Annika

Is there a good Vietnamese place in LA where I can get a vegetarian appetizer and entree and an iced coffee for less than $15 (plus tip)? I’d love to know! But I’ll be honest, I have my doubts.
http://www.gwentropy.com Gwen

Hell, forget Vietnamese — how many sit-down, full service restaurants of any type are there in Los Angeles where you can get a vegetarian appetizer, entree, and drink for under $15?

And Pho Phun, if you’re as destitute and anti-yuppie as you claim, how do you manage to afford constant internet access, and why do you continue to revisit such a bourgeois website?
Nan

I just hope Oslowe will take HIS mother-in-law to this place next time she visits. Sounds delish and I am all anticipation. And $50 sounds right fine for 3 IMO
Dr.McScreamy

You didn’t say whether or not you left a tip.

A 20% tip on $50. would bring the total to $60. dollars.

Or was the meal $41. and you left a $8. dollar tip?

For Viet food, I like BLUE HEN in Eagle Rock – organic and tasty. Eagle Rock really is the happening scene in terms of lifestyle and restaurants. All the cool musicians have moved there – leaving Silver Lake to the trust fund hipsters and Hummer-yuppies. (The Eagle Rock Music Festival kicked the Sunset Junction Stret Fest’s ass!)

Of course, Silver Lake does have good, cheap Viet food at Pho Cafe (next to Rambuthan Thai in a Sunset Blvd. mini-mall) where the most expensive dish is $6.75!
http://blogging.la/profile.phtml?author=859 Annika

I repeat: I did not see the check. I was guessing the total. Based on a glance at the menu, I guessed a little high. The $50 should include tip, if I am correctly remembering what we ordered.

Eagle Rock is great. I like Colorado Wine and have heard very good things about That Yarn Store.
Oren

Annika,

If you want a cheaper Vietnamese meal, go to a Vietnamese restaurant that doesn’t cater to white people. The closest really good one is Pho 79 (though the sign out front says 97!) in Chinatown. I ate lunch there today with a friend, and two entrees + two drinks was $15. Obviously Orange County is the real mecca for cheap Vietnamese food.

Vietnamese in Atwater Village

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