Brasserie VietNam, the newest culinary hot spot on Bleecker Street in the heart of New York City’s West Village, offers a unique fusion of French romance and tropical Vietnamese ambiance.

From the late 1800s through 1954, when the French evacuated Vietnam following the Geneva Accord, a large French presence emerged in Vietnam, a presence that included cultural ramifications evident even today. But nothing is more evocative of the persistent influence of French culture in Vietnam than in the cuisine of the country, which guests at Brasserie VietNam are well aware of while dining there.

© Brasserie VietNam

While one side of the restaurant features small palm plants evoking Southeast Asia’s tropical climate, the other side offers a vintage French style with brick walls and brass ornaments, a fusion of styles mimicking its culinary offerings. Illuminating the Southeast Asian side are two back-lit paintings showing scenes of the Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) skyline, created by British artist Richie Fawcett.

Head chef Ray Huang is a devoted enthusiast of Vietnamese cuisine and has trained at various  restaurants across Vietnam. Adding to the mix in the kitchen is chef Joel Wu, a Culinary Institute of America graduate who trained at several Michelin-starred restaurants including New York City’s Le Bernardin and Alinea Group Roister in Chicago. His expertise in French cooking is a pivotal element in Brasserie VietNam’s unique fusion of French and Vietnamese cuisines. The menu at Brasserie VietNam is divided into 13 “small plates” and 11 “entrees,” which include meat, seafood, noodles and rice dishes.

© Brasserie VietNam

The bánh mì slider, a traditional Vietnamese bánh mì, is reimagined as the chef replaces the usual ham with a unique combination of filet mignon and black truffle pate, presented on a small baguette. Other small plates include marinated chicken thighs with mint chutney; a crunchy spring roll with shrimp, minced pork, water chestnut and jicama nuoc cham dipping sauce; and grilled bone marrow with house Sambal sauce, ground sugar and peanuts with toasted baguette.

While in most Asian cuisines, a red snapper entrée is served fried and whole, Brasserie VietNam chooses to fillet the fish and present it in cubes within the fish’s original form. The crispy fish is then accented with a tamarind sauce and a distinctive green mox sauce made with bell pepper, honey, lime and fish sauce. Likewise, the classic ribeye and oxtail pho uses a raw Angus ribeye oxtail simmered in beef broth with scallion, onion, cilantro, basil, garlic and vinegar on the side, while the traditional sauce in pho comprises fish sauce and siracha. The green noodle entrée is composed of fried tofu, shiitake mushrooms, cucumber, carrot, assorted herbs and vermicelli with green sauce.

© Brasserie VietNam

Brasserie VietNam incorporates many traditional Vietnamese rolls with different ingredients, a trend popular in Vietnam among young Vietnamese diners, and the Brasserie’s summer roll deviates from the norm by using grilled salmon instead of the usual shrimp.

Saigon Sunset © Brasserie VietNam

There are also specially crafted cocktails, including several created by the restaurant’s owner and beverage director Roy Chai, who was inspired by his experiences bartending in Vietnam. The Tipsy Forest is a classic Vietnamese cocktail featuring Vietnamese shochu liquor, pandan extract, coconut and lime. Another, called Hot Lips, combines shochu, lychee, pineapple juice, chili, ginger and lemongrass, while Mekong Night, replicates the fruit and vegetable-rich Mekong region in Vietnam by using shochu, cucumber, elderflower and butterfly flower juice. Vietnamese shochu is a distilled alcohol similar to vodka, but with a sweet hint and a slightly weaker alcohol content. The popular Saigon Sunset cocktail is a blend of banana syrup and grenadine, creating a delightful watermelon flavor, garnished with a dry lemon.

Reservations are suggested on weekends.