Cuisine:

• Others
• Vietnamese

Benley Description:
This minimalist Vietnamese café in Long Beach succeeds due to the skills of a talented team of close-knit chefs. Kim Tran and friend Nguyet Nguyen prepare Vietnamese classics, and Kim's nephew Phuong Tran incorporates the French techniques he learned at Campanile. Appetizers include classic spring rolls served with chili-dabbed hoisin sauce. The authentic pho is a good way to sample one of the restaurant's four varieties of beef noodle soup. The braised short rib separates from the bone with the flick of a chopstick and is accompanied by fresh guacamole. Main dishes include well-executed versions of shaken beef and rice vermicelli with charbroiled pork and egg rolls. More ambitious dishes include pan-seared salmon topped with cilantro aïoli and flash-fried salted shrimps with soybean oil and ginger strands. There's no wine list and no bar, but much planning has gone into the desserts. Buttermilk panna cotta, ringed with mint syrup and Key lime anglaise, is tasty. So is the thin-sliced fan of gelatinous cassava cake. Given the off-the-beaten-path location and décor limited to two paper lanterns and three photos of Saigon, Benley can afford to charge less for the ambitious food.


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