Late Night at Tamarind Tree

Emi and I were craving a late night dinner and decided to go check out Tamarind Tree. Emi had never been there before and since Asian food was on the mind decided to try it out. We were actually hoping to go to Malay Satay (which we ended up going to later), but it was around 10pm and they were closed. Knowing Chinatown never sleeps, we headed straight there to find dinner.

Tamarind Tree is what I would describe as a "higher end" Vietnamese restaurant. People think pho and vermicelli noodles when they think of Vietnamese, but honestly there is so much more the culture has to offer when it comes to food. So if you've never branched outside of hot soup, do so next time you eat Vietnamese and Tamarind Tree is a great place to start.

We started with something very unique and unlike anything we've tried before which was the crispy prawns baguette, deep fried Pacific prawns and fresh baguette with seasoned batter, hoisen and chili sauce. Basically it was a deep fried baguette with a prawn on top. Not quite enough prawn and a little too much bread, but fun because it was something new.

Starving at 10pm, I went with the amazingly filling and delicious Tamarind Tree rice combination which came with grilled pork, chicken, deep fried spring roll, grilled shrimp on sugar cane, and grilled prawns served with herb mixed fish sauce all topped off with a fried egg on the side. Amaaazing. Basically all of the primary food groups are covered with this dish: chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, and friiied egg. Their sweet fish sauce was one of the best parts of the meal and when poured over everything completed the meal.

The portions are great, the pricing is reasonable, and the atmosphere is inviting and upscale (especially for any place located off of Jackson Street.)

If you haven't checked out Tamarind Tree yet, maybe try something new and go there for your next late night craving.

- Kyle