Food preparation very personal at Van Loi restaurant
A vermicelli rice noodle bowl with grilled pork, shrimp and egg rolls at Van Loi Vietnamese Restaurant in Roy.
The Van Loi Special, a hot and spicy rice noodle soup at Van Loi Vietnamese Restaurant in Roy.
VAN LOI
- ADDRESS: 5451 S. 1900 W., Unit 4, Roy
- PHONE: 801-776-5961
- HOURS: 11 a.m.-2 p.m. lunch, 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Friday and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday
- WEB: vanloifood.com
To My Nguyen, owner of Van Loi, her food preparation is very personal and she insists on overseeing everything. This means she works at the restaurant six days a week.
“When I go on vacation, I close. If they come and we are closed, they might be mad, but they will come back. But, if they come and the food is not good, they won’t come back. That is my philosophy,” Nguyen said.
She jokes that the scars up and down her arms are from a tiger fight. The truth is, they are burn marks that have accumulated over 11 years since the restaurant opened its doors.
“It is a lot of work to keep the food good all the time,” she said. “It has to be the same and good every time. You might have to wait, but people say it is worth it. I do it with my heart.”
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A vermicelli rice noodle bowl with grilled pork, shrimp and egg rolls at Van Loi Vietnamese Restaurant in Roy.
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The Van Loi Special, a hot and spicy rice noodle soup at Van Loi Vietnamese Restaurant in Roy.
Nguyen makes all food to order. She does not even pre-wrap the eggrolls because she believes it affects the flavor. For this reason, the food takes time. When a large group comes in or the restaurant is crowded, she asks for her customers to be patient so she can take the time she needs to fill orders.
One of the most popular menu items is pho ($9.25), a traditional Vietnamese comfort food made with rice noodles, onions and choice of meats including chicken, steak, brisket, flank or meatballs.
Pho is served with a side of fresh bean sprouts, basil, lime and jalapenos for customization. The most important element of the dish is the broth, which takes at least 24-hours to prepare correctly and uses cut-up whole chickens as an ingredient.
“We have eight pots going at the same time,” Nguyen said of how they handle the demand for the soup.
Grilled pork, shrimp, egg rolls and vermicelli noodles in a house Vietnamese sauce ($10.95) is another big seller. Nguyen makes the sauce from scratch and the meat is very flavorful.
The egg rolls ($4.50) and spring rolls ($4.95) are recommended starters.
The egg rolls are fried but not greasy, never frozen, and filled with hand-trimmed pork loin, steak, shrimp and cabbage. The spring rolls are stuffed with shrimp, pork, fresh lettuce, sprouts and rice noodles, served with peanut dipping sauce that is sweet with a hint of heat.
“In Vietnam, the way vegetables are prepared is very important. They have to be fresh, crisp and look good with a mixture of colors for contrast,” Nguyen said.
She learned the art of cooking from her chef grandmother while growing up in Vietnam.
“My mom saw it was a lot of work, so she didn’t want to do it. But as a teenager, I followed my grandma around a lot and I learned how to make the food. I like to cook and I wanted to bring a part of my culture here,” Nguyen said.
Most dishes on the menu are not spicy or can be prepared in a mild version. The Van Loi special Vietnamese style noodle entrée ($9.95) and the chicken curry with rice ($9.95) are best hot and spicy.
For dessert, Nguyen suggests assorted tropical fruits in sweet milk ($3.50). Specialty drinks include Thai tea ($2.50), fresh squeezed limeade ($2.25) and espresso ice coffee with milk ($3.50).
“My family put a lot of heart into this restaurant. There has been a lot of work and a lot of memories made here too,” she said pointing out a tile floor laid by her husband and a hand-stitched tapestry made by her sister.
In addition to putting in so many hours at the restaurant, Nguyen continues to work her job of 25 years as an accountant saying it is hard to leave her co-workers who have become like her family.
“You have to have passion if you want to do your job well, whatever your job is. If I wouldn’t eat something, I won’t serve it. I believe in karma. I am obligated to make good food. My conscience won’t let me do otherwise,” said Nguyen