QNE_p068

QC05232013

FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com MAY 23, 2013 ������BUZZ������������������������������������������������67 ��dining out The restaurant Sandy built �������������������������������� It is only a spring roll, but I have somehow rapidly devoured three of these crispy golden fingers before realizing I have yet to dunk one into the accompanying chili sauce. The delicate wrapper crackles and gives way to a steaming center of al dente glass noodles, tiny slivers of carrot and sweet lumps of fresh crabmeat. A spring roll this delicious can really heighten your awareness of just how monotonous most other renditions can be. I am already grinning, and this is just the first course. The quality of food at Bún-ker Vietnamese is beyond surprising. The first syllable is the Vietnamese word for vermicelli (pronounced boon), while the restaurant’s full name is a play on its bunker-like location. Chef Jimmy Tu said the space was initially a boutique seafood distribution site. Tu previously opened Manhattan’s famed Eleven Madison Park, where he also cooked for two years. Since he originally intended Bún-ker to be a storage space, he said “the location really didn’t matter.” He added that cheap rent was why he chose the location. Sandy saw things a little differently. The storm put the distribution center out of business for almost a month. Facing major damage and with no flood insurance, Tu and his partners — including younger brother Jacky, who is also the sous-chef — decided to close the distribution business and open Bún-ker in its place in January. With gingham tablecloths, buckets of utensils on each table and a bamboo and straw thatched ceiling, the tiny dining room daily buzzes with locals clustered around tightly packed private and communal tables. The draw here is simple: excellent Vietnamese cuisine. After leaving the fine dining industry, Tu spent a month and a half studying street food, befriending local establishments throughout Vietnam and Thailand and studying their recipes and techniques. “Noodles are a really big street food �� Bún-ker Vietnamese 46-63 Metropolitan Avenue Ridgewood, NY 11385 718-386-4282 www.bunkervietnamese.com Tuesdays & Wednesdays 5 – 10 p.m. Thursdays & Fridays 5 – 11 p.m. Saturday noon – 11 p.m. Sunday noon – 10 p.m. in Vietnam,” Tu explained, “We also use a Japanese grill with real charcoal, because out in Vietnam, it’s all charcoal, which definitely adds to the flavor.” It’s “street food made with a lot of love,” Tu added with a smile. Take, for instance, the Saigon Special Banh Mi. It is a flaky baguette stuffed with five-spice pâté made in-house as well as steamed pork shoulder ground with cinnamon, sugar and fish sauce. The sandwich also has garlic sausage, and it’s all garnished with pickled vegetables, mayo, cilantro, jalapeno and a ribbon of sriracha hot sauce. The Pho Ga is an intense chicken noodle soup consisting of smoked shallot broth with bobo chicken. The kitchen develops it over eight hours. Even simple plates explode with flavors carefully cultivated in the kitchen — tomato garlic fried rice and creamed taro leaves like collard greens with a hint of curry, ginger and garlic. Drinks are limited to a cooler where customers serve themselves water. You can also order artichoke kefir iced tea or Vietnamese black coffee. Next week, the restaurant plans to introduce several homemade soft drinks including flavors like lime ginger mint, tamarind and chili lychee. Until then, plan on cooling your palate with a bowl of coconut tapioca pudding whose tender pearls are studded with slivers of young coconut, pineapple, star fruit and palm seeds. Sounds simple? It is simply delicious. View Over 200 Reviews at queenscourier.com UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT HOURS OF OPERATION SUNDAY THRU THURSDAY 11AM - 9:30PM FRIDAY AND SATURDAY 11AM - 11PM FREE DELIVERY $12 MIN. OR FOR PICK UP CALL ���������������������������������������������������������������� 61-09 SPRINGFIELD BLVD. BAYSIDE, NY 11364 www.joesfamouspizza.com ����������������������������$24.95 + tax ONE LARGE CHEESE PIZZA �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� $2 OFF ���������������������� ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������ $5 OFF ���������������������� ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������ �������������� ���������������������� ������������������ PROMOTIONS �������������������������������� ������������������������������ SPORTING EVENTS ���������������������������������� STARTING @ $5 ���� 5 HOUR PRE-LICENSING COURSE ���� STICK SHIFT LESSONS ���� DMV SERVICE-PLATES & REGISTRATION ���� PATIENT INSTRUCTORS ���� GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABLE ���� DISCOUNT PACKAGES AVAILABLE ���� DOOR TO DOOR SERVICE ���� EARLY ROAD TEST APPOINTMENT ���� REFRESHER & HIGHWAY LESSONS LICENSED BY NEW YORK STATE SERVING ALL OF QUEENS & L.I. $5 OFF ANY PACKAGE WHICH INCLUDES 45 MINUTES ROAD LESSONS, 5 HOUR COURSE, ROAD TEST APPOINTMENT AND CAR FOR ROAD TEST ONE COUPON PER PERSON NOT TO BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFER 38-15 BELL BLVD, SUITE 202, BAYSIDE, NY 11361 ΜΕΤΑΦΡΑΣΕΙΣ ΠΛΗΡΕΞΟΥΣΙΑ DON’T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU! (BET. 38th & 39th, Ave.) ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ www.nyautoschool.com


QC05232013
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