Sochi Saigonese Kitchen

Husband-and-wife team Chinh Pham and Son Do say they crafted the menu for their Lakeview Vietnamese restaurant Sochi Saigonese based on memories from growing up in Saigon (present-day Ho Chi Minh City), a fact reflected in the stunning attention to detail in each dish. Refreshing seared duck salad bursts with texture from crunchy daikon, sprouts, leafy herbs, spiralized banana blossom and a ring of airy crab chips, while hefty spring rolls are wrapped in imported Vietnamese rice paper that offers a translucent peek at the pork, shrimp and veg inside. We’re arguably most smitten with the restaurant’s small-batch, ultra-fragrant pho—simmered for 10 hours and loaded with rosy slivers of brisket, flank steak, rice noodles and herbs, it’s a marvel from the first slurp to the very last.