Kim's Vietnamese

Asian food is one of my all-time favorites. Sometimes, though, I can get a little tired of the same thing, and most Asian restaurants in Topeka offer a variety of the same dishes.  In 2010, Kim's Vietnamese opened on 10th Street and at the time I worked for the Washburn Review so, I wrote a review.  I gave it a good review because it was different, fresh and tasty.

Now, the restaurant has moved to 29th and Kansas but the food is still exceptional.

When I first decided to check it out, I thought it was interesting because it boasted Vietnamese food as opposed to Chinese or Japanese, which we see all over the place in T-town. Vietnamese was new for the area. I was intrigued. (It opened in November 2010.)

Scrumptious pork dumplings

The menu features noodle soups, stir-fries and spring rolls. The noodle soups were new to me so the first time I went that's what I tried. The soups come with different noodles and if you ask the waitstaff to help you decipher which noodle is which they are more than willing to help you out. I think they want to educate people so they know what they're ordering, like what they're offering and possibly they will order it again.  The noodles come in a hot broth -- choice of what kind of broth -- with vegetables and herbs. Check out my previous review (linked above) to find out more about the noodle soup.

If you don't want to mess with all that, Kim's also has stir-fries and other dishes you may be more comfortable with. Recently, I tried the chicken lo mein stir fry, crab Rangoon and pork dumplings.

The new location reminds me a lot of the their original location with tons of windows and lots of plants and foliage. I don't remember seeing any booths, but the tables were comfortable enough. Each table is loaded with silverware, napkins, sauces and anything you may need to eat your meal.

The pork dumplings were inspiring. Inspiring in a way that I wish I could make them myself they were so good. Fried dumplings filled with meat and spices I couldn't even begin to describe. Hot, fresh , crispy and juicy I would order them again and again. They were served with a sweet and sour sauce but they didn't really even need any sauce.

The stir fry was good, with a flavor that was a little different than what I'm used to. I love that. I couldn't quite put my finger on what was different but I could definitely tell they used soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame oil and some kind of sweetener, maybe honey. The noodles weren't greasy and they were just saucy enough. The vegetables were cooked thoroughly and so was the chicken. There were carrots, broccoli, onions and cabbage.

My only complaint is I think it would be better if the dish had dark meat chicken. It had white meat and I feel in dishes like stir frys, the white meat chicken gets really dry. Just a personal opinion, I know a lot of people who prefer white meat. But to me, fat is flavor and dark meat always has more fat. I understand if you're watching your waistline, so get this dish, it's got white meat. (haha). But seriously, it was still a good entree I would order again sometime.

I also tried the crab Rangoon, mostly because I just love crab Rangoon. I was glad I gave it a chance. Crispy, fresh and creamy on the inside. Plus, there were chunks of crab that you could actually see inside, unlike how most of the time you're not even sure it's there. Yum.

Crab Rangoon

Our waitress brought us a plate of cold grapes to conclude our meal. She said they don't always give grapes but she was able to get some on sale. It was a nice ending to a fine meal.

I plan to return to Kim's Vietnamese and soon.  Their menu isn't typical of what can be found in Topeka so if you're looking for something different but not overwhelmingly so, check this place out. Like I said before, the staff is willing to help you choose something you will like, just ask questions.

Margaritas Jalisco

 I was finally able to try the newest Mexican restaurant in Topeka: Margaritas Jalisco. It's right across from Washburn's campus on 17th Street and has been open for two months. The location was closed for years and I'm happy to see it's finally re-opened and this time as a Mexican restaurant pretty close to my house.

Guacamole Mexicana

The atmosphere is warm and inviting, especially on a cold day. The walls are painted bright shades of yellow and orange. Various shaped gourds are arranged around the room. The building has been slightly remodeled with an added wall in the middle. The bar is still on the west side with booths set up around the rest of the walls and tables scattered throughout the room.

The server brought chips and salsa immediately. The chips were good, not the thin, greasy ones you sometimes get. These were thicker and fried fresh. The salsa was thick and pureed, with a noticeable cilantro flavor that I love.  It wasn't spicy so I could scoop quite a bit on my chip -- I'm pretty sensitive to spicy food and this wasn't spicy in the least, but it still had good flavor.

Chips and salsa

When I try new Mexican restaurants I always like to order the guacamole and this time I chose the Guacamole Mexicana. I must admit, I assumed I knew what I was ordering but when it came out it was something completely different. What I thought I was getting was mashed guacamole with pico de gallo added to it. Nope. What I got was chunks of avocado marinated in lime juice with pico de gallo and grilled jalapeños on top. It reminded me of a deconstructed guac and I loved it. The grilled fresh jalapeños were crispy on top of the smooth avocado and crunchy tomatoes and onions. If you like guacamole you gotta try this dish, it was one I'll be ordering again.

The only thing I don't really understand is the green tomato. 

Normally, I order a chimichanga or burrito but tonight I was feeling like something different. For my entree I got cheese enchiladas smothered in a red sauce with bell peppers and pork. It was served with a guacamole salad (small scoop of guac, lettuce and tomato) and rice. The rice was some of the best I've found here in town, soft with just enough seasoning and none of those hard peas and carrots that I usually pick out. This was just rice and I loved it. The enchiladas were stuffed with white stringy cheese (YUM!) and the sauce on top was tangy. I only wish there was more pork because it was so good. The pulled pork was not greasy or overdone and complimented the dish nicely, but like I said before, I wish there was more. I loved the cheese, even though I'm not supposed to eat it. But if I am going to take a chance and eat cheese, it better be good cheese. This made the cut.

The service was fast and friendly. There are specials every day, which, being right across from Washburn University is a necessity. Hopefully students will go there and the place will stay open because I enjoyed it and plan to return.

Monsoon Grill - YUM!

I finally checked out the new Monsoon Indian Grill.

I went there on a Sunday night for dinner and there were quite a few people eating. The atmosphere is dim, quaint and relaxing. The service was good and our waitress was helpful with the menu. If you've never been to an Indian restaurant, you will need help with the menu, trust me.

For lunch they offer a buffet but I went for dinner so it's only a la carte, but that was OK with me because I already knew what I wanted to order.

I ordered the Chicken Tikki Masala with some naan bread. You can choose if you want regular, mild or spicy for any dish -- I chose regular because I just wasn't sure what their spice was like because I had never ordered anything before. My friend ordered the Tikki Masala skewers in spicy and he was sweating profusely and I think he looked uncomfortable. I, on the other hand, had no problem eating most of my dish.

Here's my rice and Chicken Tikki Masala.

My entree came with white rice, which I like to mix with the Tikki Masala sauce and pile it on my naan bread and eat it that way, kind of like a burrito. The chicken wasn't dry, which sometimes it can be since most cooks think: "Well, it's going in a sauce anyway..." NOT true. Even though a meat is smothered in sauce it is still easy to tell if that meat is over cooked and dry. This chicken was not.

I have to say, I enjoyed the dishes - like the plates and silverware. The bowls were interesting, with a tall handle-like piece that seems to me would cause the dishwasher a headache. The plates were rectangles with decorative lips in the plate that make it look crooked. The silverware was sturdy and heavy, unlike some places where I have been able to bend my fork or knife in the process of using it.

These are simosas: baked pastry filled with peas, potatoes and lentils. 

The naan bread was amazing. The cooks make it by throwing the dough on the side of an Indian-style oven -- tandoori -- and letting it bake until it falls off. What makes naan bread special is that it's usually made with yogurt instead of milk or water. At Monsoon the bread was fluffy on the inside and a little crunchy from the grill on the outside. I ordered a second helping because it was so good.

I look forward to returning for the lunch buffet. From what I hear they have different items on the buffet daily. If you have never eaten Indian food I would recommend checking out the buffet -- that way you can try a bunch of different dishes and figure out what you like, and what you don't like. From my experience, you will like more than you don't like!

Normally I post a map to show where the restaurant is located. Unfortunately, Monsoon Grill is so new they don't have a place on Google maps, yet. But just FYI, it's located right behind Chipotle Mexican Grill on Wanamaker Road in Topeka.