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.

Noodles and Company is Vegan friendly

Here it is, the newest restaurant in Topeka.

Tonight I got the chance to check out Noodles & Company for their soft opening.

Before even going I checked out their menu online to plan what I was going to order. Just some background -- my doctor has told me to stop eating all dairy because my gall bladder is giving me some problems. It may be that I'm lactose intolerant but we aren't sure. I've also decided to cut down on how much meat I eat since many dishes I eat have both meat and dairy in them.

What I liked about Noodles is they have plenty of vegan and vegetarian options. Click this link for a list of options.

Anyway, I ordered the Pasta Fresca with no cheese -- it comes with a choice of feta or parmesan. I also added some tofu, just to try it out and I was glad I did. I would recommend it even if you've tried tofu before and hated it because that happened to me, but I decided to go for it.

Pasta Fresca from Noodles & Co.

At first I thought they may have put meat in my noodles but it was just their firm tofu, which had a rich, meat-like texture and flavor that I enjoyed. It caught me off guard! It was grilled and firm but not chewy, it reminded me of lean pork. The sauce was made with balsamic vinegar, white wine and olive oil. It comes with spinach, tomatoes and onions and a hint of roasted garlic, all tossed together with penne pasta noodles. I enjoyed my dish but I do wish there were more vegetables because I was left with a bunch of noodles and no vegetables when I was finished. I may have eaten more if there were more toppings, but I am not a fan of just eating noodles and sauce.

I liked that the tomatoes weren't cooked to a pulp. Sometimes when I eat pasta dishes with tomatoes they like to cook them until they are mushy and not good anymore. Here, they were pretty uncooked so I liked that. The spinach, on the other hand, I wish would have been cooked a little more so it would have wilted a bit into the pasta. Instead, they were fresh spinach leaves in a cooked dish, which seemed a little awkward to me. I still enjoyed the flavor, I love spinach, it just seemed weird to me.

Overall, I enjoyed my experience. The place was packed and the line was long, but the staff did a good job accommodating their guests. The manager was guiding the long lines, including the drink like, which got a little long while they were filling the ice. He walked around and began filling up everyone's glasses with ice so the line would run a little faster, which worked. I thought he handled the situation well.

Noodles & Company opens tomorrow, March 17th, which is also St. Patrick's day. Hopefully Topeka will show up and continue to support this new addition to Top City. I enjoyed my visit, did you? Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Thanks for reading Tasting Topeka. If you have any restaurants that you would like me to review, please comment below. Thanks and happy tasting.