Lotus root salad
Three years ago, I reported here about the opening of Juice Bar in Brentwood. Â I was excited to see Vui Hunt bringing her healthy foods and philosophy to Nashville with her husband, John. (Also known as I Love Juice Bar, it has since spawned multiple locations.)
Now, the Hunts — with the assistance of the Fresh Hospitality restaurant group — have expanded that philosophy to Vui's native Vietnamese cuisine with Vui's Kitchen, which opens (officially) today in Berry Hill.
Last week, the crew at Vui's Kitchen was working on training and finalizing the menu, so I got a preview, and it's even better than I'd hoped. It's Vietnamese food that's all freshly made and delicious. There's no oily stir-fry or frozen fried proteins (or fried anything), rather lots of fresh produce plus herbs and peppers grown on site. The menu consists of popular Vietnamese favorites such as pho, banh mi, and noodle bowls, as well as some items  you may not have seen before, such as a lotus root salad and a jicama salad (both of which come with a variety of greens including Thai basil and arugula). And something I've definitely not seen before: Almost everything on the menu can be made vegan. Vegan pho!
Banh mi
Though the pho really tempted me, I opted for the noodle bowl with oyster mushrooms on my first visit and the banh mi with lemongrass tofu and oyster mushrooms on my second visit (it is my new favorite sandwich). I also sampled the summer rolls with tofu, the jicama salad, and the lotus root salad. Everything was fantastic. The fresh produce makes everything really bright. The lemongrass tofu on the banh mi helped create a really hearty sandwich, too. Other menu items I was able to taste were the avocado shake, coconut ice cream (from Pied Piper Creamery), coconut pudding with tapioca pearls, and the house-made ginger lemonade.
There's also beer, wine, sodas, sugarcane juice, fancy water (and self-serve tap water) as well as iced Vietnamese-style coffee. Another cool menu item is the fresh coconut (drink the milk and eat the meat with a spoon). My husband, the "porketarian," thoroughly enjoyed his banh mi, which is made with a lemongrass-marinated pork belly. Just about every menu item has the option of lemongrass pork belly, lemongrass chicken, lemongrass beef, lemongrass tofu and oyster mushrooms, or five-spice shrimp. Check out the rest of the menu online.
Summer rolls with cabbage salad
The space inside is a bit small, so expect some crowds. There are, however two patio spaces, both of which are lovely. The service is fast-casual (order at the front and servers bring the food to your table), which helps with turnover. That is, you can get in and out more quickly than it seems. Parking during the day can be a challenge in that very busy portion of Berry Hill, but in the evening, the offices across Bransford provide additional parking.
2832 Bransford Ave.
615-241-8847
Open Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
