The crew at Never Say Dive (4497 Broadview Rd.) in Old Brooklyn is always looking for ways to spice things up on Monday nights to give diners a special reason to visit. Previous dinner series have been devoted to vegan food and ramen. Since June, resident prep cook Thu Tran has been hosting Cold Noodle Night.
“It seemed like something fun to try,” she explains.
On Monday nights, Tran offers a special menu starring three cold vermicelli noodle bowls, three banh mi sandwiches, and few appetizers. She describes the food as “Cleveland Vietnamese,” adding that she’s far from a traditionalist when it comes to recipes. Her banh mi sandwiches, for example, arrive on airy hoagie rolls from Michael’s Bakery across the street.
Tran’s take on the Vietnamese fish cake is made with fresh fish from Kate’s at the West Side Market and then smashed on the griddle the way you’d make a smash burger. They are available as the main protein in one of the banh mis and one of the noodle bowls. Other noodle bowls star grilled chicken marinated in a ginger-lemongrass sauce and a vegetarian crispy spring roll filled with tofu, mushroom and carrot. The other two sandwiches are filled with chicken and pate or tofu along with slaw, cucumbers and mayo.
Starters include shrimp chips, sesame chips, vegetable spring rolls and fish sauce-glazed chicken wings.
The recurring element – and really, the raison d’être for Cold Noodle Night – are the fresh herbs found across the board.
“The herbs all come from my backyard,” says Tran. “My dad is a big gardener and he grows all of these herbs. This pop-up has been a nice way to utilize all of that.”
The herbs, adds Tran, are picked fresh the day of service. But the herbs – or lack of them – will also signal the end of the road for Cold Noodle Night.
“The gravy train is coming to an end,” she warns. “If we had to buy all of these herbs it would probably $200 per week.”
Tran says that the noodle nights will continue for the next three Monday nights. After that, who knows.
“We might do pho night in the winter,” says Tran.
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