08/12/17
Rose VL is the second restaurant from a husband wife duo focused on excellent Vietnamese soups. Each day of the week they offer just two soups (and some sandwiches), changing the selection each day. On a Friday I had the Peppery Pork Ball Noodle Soup. It has pork meatballs, sliced roasted pork and Vietnamese ham in a pork broth with vermicelli noodles, and is served with an assortment of herbs, lettuce, mung bean sprouts, lime and sliced chiles in chile sauce for you to adjust the overall flavor to your personal taste. The pork broth is incredibly light and seasoned perfectly - it doesn't overwhelm any of the other ingredients but provides the solid foundation that carries the dish. With a Vietnamese coffee over ice (order it strong unless caffeine makes you twitchy), it was a truly satisfying and comforting dish, and is priced at $9.50 (less than many sandwiches in Portland). The owners are delightful, very friendly and engaged in every aspect of the restaurant. I wish I lived closer to make it easier to try all of the soups. I'll definitely be back on a different day of the week.