Vietnamese fare off the beaten path

Paul Do, owner of Basil Leaf Café, a Vietnamese noodle and grill restaurant in Stoughton. (Wendy Chow/Globe Staff)

Basil Leaf Café
408 Washington St., Stoughton
781-344-8998
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday,11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Visa and MasterCard accepted
Accessible to the handicapped

A welcome addition to the Stoughton restaurant scene is Basil Leaf Café. The restaurant, which opened in June, specializes in Vietnamese noodle soups and grilled meats. Owned by Paul Do, who is of Chinese descent from Vietnam, the restaurant is a family affair, with various relatives helping out. But the head chef is "full Vietnamese," said Do.

The restaurant, which seats about 50 people, is open and airy, painted in tropical hues of turquoise and yellow. Two full walls on one end of the building are devoted to an array of beautiful Chinese vases. A pair of flat-screen TVs joins attractive Asian prints on the walls.

At Vietnamese restaurants, the main attraction is pho, or noodle soup. This meal in a bowl is both light and filling. Basil Leaf's broth is made fresh daily, said Do, as he rattles off how many pounds of beef and chicken bones they use. If you can't decide which cut of beef you want, order the pho dac biet ($7), which offers a huge bowl of rice noodles with a combination of meats, including eye round steak, flank steak, and brisket. All the noodle soups come with a side of bean sprouts, basil, and lime wedges.

Also not to be missed are the bun, or vermicelli bowls. While the phos are perfect for cold-weather days, bun is a refreshing treat in warm weather. The vermicelli and vegetables (including bean sprouts, pickled carrots, and shredded lettuce) are a cool contrast to the grilled meats. I had the bun dac biet ($8), a special combination of grilled pork, shrimp, sausage, and shrimp cake. A wonderful contrast of colors and textures, the dish was topped with a sprinkling of crushed peanuts. Drizzle the noodles with the accompanying sweet fish sauce and enjoy the interplay of flavors.

The fresh spring rolls ($3.50 for 2) were plump and freshly made, but uninspired. They included dry shredded chicken, which wasn't mentioned on the menu. The accompanying peanut sauce added much-needed flavor. Much better was the crispy silver fish with salt and pepper ($8), a large platter of fried little fish. If you like salt and pepper calamari, you'll enjoy the addictive fish as well.

If you're feeling adventurous, try the Vietnamese salad of boneless duck web ($9). The marinated duck web (feet) is served on a bed of fresh cole slaw and sprinkled with crushed peanuts. The dish has a pleasing snap from the duck web and a kick from the chili flecks in the fish sauce.

For more items off the beaten path, daily specials are posted on the walls. But for those who want to stick to dishes recognizable to the American palate, Basil Leaf has many dishes that will satisfy. One is the com suon bi cha ($6.25), which is three grilled pork items with rice and vegetables. The thin grilled pork chop was especially delicious, a bit sweet and very tender. A platter of chicken breast chunks and vegetable over crispy noodles ($5.75) was a hit with my 12-year-old daughter and large enough to share and have some left over as the next day's lunch.

Vegetarians aren't forgotten at Basil Leaf. A dish of vegetarian "chicken" chunks with cashews was tasty, but the $10 price seemed a bit steep, especially since it didn't come with rice. A word of warning: The gluten chunks had a texture akin to luncheon meat and may not appeal to everyone.

The tropical fruit smoothies ($3.50), however, will get high marks from everyone. The tall smoothies were refreshing and sweet but not cloying. Kids will enjoy the mango flavor, but don't write off the more exotic fruit and red bean smoothie. The crushed red beans are sweet and add an intriguing depth to the drink.

Basil Leaf doesn't offer desserts, but you can finish your meal with the fun tapioca bubble teas ($3.50) or strong Vietnamese coffee ($2.50).

WENDY CHOW