There was no hint that Le V Cuisine would be so good. The menu at Cecilia Le’s 14-month-old restaurant had all the trademarks of confused “fusion,” with dishes from Italy, France, Vietnam and Japan, to name just four nations. Listing spaghetti alla vongole on the same page with yellowtail sashimi and rib eye with mashed potatoes hardly inspires confidence, and yet, it worked.
The concept really works during happy hour (Tuesday to Sunday from 3-6 PM), when Le V offers a selection of half-priced appetizers.
Le V Cuisine features a plant-lined patio, but it’s much more pleasant to dine inside.
The sleek interior included a spider-like fiber optic lantern, plentiful paintings and a glass-fronted wine wall that displayed bottles in a V shape.
Crispy Spring Rolls ($4) were solid, crispy outside, with juicy ground pork and mushrooms inside. They were even refreshing when wrapped in romaine with mint leaves and pickled daikon.
Banana Flower Salad with Clams and Basil ($7) was the big winner, a generous pile of fibrous, lightly dressed banana flower strands, shaved onion, crushed peanut and crispy fried garlic. Clams were notably fresh, not chewy at all, and especially effective when piled on crispy rice crackers.
Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice ($6) was the only dish that fell flat. Tuna was mushy, the rice cakes were oily and the restaurant’s entire supply of chile oil wouldn’t have revived the flavor.
Escargots de Bourgogne ($4) were slathered with garlic butter, so the flavor was bound to be good, but the texture stood out. The grey-green meat was really tender, kind of a like fresh clam belly. Snails went well with the crispy garlic toast.
At such a low price, it might sound risky to indulge in a plate full of snails, but not at Le V.
This meal had me thinking that Le V’s French onion soup might taste good. The chef clearly has a way with clams, so that spaghetti alla vongole might not be a bad call either. Next time, it’s tempting to return after happy hour for the full experience.
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