Restaurant Review: La’ Me

Three years ago, my friend Judy, who was pregnant at the time, craved La’ Me’s food so much that she still goes there once a week. Sunday afternoons, starting around 1 or 2 pm, is when she purposefully avoids the large crowds. That’s when a mass exodus of Dallas Vietnamese flow out of their Catholic churches and flood into this teeny, box-shaped Vietnamese restaurant, next to the Hong Kong Market in Richardson. Service is frighteningly fast. Within five minutes of ordering, piping-hot egg rolls—filled with pork, lettuce, cucumbers, and vermicelli noodles wrapped in rice paper—are on the table. Their thin, crackly skin is easy to break through, and it makes those famous 25-cent egg rolls at Bistro B, right down the street, pale in comparison. Follow that with a bowl of duck porridge or the filet mignon steak cubes served over steamed rice, and you’re ready for a nap. But the masterpiece at La’ Me is the Bún Chà Ha Noi, a Hanoi-style vermicelli dish with grilled pork patties swimming in a savory fish-sauce broth. Carrots, onions, and green onions add pops of color. Make your own spring rolls with the accompanying chargrilled pork, rice paper, bean sprouts, and plate of Asian herbs; or pour it on a bed of dry noodles and slop it up. It’s a fun dish meant to be shared among friends and family.