American Madness

Matt, Josh and myself, along with Mrs. Matt, were on hand for the opening of Lower East Side Vietnamese noodle house Slurp.

Matt had been anxiously monitoring its construction so we were excited to see what they had to offer.

First, let’s chat about the only reason to write about a restaurant: the food. There were some great dishes, and some which, at best, were just OK.

On the good side was my crab meat and shrimp pho. I really enjoyed the noodles and sprouts served in a very interestingly-flavored beef broth (more on that later: I think it had anise in it. Matt says clove), and found the portion size to be spot-on with my expectations.

But, and this is a very big point, the contents of the dish included imitation crab meat, which is an abomination to anyone who takes seafood even remotely seriously.

Also, the pork spring rolls were pretty much standard fare for a Southeast Asian-focused eatery and the custard desert was a bit like a flavorless crème brulee.

On the excellent side were the pork and curry chicken sandwiches, the tapioca pudding and the Vietnamese coffee.

The service was what one would expect from an opening night. One of the owners, Sam, was at the ready to answer any questions we had about the menu, the restaurant and the staff.

We didn’t have to wait long for any of our dishes. The fact that the restaurant wasn’t crowded probably helped in this respect, and the staff was courteous to our varied requests.

The restaurant is currently applying for a liquor license and the staff was happy to let us bring in a bottle of our own wine, so we quickly ran to September Wines, where Eric picked out a very fruit-forward Chianti that paired nicely with the meat dishes.

Aesthetically, Slurp is quite swish. The décor is perhaps best described as Sino-minimalist, with sleek wood banquets, soft votive lighting and exposed duct work overhead.

The water closet (photo), with its unambiguous, anatomically correct signage, gave Josh “bathroom envy.” The warm early-Spring evening allowed the proprietors to open up the glass-doored front of the restaurant, giving the place a nice airy feel. It’s the rare noodle joint where one could conceivably take a date without being immediately branded a cheapskate.

As last night was the opening, there were a few bugs to work out (not actual insects, mind you). Slurp does not have their American Express authorization up and running and, as mentioned, the liquor license has not yet been acquired.

There were some awkward moments when the staff attempted to explain ingredients and details of some of the dishes (Matt and I swear the unusual seasoning in the crab meat and shrimp pho was not just “basil and lime”).

Overall, we were impressed with the presentation, the food and the staff. Slurp has the potential to become yet another must-dine in the crowded Lower East Side restaurant market.

From Matt:
Sorry, I am a little late to the party in discussing Slurp. Although overall I agree with Eric and Josh’s comments I did want to add a few of my own. After considering the claim that it was just lime and basil in the Pho, I realized it was probably Thai Basil which has a subtle anise taste (and fortunately Wikipedia backed up my assumption). I believe Eric was taking photos in the restroom when I suggested the idea to Josh.

We also had the Ribey dish: ribeye over a rice vermicelli with peanuts and some veggies. It was a little lacking in the flavor department (a little too much rice vermicelli), but the peanuts had excellent flavor and the meat was nicely cooked.

The grilled greens (recommended to us) were nicely cooked and really tasty with a nice sauce.

In defense of the imitation crab meat in the pho, the flavor of real crab versus imitation can be significant, plus there is a sweetness to imitation crab that can be missing from the real thing. While it may be a bit of a letdown to have imitation crab, I think the dish did benefit from it. Also, I thought the crispy rolls had a great (pork) flavor.

Finally, although the Vietnamese sandwiches were excellent, my only concern is the price. At around $7/$8 a sandwich it seems a bit steep (though the sandwiches are almost double the size of what you would get at Nicky’s for $5).

Slurp: 84 Stanton St (between Allen and Orchard). 212.982.8895

Photos by Eric Hazard

This entry was posted by Eric Hazard on Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008 at and is filed under American Madness, Food & Drink. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.