Paul Hibler, (Pitfire Artisan Pizza, Superba Snack Bar), along with John Cao and Chef Chloe Tran, are opening up East Borough (9810 Washington Blvd., Culver City) in Culver City. It’s a neighborhood spot full of healthy, exotic flavors of traditional Vietnamese food with some French twists. The design is meant to “capture the hustle and chaos of life in Vietnam, but in a clean, polished space that’s chic and inviting”.
Cao and Tran opened the original East Borough in Orange County in 2010, and have partnered with Hibler to create a larger, more polished version that will serve the “Fraîche Vietnamese” menu. Items include bánh mì sandwiches stuffed with Flame-Grilled Lemongrass Pork and Pork Belly; a Pho Baguette, a sandwich version of Vietnam’s signature beef noodle soup; and Gỏi Cuổn (spring rolls) include Pork & Shrimp with chives and peanut sauce and Nem Nưóng, a flame-grilled pork sausage with spicy tomato salsa. “House Plates” include Bánh Xèo, a crispy crêpe with shrimp fried in a turmeric-coconut beer batter, pork belly, escarole, and herbs, and Bo Luc Lac (“shaken” beef) with grilled onions, garlic potato frites, and tomato red rice. Entrée salads include Mưc/Xoi with octopus, green mango, kale and herbs, tossed in a pineapple-anchovy dressing.
