Two Blocks of Vietnam

The menu appears to be in transition, and we were disappointed to hear that some dishes that intrigued us (steamed chicken and mustard greens in ginger sauce, spicy simmered pork baby back ribs) were not on the new menu. I admired the bright decor — chartreuse walls, hanging silk lanterns, a witty contraption of three mechanical fans — more than the two poultry dishes we tried. The lemongrass chicken was grilled boneless thighs that hardly tasted of lemongrass, and the chunks of bird in the five-flavors duck were not redolent enough of the five-spice (cinnamon, cloves, ginger, star anise, anise seed) blend in its name. Both tasted a little tired. By contrast, the bo luc lac ($10.95; often called shaking beef, but not identified as such on Mangosteen's menu) was fresh and delicious: tender chunks of filet mignon cooked quickly in a tasty, sticky, peppery sauce with onions and the unusual but welcome touch of cubed potatoes, served with a tiny bowl of dipping salt. We preferred steamed rice to the unusually acrid garlic noodles as an accompaniment.

A more recent addition to Little Saigon's restaurant row is the bright and shiny Lee's Sandwiches, which is big enough to hold all three other places in this review. The Lee's on Larkin arrived a little more than a year ago, part of a chain started in San Jose in 2001, and looks as clean and sparkling as the day it opened. You order at a deli counter from a long and somewhat overwhelming menu featuring "European" sandwiches (including BLTs and ham-and-cheese) as well as a daunting number of banh mi in exotic combinations such as sliced jambon with headcheese, pork roll, and pâté ($2.75). The sandwiches are not quite as homey and good as those at Saigon Sandwich, but are equally large and very tasty. The refrigerated cases and shelves are lined with temptations both salty (crunchy packaged snacks) and sweet (tapioca drinks and madeleines). Check them out before the computerized voice summons you to pick up your order.

The in-house bakery at Lee's turns out rather soft baguettes as well as the house sandwich rolls and the highly recommended pâté chaud (small $1.25, large $2.50), puff pastry encasing a ball of excellent pork pâté. It will take many visits before you can exhaust all its possibilities, not unlike the many flavors of Little Saigon.