A number of restaurants opened during the beginning of 2020, and then the pandemic struck, temporarily closing these spots and then eventually allowing them to open with significant restrictions. One of those new spots is
Việt Citron, a Vietnamese restaurant located on the Middlesex Turnpike in Burlington, near to
H-Mart. I dined there once before the pandemic struck, and I've since dined there several times once it reopened. Overall, it's an impressive restaurant with very fresh and delicious Vietnamese food, and I highly recommend it.
The restaurant is owned by a husband and wife team,
Howard Lee and
Tran Lee (also known as
Ngoc Lee), and this is actually their first restaurant venture. They want to being authentic Vietnamese food to the area, choosing to offer a small, selection of dishes, made from scratch and using many local ingredients. An admirable objective and it's certainly the type of restaurant which appeals to me.
Chopping some Crispy Pork Belly!
Prior to the pandemic, the restaurant seated about 30 people in a very casual setting, though there isn't any interior dining right now. Currently, the restaurant has limited hours of operation, from Thursday to Sunday, 11am-7pm, so you can stop by for lunch or dinner. They offer take-out, delivery, and have a few outside tables in their parking lot, where I've dined several times. The menu is also currently limited, and there are some minor changes week to week.
The Menu has four
Lunch Deals ($13-$16) on Thursday and Friday, from 11am-2pm, such as
Bánh Mi & a Fresh Drink and
Wicked Rice Bowl & a Fresh Drink. There is a
Seasonal Special,
Bò Lá Lốt ($14), and Specialities, including
Bánh Mi ($12)
, Wicked Rice Bowl ($12)
and
Bánh Hỏi Bowl ($13.50). There are a number of
Sides, such as
Summer Rolls ($6.50),
Mama Tran's Chả Giò ($7.00), and
Grilled Asian Eggplants ($13.50). There is usually a Soup choice, which changes on a regular basis, and currently they offer three types of
Beef Phở ($13-$15).
In addition, they offer several
Pound/Bulk Order products, great if you are having a group of people at your home. You could get an order of 20
Frozen Mama Tran's Chả Giò ($38), 16
Summer Rolls ($49), 1 pound of
Salt Roasted Crispy Pork Belly ($16.95), or
Grilled Garlic Tiger Prawns ($24). I haven't ordered any of these items yet, but their Pork Belly is on my short list.
Prior to the pandemic, I enjoyed an ample bowl of their
Tru-Việt Phở Gà: Hà Nội Style, which is made with 12 hours chicken bone broth, Phở rice noodles, chicken, cilantro & scallions, and served with bean sprouts & fresh herbs and a chili lime sauce on the side. They offered three different types of this Phở, including
Tru-Việt Phở (local cage-free chicken),
Naked Phở (boneless chicken), and
Plain Phở (no meat).
During the winter, this was the perfect dish to warm the belly. There was a freshness to the ingredients which appealed to me, and that has remained a significant aspect of all their dishes. Everything tastes so fresh, and it's clear their vegetables haven't been sitting around wilting. The Phở broth was complex and flavorful, relatively clear, and each spoonful was pure hedonistic pleasure. The chicken was tender and meaty, and the noodles had just enough firmness to them. It was also an aromatic dish, the smells delighting you even before you take a taste. I need to check out their Beef Phở.
Mama Tran's Chả Giò are crispy fried egg rolls wrapped with ground pork & shrimp and seasonal vegetables, and accompanied by a chili fish sauce dip. Unlike the egg rolls you might be used to at Chinese restaurants, these wrappers are made from rice paper and are much thinner and lighter, though with a pleasant crunch. The interior is tasty, with a nice blend of meat, seafood and veggies, that works harmoniously together. The sauce has a mild heat which compliments the egg rolls.
The
Summer Rolls are made from fresh rice paper rolls wrapped with pork, shrimp, herbs, lettuce, and vermicelli, and come with a peanut sauce dip. Instead of the pork and shrimp, you could select tofu or grilled sirloin. The translucent wrappers show off the plump shrimp inside. Again, the summer roll has a delicious blend of flavors with an emphasis on freshness. The peanut sauce added another level of complexity to the flavors.
Their iconic
Bánh Mi is made with an artisan Vietnamese baguette, pickles, jalapeños, cilantro, signature aioli, garlic soy reduction, and you get a choice of a protein, including lemongrass sirloin, Big A** chicken, grilled prawns, crispy pork belly, or crispy tofu puffs. I opted for the pork belly and it was an excellent choice. The pork belly was tender and crispy, with crunchy bits and soft fat, and there was an ample amount within the sandwich. The freshness of the other ingredients, including the baguette, stood out and each bite beckoned you to have another. Again, the blend of flavors and textures worked very well together and I look forward to enjoying plenty more of their Bánh Mi in the future.
The
Bánh Hỏi Bowl ($13.50) comes with square rice noodles, lettuce, fresh herbs, cucumbers, pickles, scallion oil, ground peanuts, and a choice of protein, along with a side of chili garlic fish sauce. I chose the lemongrass sirloin, tender and aromatic beef, enhanced by the crunchy peanut bits and fish sauce. The square rice noodles are little light packages of noodles, and can easily be dunked in the sauce. Freshness is the rule here as well.
Bò Lá Lốt is basically
Grilled Lolot (also known as Betel) Leaf Beef, where the tender beef is wrapped in the thin leaves and then grilled. They can be added to a
Bánh Hỏi Bowl or a
Wicked Rice Bowl, which was my choice. This was another aromatic and delicious dish, and each beef roll was flavorful, moist and compelling. There were also slices of cucumber and Asian pear, and the pear was a slightly sweet and pleasant addition to the dish.
This dish is traditionally paired with
Mam Nem Sauce, a pungent fermented fish sauce (usually made from fermented anchovies) and mixed with chili, lemongrass, and pineapple. It is not recommended for beginners, who might want to stick with their regular chili garlic fish sauce instead. Personally, I quite enjoyed this sauce, and didn't find it to be overly pungent bur rather had an intriguing and rather alluring aroma. I also loved the umami of this complex sauce, which had elements of both heat and sweetness. It enhanced the flavor of the Bò Lá Lốt and I could see it working well with other dishes too.
If you want a hot and spicy sauce, you could try their
Mama Trans Chili Garlic Paste, which possesses an intense heat, as well as a nice depth of flavor.
Service has been excellent, as well as personable and accommodating.
Việt Citron is still a new restaurant and it certainly needs your support in these troubled times. Your support is completely justified as they offer fresh, delicious Vietnamese food, a welcome addition to the Burlington region. I've thoroughly enjoyed my visits to Việt Citron and will be returning regularly. Check it out, get Phở, Bánh Mi, or another dish and you'll understand why I'm impressed.
What are you waiting for?
Việt Citron is open all weekend.
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