New Vietnamese bistro in D’Iberville puts a spin on crawfish with a house-made sauce

Fresh Vietnamese Bistro in D’Iberville is a breath of fresh air (excuse the pun)!

It’s bright and modern, with gray floors, off-white walls and a black tables and chairs and a high ceiling too. It has a bistro feel to it. The kitchen is open, although encased in glass, so you can see all the hustle and bustle that goes on there, and it is a busy restaurant!

The restaurant is visually appealing, but the food is that times two.

I have never, ever seen a plate of crawfish like this place puts out. It is slathered in a house-special garlic butter sauce that is stunningly good, and it is spicy too.

Bright red/orange boiled crawfish, with a creamy buttery sauce that is buttery yellow with an appealing orange tint. Steaming hot, yellow corn and perfectly cooked potatoes (not overcooked) top if off and as soon as it hits the table, and that head of steam hits your face, you know something very, very good is about to happen!

Every time I write about pho, the national dish of Vietnam, I have to quote Chef Anthony Bourdain, who called it, “A steaming bowl of goodness.” So, I was pleasantly surprised to see another Bourdain quote on the wall, “For me, a good bowl of pho, always makes me happy,” and I could not agree more.

The pho at Fresh is build-your-own, and they offer some specialty meats that make it super hearty and bold. Try short ribs, bone marrow or ox tails in your pho and you will be rewarded with as delicious a bowl of soup/stew as you have ever had.

Several other items on the menu also are offered as build-your-own, like the spring rolls and banh mi, or Vietnamese-style po-boy (although it really is a takeoff of a French sandwich).

The menu, which is hung above the order counter, has a good assortment of tea, including bubble tea, eleven varieties of banh mi, including Chinese sausage, fried egg, steamed pork patty and tofu, plus all the other meats that are normally offered.

There are also eight choices of protein for the pho, or noodle soup, and I really like the addition of daikon radish (nothing is as crispy as daikon), mushrooms and bok choy as vegetable add-ons.

There are eight rice and vermicelli dishes, eight very popular spring rolls to choose from, and a great selection of seafood, like a killer snow crab platter and even shrimp Alfredo pasta.

I really like everything about Fresh Vietnamese Bistro and Tea House, from the super-friendly service, bistro vibe and killer-good crawfish, pho and so much more.

Next time you are on a shopping spree near the Promenade, give this place a try. You will love it!

Fresh Vietnamese Bistro and Tea House

Location: 3840 Promenade Parkway, D’Iberville

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday

Contact: 228-967-7540 or https://www.facebook.com/Fresh-Vietnamese-Bistro-and-Teahouse-102316327990939