First Look: Bunker Vietnamese, now in Brooklyn

When the place opened four years ago it attracted long lines, even though it was nearly a mile from the nearest subway stop. I went a couple of times with friends and they were not delighted either, though it made a splendid destination for a Sunday afternoon bike ride.

Why didn’t I like it? The only pho available was a pallid chicken version. The dishes seemed small for the price. And the banh mi wasn't great— the demi-baguette was not light enough; the pickled vegetables were not pungent enough; the meats were not adorably funky enough — compared to places like Banh Mi Saigon in Chinatown. More important, the brief menu neglected vast regions of the cuisine, serving what I thought were Thai dishes instead. I now know that I was partly wrong in my assessment. You can get that way after eating New York City’s sometimes-indifferent Vietnamese fare for 20 years.

As it turns out, the new Bunker has opened in a more obscure location, amid the kills and canals of extreme northeastern Williamsburg on dead-end Scott Avenue, where it backs up to a rail yard. Even the front door proves difficult to find, with its bamboo-shielded entrance around the corner on Randolph Street. I went with my friend, Mai Tran, who grew up in Hanoi, and has often been my arbiter of taste when it comes to Vietnamese food.

The contrast between the dirty, snow-blown streetscape and the warm, high-ceilinged interior was profound — a dining room jumbled with colorful chairs and stools, flapping pennants and grass thatching, high mullioned windows, and hanging lanterns. An open kitchen displayed a half-dozen cooks who bustled about in full view of customers.

We were the only diners in the place at 5 p.m. but despite inclement weather, the place filled up in an hour.

The menu is twice the length of its predecessor, including 14 entrees, ten apps, and miscellaneous sides and desserts, plus an interesting selection of teas and coffees. We tried nine dishes in total, among them a green papaya salad layered with an excellent homemade beef jerky ($11), and a platter of shell-on caramelized shrimp with a coating reminiscent of molasses, served with a hump of rice.

Spring rolls stuffed with pork and vermicelli wore coarse-textured shells that were a contrast to the more delicate Chinese-style spring rolls usually served in Vietnamese restaurants here. Cha ca la Vong ($19), turmeric-coated catfish filet heaped with greens and crushed peanuts, delivered an earthy savor I didn’t like quite as much as my companions did.

We also ordered the shrimp-studded scallion pancake, banh xeo. In larger form, they are often a highlight of Baxter Street Vietnamese restaurants. "In front of my grandmother’s house in Hanoi," Tran said, "a vendor squats and makes these pancakes." In fact, much of what's served at Bunker is street food.

Our meal at the new Bunker was a good one and we resolved to return to sample more of the menu. The most disappointing dish was the beef pho, new to the menu and another dish associated with Hanoi.

This version contained rare beef and well-cooked brisket, but once again the broth was disappointing. It was intriguingly dark, but lacking in flavor. As in Hanoi and in contrast with South Vietnamese versions, there were few things available to doctor it.

After a dessert plate of cookies and a bowl of tapioca pudding, we left concluding that Bunker will likely grow into one of the city’s best Vietnamese restaurants.