Dishin’: Long Live Lotus

Lo and behold, we love lotus!

This mud-loving water plant found in ponds, flooded fields, lagoons and the like in Vietnam is the central figure in Lotus Root Salad.

And we like it nowhere better than Green Leaf (418 Eighth Avenue South)—one of the best new restaurants to open in Seattle in the past year.

Everything we've tried on Green Leaf's menu has been a winner. If you’re not sure what to order, ask the friendly waitstaff; better yet, if owner Peter is in the house, he'll happily make suggestions to suit your fancy (and return to your table to see what you liked). Or just watch what passes by your table: fresh spring rolls with a crunchy center surprise; steaming bowls of pho or fried duck soup, and the amazingly eggless (made with rice flour and coconut milk) banh xeo—Vietnamese crepes filled with shrimp, sprouts, and sliced pork that you place, along with cilantro and Thai basil, inside a lettuce wrap and then dip in nuoc mam. As your food arrives, your table quickly transforms into a kaleidoscopic swirl of colorful dishes, leafy accompaniments, and side bowls of chili, peanut, and fish sauces.

We vary our choices, but Seattlest always orders Goi Ngo Sen, the lotus root salad. (At $5.95, can you believe it's one of the higher-priced items at this incredibly inexpensive restaurant?) Young, tube-like pieces of lotus rootlets (less woody than the more mature lotus you might have tried) are mixed with red onion, carrots, chicken, fried shallots, and peanuts—as well as your choice of shrimp, pork or grilled shrimp. The sauce is a tangy, fish sauce-based dressing. Take in a forkful, and your mouth will revel in the explosions of sweet, sour, and salty tastes.

The lotus root salad is indicative of the overall dining experience at Green Leaf, where great flavors, smells and textures abound. The restaurant is a delightful and now discovered hole-in-the-wall, one filled with charm, and well worth the occasional wait for one of its few prized tables. Seattle could use more restaurants as likeable as this one.