Mi Li Cafe- Souped Up Vietnamese

With the demise of the excellent Ha Long restaurant on Sancus Rd. near Polaris mall, there has been a void in the Westerville/Worthington area (and Columbus for that matter) of Vietnamese food. Even when you do find it, it's sometimes combined with a mish mash Chinese menu to help makes ends meet. Sadly, sweet and sour chicken outsells Pho in Ohio.

At Mi Li Cafe (not to be confused with the My Lai massacre) in the Emporium Shopping Center (same one as the Columbus Bowling Palace) this mangled, mixed menu approach is nowhere to be found. Instead, they feature a 100% Vietnamese menu featuring a variety of Phos (meal-in-a-bowl noodle soup), soups, sandwiches (Banh Mi), crepes and grilled meat and rice or noodle dishes.

The first clue that I would enjoy this place was the sign in the window that reads "Always Fresh Noodle Soup". Talk about focused marketing.

The second was when the soup that one of the adjoining tables ordered was delivered in a bowl the size of half a beach ball.

After seeing the tub sized portions, I ordered the "small" size of Pho Tai Bo Vien (beef rice noodle soup with rare steak and meatballs). It was plenty big and was presented with a garnish plate of fresh sprouts, lime, sliced jalapenos, fresh mint and basil leaves. The idea is to shred the greens by hand and dump them into the soup along with the sprouts and jalapenos and finish it with a squeeze of lime. There is also a full compliment of hot sauces and fish sauce at every table for additional enhancement.

My soup was outstanding, although the beef slices were nowhere near "rare". The broth was complex and rich. Service was very prompt and friendly. 3 different servers kept checking on me and I got the feeling that the owners appreciated my business.

I noticed a dozen Vietnamese patrons coming in to pick up take out food and several more were eating in. This may be a clichéd observation but is nearly always a sign of authenticity.

All of the dishes coming out looked promising, especially the Banh Mi, which is a sub with sliced pork, mayo, pate, cucumbers, jalapenos, cilantro, and shredded carrots packed onto a crisp French Baguette.

Prices were in the $4.50 to $8.00 range and the beverage list included French coffee and Bubble drinks (and teas) which are fruit smoothies with a Tapioca "bubble" at the bottom. A "Happy Ending" of another sort.

Me likey Mi Li. It's nice to see a family run, non-chain option that sticks to its roots. Places like this deserve support and offer a more exotic experience than the mélange of bogus bistros like Max and Erma's, O'Charley's, Applebee's, TGI Fridays, etc., etc.

FOLLOW UP: A second visit bore out the good first impression. The grilled pork noodle dish, the seafood soup and the spring rolls were all outstanding.

RATING:5 BITES

5858 Emporium Square

614-899-9202