Tucson Weekly: 'Nam Jam (October 16

Cock-Asian's Vietnamese Dishes Represent An Unparalleled Culinary Repertoire
By Rebecca Cook
FOR MANY AMERICANS, the thought of Vietnam elicits disturbing images of war.
Perhaps this unhappy memory has clouded the overall impression of the country, which is unfortunate. Not only does Vietnam have a long and impressive cultural history, but it also produces some of the world's most exquisite food.
Located at the crossroads of Asia, Vietnam has been gastronomically enriched over the centuries by the cuisines of China, Thailand, India, and most recently, France. Throw it all together, along with a few indigenous ingredients, and you have an unparalleled culinary repertoire of great depth. If you've never delved into Vietnamese cooking, you're missing one of the true marvels of the modern age.
Chow Tucson is blessed to have a restaurant serving Vietnamese cooking in its finest forms. Previously located on North Stone Avenue, Cock-Asian recently reopened on East Broadway Boulevard near Country Club Road. Although some of the trappings of the former venue may have been left behind, the quality of food made the move intact. If you're already an admirer of Vietnamese cooking, or have just been thinking about trying the cuisine for the first time, Cock-Asian is the place for you.
Thinking perhaps that a restaurant solely devoted to Vietnamese cuisine might be too limited and foreign for the mainstream diner, Cock-Asian also includes many familiar Chinese specialties. If sweet and sour is your thing, you'll find it here. But while Cock-Asian's treatment of Sino-inspired dishes is satisfactory, it's in the Vietnamese dishes that the kitchen manages to astound.
The daily lunch buffet, a tantalizing midday gorge at $4.95, almost exclusively features Chinese dishes. Broccoli and beef, fried rice, sweet-and-sour pork, five-spice fried chicken and crispy egg rolls are typical noonday fare on Cock-Asian's lunch board.
Along with a glass of iced tea (lightly scented with jasmine, thank you very much), it's a joy to meander down the line, filling your platter to overflowing with a dab of this and a smidgen of that. During one noon visit, I had no trouble satisfying my appetite, although I was not exactly bowled over by the meal. It's not that things weren't fresh or tasty; they just somehow never reached the superlative.
Ordering Vietnamese specialties off the regular menu, however, is a whole different matter. If you're the least bit uncertain about what to request, don't hesitate to ask your waitress. On both my visits the staff proved warm, friendly and very willing to help guide undecided diners through a lengthy menu.
Do begin with the spring rolls, which feature various meats and vegetables wrapped in delicate, translucent rice paper envelopes. At our waitress' suggestion, we ordered the fresh shrimp and pork rolls and were handsomely rewarded with an ambrosial and tastefully balanced package of rice noodles, chopped lettuce, fresh mint and cilantro, bean sprouts and a few savory bites of shrimp and pork. Accompanied by an incredible hoisin sauce made with soy, red chile, garlic, lemon juice and chopped peanuts, the rolls were a delectable treat.
Vietnamese comfort food translates into noodle soup, and several different preparations await at Cock-Asian. We tried a bowl of the special seafood and roast pork soup, a heady broth suffused with fresh lime and cilantro, ladled over a nest of bean glass noodles. This would easily have sufficed as a complete meal, but we pressed on to even greater treasures, including a wonderful asparagus and crab soup, which was the culinary epitome of East-meets-West.
The tour de force of the meal, though, was an extraordinary Vietnamese fondue brought to our table ready to cook in a sizzling broth pot. If you're a fan of the spring rolls, you'll adore this dish, which is served with a stack of rice wrappers in which to fill your choice of meat, herbs, carrots, rice noodles, sliced cucumber, chopped lettuce and bean sprouts. The thinly sliced meat (in our case, chicken) is eased into the fondue pot to cook gently while you assemble the other ingredients. The final touch is a choice of sauce (hoisin or an understated fish sauce). This dish is not only delicious but loads of fun.
Dessert at Cock-Asian may not be the spectacular affair it is at many other restaurants, but a sweet pudding of rice, corn and coconut milk was an interesting finale.
It's time to add a new chapter to your knowledge of Vietnam; and if you need help, Cock-Asian offers superb tutoring.
The Cock-Asian. 2547 E. Broadway Blvd. 320-5502. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Closed Sunday. Beer and wine. V, MC, checks. Menu items: $2.95-$9.95.

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