Flowers of Vietnam Detroit

Flowers of Vietnam came highly recommended by a Michigan native. We started with the prawns, listed as menu item A-2 for $36. They were gigantic, crispy, and definitely enough to share if you enjoy the fried shrimp heads of ama ebi at sushi bars, you will enjoy this! If you prefer your prawns or shrimp without shells and head, do not order this unless you are eating without someone like me who enjoys separating the shell and head from the meat for others ;)

We ordered the Saigon fried rice menu item D 3 for $16 with bits of Chinese sausage and shrimp. This was a large portion of very sweet rice. We ended up leaving the rest after tasting 2 spoonfuls.

I was happy to see boy choy on the menu item C1 for $15, and again it was a generous portion and very sweet. The menu description said sweet soy, but it tasted as if that was the only seasoning they used.

We ordered the shaking beef that seemed to be everyone's favorite dish item E 2 on the menu for $26 and it was supposed to have been made with dry aged rib cap, but the meat was tough, again overly sweet, and although I took back the leftovers to my hotel, I only ate one piece of the meat at the restaurant and one of the leftover cubes the next day.

The highlight of the meal was actually their wine, which included some very nice and reasonably priced glasses (by Los Angeles standards) of French wine. The total bill for 2 including tax and tip with 2 glasses of wine was $148, so I was very glad that the company and the wine were both excellent and that I was going back to a city where Vietnamese people and Vietnamese cuisine have been successful in bringing the complex flavors and subtlety of their homeland to Americans who appreciate unsweetened dishes.