Los Gatos’ new Vietnamese fusion restaurant
Culinary veterans Hanna Pham, John Le team up to open North
North restaurant in Los Gatos may be new, but it’s actually in the hands of a couple of Bay Area culinary veterans. Fans of Vietnamese cuisine know Hanna Pham from her original restaurant, 19 Market, which operated at that address in downtown San Jose for many years, and her Hanna’s Bistro in Los Gatos. And they know John Le from his Three Seasons restaurants in Palo Alto, San Francisco and Walnut Creek. Now Pham has partnered with Le, her mentor, for this new venture, which features California-Vietnamese fusion dishes. She closed the bistro at this address and undertook a big remodeling and rebranding. The name North reflects the restaurant’s location on North Santa Cruz Avenue. Here’s a report from our first visit. THE VIBE » Chic and welcoming. Just as the restaurant’s menu bridges modern and authentic cooking styles and ingredients, the design combines contemporary art and a swanky new bar with such rustic touches as reclaimed wood paneling and a succulent wall garden. THE FOOD » Chef Le has taken this opportunity to mix Vietnamese, Californian and seasonal approaches. Look for the classic herb lemongrass in lemongrass chilean sea bass ($35.95), served with curry cauliflower. Grilled duck breast ($23.95) with jackfruit salad and plum sauce joins the menu, as do grilled lamb chops marinated in hoisin sauce and five spice ($22.95). New to the appetizer side are the “North” dumplings ($14.95), shrimp and pork in a curry-coconut laksa broth. Soup choices include asparagus bisque ($12.95) and wonton soup ($11.95). Pham and Le have wisely kept that fired-up favorite, shaken beef (bo luc lac), with its savory cubes of filet mignon ($28.95), and the popular Blue Lake green beans with shiitake mushrooms and soy-caramel sauce ($10.95). DON’T MISS » The fusion favorite here, Vietnamese tacos ($14.95). This shareable plate comes with four tortillas piled with barbecue pork, pickled red cabbage, cilantro and Sriracha aioli. THE LIBATIONS » The new liquor license resulted in lots of creative license on the cocktail side, with signature drinks designed to enhance the Asian fare. Mixing the drinks is Jay Wise, a veteran South Bay bartender (The Wine Cellar, Scott’s Seafood) with a loyal following. The Non La ($15), made with house-infused matcha gin, yellow Chartreuse, orgeat and ginger-turmeric tincture, arrives with the restaurant’s logo stenciled atop the foaming bitters. And the aromatics found in pho — star anise, cloves, coriander, cinnamon, black cardamom and black pepper — show up in housemade pho bitters, adding spice to the Northern OldFashioned ($14). GOOD TO KNOW » If you loved Hanna Bistro’s pho, rice plates and vermicelli bowls, they’re still on the menu — but at lunchtime. Lunch is available six days a week, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday and 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. weekends. DETAILS » Dinner is served starting at 5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. 133 N. Santa Cruz Ave., Los Gatos. 408-8848309; www.northlosgatos.com.