Nom-Eez Opens in Bridgeport: Vietnamese (With a Side of Donuts)

The official opening of Nom-Eez, Chef Matt Storch’s new Vietnamese street food storefront, in the Blackrock section of Bridgeport occurs today. As reported by CTbites, joining Storch for this new project are his partners from Match, Jason Wojnarowski (owner of the epically delicious Donut Crazy), and Susan McConnell. CTbites was invited to a sneak peek preview to sample some of the menu and a few donuts.

The menu is divided into three sections, “snacks,” “noodles” and “a bit larger.” The space is small in size, with only eight brightly colored red stools, and the flavors are equally bold and bright and engulf you in the traditional cuisine of Vietnam.

The Soup Dumplings were my favorite of the visit. Four dumplings were filled with pork, served in a rich bone broth and finished with a red vinegar splash. These were spectacular. The other “snack” that we really enjoyed was the Nom Nom Buns. Two steamed buns were filled with braised pork, cucumber and carrot slices, spicy mayo, hoisin sauce, cilantro and “everything” spice. The buns were also filled with big, bold and delicious flavors. 

We moved to the “Pho-Ramen” as our noodle selection. Nom-Eez prepares a traditional Vietnames Pho, which features floral notes and flavors. The beef broth is developed over several days and then lightened with the traditional Pho accents, cinnamon, cardamom and ginger. It also features a perfectly prepared egg, peppers, cilantro and onions. The result is a mild broth, with the ramen noodles and the other ingredients adding texture to complement the sliced beef.

I was very interested in the “Coconut Braised Pork” and was glad I ordered. It was served with steamed rice, crunchy onions and garlic. The meat was fall off the bone tender, moist and incredibly flavorful, and the glaze was delicious. Using chop sticks to pull the meat from the bone was an easy task.

The restaurant also features selection of Wojnarowski donuts. I sampled the Boston cream, maple bacon and Nutella filled. Each was delicious with great combinations. This is a great way to start the day with a cup of Non-Eez’s Vietnamese coffee, breakfast sandwiches, and of course pho and congee starting at 7AM.

Overall the menu presents a wonderful array of traditional Vietnamese cuisine in a small storefront. I look forward to returning to enjoy many more of these delightfully fresh and subtle flavors of Vietnam.

Nom-eez 

2992 Fairfield Ave.

Bridgeport, CT