The further up Swan Road one travels, the more difficult it is to find restaurants. For residents tucked into the northern portion of the Catalina Foothills in Tucson, the longer the drive is required to reach more than basic fast-food restaurants. But good news is coming to this northern community, as a brand new restaurant has opened up in the shopping center on the corner of Swan and Ft. Lowell.
The shopping center is anchored by the Basha’s grocery store, in addition to a Nico’s Taco Shop, McDonald’s, and a few odds and ends. It is now home to Bun Dock Vietnamese Noodle. For anyone looking to skip the burgers, burritos, and french fries found in this area of Swan, Bun Dock Vietnamese Noodle offers an assortment of goodies that will likely impress even the pickiest eaters.
The restaurant offers several Bun Bowls, which are made up of rice noodles, cucumber, lettuce, peanuts, onions, plus several choices of protein (as well as other greens and veggies). Essentially it’s a dry version of the popular pho noodle dish.
Bun is a traditional rice vermicelli (a thin noodle) that is used in dishes throughout Asia. Everywhere from China to Singapore serves variations of the noodle dish that incorporates local ingredients, so while the noodle canvas is similar in Taiwan or Thailand, the final flavors do differ. In Vietnam, banh hoi uses woven variations of the rice noodles that come with garlic, chives, and scallions, while a goi cuon uses the noodles along with shrimp, pork, and herbs, and then is secured in a rice paper roll.
As for pho, the restaurant will eventually start serving this to customers. As the restaurant just opened, owners Ngan and Joe Jimenez are still ironing out some of the items on the menu and are continually tweaking and adding to better meet the needs of their customers. On top of the bun bowls and eventual pho dishes, guests can enjoy spring rolls that are made fresh and wrapped in-house. There are also several traditional Vietnamese sandwiches, not to mention bubble tea for those who can’t get enough of the beverage. Fried bananas can also be found on the menu
For those interested in visiting Bun Dock Vietnamese Noodle, the restaurant is located at 3225 North Swan Road (Suite 111). It is open from 11 AM until 8 PM, Monday through Saturday, and like many of the restaurants in the area, it is closed on Sunday.
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