Cyclo in Long Island City
As Jodi has her art studio in Long Island City, we thought it would be a good idea to explore the neighborhood a bit to see what it has to offer and I have to say that there are quite a lot of places there that are worth trying. The latest? Cyclo, a casual Vietnamese restaurant.
Dining room at Cyclo in Long Island City
We went as they opened on a Saturday, the first one to arrived and witnessing the place getting full half an hour later. Here is what we tried:
To start, I ordered their Iced Vietnamese espresso that is coffee drip with condensed milk. I believe, after looking at the shelves, that the coffee if from Café du Monde, the famous New Orleans eatery that is known for their addictive beignets. I patiently waited for the coffee to drip on top of the condensed milk before putting it in the glass, waiting a bit longer for the ice to make its magic. Alright, I made a bit of a mess at that point...Anyway, it was quite good, just a tad sweet as I like it.
Vietnamese espresso at Cyclo in Long Island City
Vietnamese espresso at Cyclo in Long Island City
Vietnamese espresso at Cyclo in Long Island City
As an appetizer, we went for the fried quail egg wonton, served with a sweet chili sauce. Crunchy, it was quite good, my only regret being that I wished the yolk was runny.
Fried quail egg wonton at Cyclo in Long Island City
At Cyclo, they have a bunch of vegetarian dishes, so it was not a problem for Jodi. She first wanted a banh mi, but finally settled for their Clay pot tofu that had quite a lot of shiitake mushrooms.
Tofu clay pot at Cyclo in Long Island City
On my side I went for the traditional banh mi, made with a crunchy but soft french baguette, Vietnamese ham, ground pork, pâté and lots of cilantro. It was very good, full of flavors and tasted fresh. I added a bit of their chili sauce that was definitely hot!
Traditional banh mi at Cyclo in Long Island City
Traditional banh mi at Cyclo in Long Island City
Last was dessert. I could not resist ordering their banana and sticky rice, that was good but not as expected. There was red bean sauce in it and I thought it did not have enough banana taste.
Banana sticky rice at Cyclo in Long Island City
Banana sticky rice at Cyclo in Long Island City
Despite that, we had a great meal at Cyclo and I would definitely go back there, especially in the winter to try their Pho.
Enjoy (I did)!
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Cyclo - 551 47Th Avenue, NY 11101
