Decent Vietnamese Food in Admiral
There aren't a lot of Asian restaurants in West Seattle, so support the ones that exist if you want to keep them. New Leaf is clean, the food is good, and the servers are friendly. There's not much else you can ask for.
The Pho is balanced fairly well and satisfies your cold weather soup craving. It's not the best pho I've ever had (and could stand to be served a bit hotter), but it's better than Pho Than Brothers, down the street. It's perfectly serviceable and probably the best you're going to find without going to Little Saigon or White Center.
The "egg rolls" (crispy spring rolls) are extremely delicious; perfectly fried to an ideal crispiness in clean oil and served with Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce.
The Mango "Bubble Tea" ($3.50) is decent. They could stand to use more milk; I'm also not convinced there's any "tea" -- more just mango powder, ice, and milk. It's more of a smoothie than a milkshake. Oasis in Chinatown makes better smoothies and tea drinks, but this satisfies your sweet tooth on a budget.
West Seattle Residents: please give this place a shot and try something different, for once. People coming into a Vietnamese restaurant for 'Chow Mein and Egg Rolls' and other obviously Chinese-American dishes is strange and depressing. Each Asian country has their own cuisine. Don't be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone. At the very least, try a BBQ Pork Bánh Mì (which is a delicious sandwich with sugar-glaze roasted pork, mayonnaise, pickles, and cilantro, all on a crispy baguette).
We'll be back to try it ourselves, some day.
