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Several steps below the counterfeit chaos of Canal Street sits Nha Trang Centre, a Vietnamese retreat for tourists, business people, families, and oddballs. Vietnam is evoked through the row of sub-tropical plants that runs through the restaurant's center, and pictures of Vietnamese idylls on the walls. Idylls or not, the restaurant bustles. Some clients dig the fast food: pho soup and sautéed dishes over rice or noodles. Others ease into the casseroles and sautées, smoked, sweet, and spicy. The kitchen has talent but can be clumsy. A combination plate includes chao tom, barbecued shrimp paste kebab wrapped around sugar cane; nem nuong, barbecued pork paste; bo nuong lui, barbecued beef; and spring rolls. The beef and pork are juicy and nearly grease free. The cane-skewered shrimp paste, normally a fun dish, looks and tastes like overchewed Bazooka. Spring rolls are greasy. Main courses are more reliable. Suon heo nuong—barbecued pork chop—is superb. Thinly sliced and brushed with a sweet marinade, it is served smoky, meaty, and slightly caramelized. So is xao dong co, clams in a light brown sauce with julienne scallions and ginger, plus chunks of pineapple. The clams are fresh and meaty, the sauce gingery, and sweet and savory at once. — Jamal Rayyis

Soun heo nuong (barbecued pork chop), $8; rau muong xao toi (hollow vegetables with garlic sauce), $8; so xao bat buu (clams with house special sauce), $9.50