Ly Ly Vietnam Cookhouse had its soft-opening this weekend at 306 East 81st Street (between First and Second avenues).
“Our soft opening was a fun shift, and we couldn’t be more grateful for all the love and support we’ve received,” the restaurant posted on its Instagram page on Saturday.
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Three Queens natives of Vietnamese origin are behind Ly Ly. They hail from Corona, Elmhurst and Fresh Meadows.
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“We just wanted to bring a piece of that Queens neighborhood casualness to the Upper East Side,” May, the partner from Corona, told East Side Feed on Sunday evening. She added that all three of them have experience working in the restaurant and hospitality industry, though this is the first restaurant any of them have had an ownership stake in.
“We all connected through Vietnamese culture and Vietnamese food,” May said.
When it comes to the regional and cultural variety of Vietnamese cuisine, Ly Ly’s menu runs the gamut. The appetizer offerings alone, including the Cantonese-inspired Salt & Pepper Squid, the Vietnamese diaspora favorite Chả giò (fried eggroll), the French-indebted Vietnamese crepes and the pan-Southeast Asian classic Papaya Salad, demonstrate the wide variety of foods and flavors on offer at Ly Ly.
Papaya Salad
Fried Shrimp Roll
Salmon (Cá Kho To): Caramelized fish sauce, tamarind, garlic, ginger, baby bok choy lemongrass, scallion, fried taro
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Of course, classic Vietnamese foods like pho, banh mi and bun bowls are also on the menu, each category offering different preparations and ingredients that are sure to please both Vietnamese food newbies and discerning snobs alike.
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In addition to all the delicious food menu items, Ly Ly sets itself apart with a bar that leans heavily on tiki offerings. Boasting panther head-shaped goblets and classic tiki mugs, Ly Ly serves up classic cocktails like Mai Tais and Singapore Slings.
“We were all out [on the Upper East Side] and thought, ‘Hey, how come there’s no tiki stuff here?’” May told East Side Feed. “It’s very much the same vibe: Vietnam is in the tropics, and we share a lot of the same flavors and fruits, and so we just wanted to explore that. Also, we like drinking it.”
Ly Ly, which is the Vietnamese word for “lily,” is going to formally open its doors, as well as offer takeout and delivery, in roughly two weeks, according to May.
“Until then, we’re going to get as close to perfection as we can,” she added.
The space at 306 East 81st Street was previously home to Sandro’s, which has since relocated to 322 East 86th Street.
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