![]() Weekends are packed, as are most evenings, when there is often a wait at this trendy, 4,800-square-foot, 80-seat spot. Occupying a prominent location in the center of Ai Hoa Plaza on Bellaire near Kirkwood - the same shopping center that houses Dakao Restaurant & Bar and Hai Cang seafood restaurant - since its soft opening in late January, Hẻm, which means “alley” in Vietnamese, has quickly become the must-visit restaurant in Asiatown. Come dinnertime, Hẻm’s full menu comes into play, with dishes such as fried frog legs, shaken beef and razor clams grilled with oil and scallions. By lunch, the crowd becomes more diverse as customers feast on a lunch menu that includes sizzling steak and egg and combination broken rice plates. In the morning, older generation Vietnamese - the same group that regularly congregates to drink coffee at Long Coffee or Lee’s Sandwiches down the street - gather for coffee and conversation. Colorful child-size plastic chairs and tables are arranged next to a tiled-in area, where bright yellow-framed windows open to reveal the bar inside. When the weather is nice, the scene on the sidewalk patio in front of Hẻm, a buzzy new Vietnamese restaurant and bar in Asiatown, is reminiscent of the street-side cafes in Vietnam. Hem's interiors feature a cute vintage Vespa Show More Show Less 7 of12 Scallion grilled scallop with quail egg at Hem Mai Pham/Contributor Show More Show Less 8 of12 Pineapple fried rice at Hem Mai Pham/Contributor Show More Show Less 9 of12 Salted crab papaya salad with salted egg at Hem Mai Pham/Contributor Show More Show Less 10 of12 Vietnamese egg coffee at Hem Mai Pham/Contributor Show More Show Less 11 of12 Thai style raw shrimp at Hem Mai Pham/Contributor Show More Show Less 12 of12 The main dining room at Hem Show More Show Less 3 of12 Fried pompano with chile salt at Hem Mai Pham/Contributor Show More Show Less 4 of12 Shaken beef at Hem Mai Pham/Contributor Show More Show Less 5 of12 Fried frog legs at Hem Mai Pham/Contributor Show More Show Less 6 of12 1 of12 Bo Ne (Sizzling Steak and Eggs) at Hem Mai Pham/Contributor Show More Show Less 2 of12
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