Marrying exuberance with subtlety, Vietnamese cuisine's flavorsome delights can tempt even the hardened gourmet. Established by BachLien Ly in 1992, the Vietnam Garden in West Broad Street is a symbol of immigrant success. Ly grew up in Vietnam and arrived in the United States as a refugee. Training in the kitchens of Vietnamese restaurants, she soon became an accomplished cook. Family and friends then helped her realize her dream of opening her own restaurant.

The Vietnam Garden offers a spread of delicacies that vie with each other to indulge the palate. This is a cuisine that uses a lot of fish sauce and soy sauce with meat, chicken, pork and seafood. Nibble at crab crepe, shrimp toasted or Vietnamese yellow pancake. Or sample salads like the lotus steam or chicken cabbage before moving on to more sumptuous fare - spicy beef hot pot, flambé quail, Asian grilled salmon or grilled pork lemongrass.

It will take more than one visit to try such exotic specialties as shrimp on sugarcane, stir fried squid sate and tamarind fish soup. Call it a day with tricolor dessert or fried banana if that's your fancy. A range of exotic cocktails, beer and wines makes dining here even more celebratory.