Hai Yen #2

Walking along Clark street, just south of Diversey, I saw a sign on the 2nd story of a building, announcing that Hai Yen would be opening there. East side of the street. Another point of reference is that this is what I used to call "Shoe Row" due to the concentration of shoe stores in the area.

I've been to the original Hai Yen in Vietnamese town on Argyle a few times. However, I tend to visit some of the other places around there more often. In any case, I'm glad for another nearby Vietnamese option.

From the look of things, I'd expect them to open no earlier than the fall.

http://www.haiyenrestaurant.com/

Oh the anticipation!! How long have they been working on this renovation?? Walking by yesterday, the windows were still covered, but there were a flurry of contractors keeping themselves busy. I stopped to ask when they were expecting to be completed and their answer was "2-3 weeks."

I"ll be waiting. With bells on.

I agree with the previous statement. I'm dying of anticipation. I currently work on Clark just north of Diversy and the near lack of any truly good asian (with Vien Dong as the notable exception) drives me crazy. If this is as good as the original spot it will be a godsend.

i went to a grand opening party for the new hai yen on clark last night. it was a cocktail party, so they were only serving appetizers, but i'm happy to report that everything that i had was delicious as the stuff i've had at the original hai yen (argyle). the restaurant has a very different feel than the argyle location; it's much more elegant and "upscale." the walls are painted a dark yellow (i think) and have no art on them (a la terragusto), except for a large painting in the center of the room that the owner told us that she got in vietnam. the ceiling has metal planks on it, and it looks really cool (i could never be an art curator, but i'm doing my best).

i'm almost positive the owner said that they will be having a grand opening tuesday. she indicated that they will have the windows open and hand out free appetizers.

i didn't get to see a menu, so i don't know how it compares to the argyle location in price or content, but logic tells me that it would be more expensive. i know that they will have bubble tea (my new obsession). they also served interesting martini's last night (lychee and pineapple). fyi, they have a private party room downstairs that's really nice.

overall, i'm really excited about the place. go check it out! the owner is so nice, and they have put A LOT of money into this building. btwm i'm not in any way affiliated with hai yen. i got invited to the party because my friend was on check please and picked hai yen, and they now love him!

I should start by saying that I enjoy Vietnamese food. I have eaten at the original Hai Yen a couple times, but I prefer to eat at the other Vietnamese restaurant options. I never found anything wrong with Hai Yen. I just find some of the other places more right for my palate.

Hubby & I had a light dinner at Hai Yen #2 last night. I definitely agree that the ambience and experience here is very different than the original restaurant.

First, the workers were not all Asian and represented a cross-section of Americans. About 1/2 the customers were Asian, including families, and the rest was a mix of people. Definitely a greater mix in people than most of my other Lincoln Park dining experiences.

The dining room is simple, and I love the big art piece at the back. I think artwork along the side walls would be an improvement.

Hubby ordered tea. Served responded by asking if we wanted a small or large pot. At most Asian restaurants, they just bring you a pot, no question about size.

As for the food, we shared a light salad with pork and shrimp. This was tasty, but the flavors were not as unusual as I hoped. We also ordered a noodle dish, which had chunks of crab. The flavoring was relatively simple, but the dish was well prepared and the crab was great. I'm not sure if the prices are higher here than at the original location, but the portions might be smaller.

At the end of the meal, the server tried to sell us on dessert. This is just another thing that made this dining experience a bit different than the usual Asian meal out.

For now, it's BYOB. Liquor license pending.

All in all, this adds another dimension to dining in the area. I'll be back, but I still hope for more Vietnamese options in the neighborhood. Hopefully, it's just a matter of time.

Could someone chime in with what's best a Hai Yen (#1)?

I went there for the first time this week, and didn't find it too special. We had a noodle salad with leaf-wrapped beef, which was decent, and the vinegar "fondue" beef, which was also decent, but nothing too special. I've enjoyed my meals at Tank, 777, and 888 much better than Hai Yen, which was surprising due to the high regard that it seems to have here. Perhaps I ordered the wrong thing? What are their specialties??

I grabbed a quick lunch of Goi Ga at Hay Yen II today. I didn't really think it compared favorably to the very fine Goi Ga at Cafe Hoang.

The Salad dressing lacked any spiciness altogether. It was more of a sweet and vinegar flavor sans the spiciness of others. The salad had a moderately generous amount of chicken (though much less than that contained in the Cafe Hoang version), what appeared to be pan toasted peanuts, and, much to my surprise, very thinly sliced crispy, deep fried onions scattered across the top.

Fortunately for me, Argyle is close enough that I can get to Cafe Hoang nearly any day for its Goi Ga which is clearly superior to that of Hay Yen.

As others have noted, the space is really well decorated. The black clad staff is well educated to introducing the neighborhood to its food. They were doing an active bit of bubble tea business today about noon.

Like much of the ethnic food choices one gets in Lincoln Park, Hay Yen II has toned down its food to meet the tastes of its new market. That's probably a good marketing move for them.

Is the menu similar to the lanky one at the original Hai Yen? How does the content compare?

The menu is significantly scaled back from the Argyle St. location. I didn't think it was as good as the original, but hey, where else are you going to get Vietnamese in that neighborhood (well, now there's Simply It, but I haven't tried it yet).

The menu is definitely scaled back. I tried a few weeks ago hoping for a bowl of pho with some tendon & brisket without having to trek up to Argyle. I was denied. They have pho but sans tendon, tripe, etc.

Working in the neighborhood for a few weeks so I stopped in. The room is very nice, and the people are very nice, eager, earnest, sweet. Presentations are nice, prices very good for the area, portions reasonable-to-generous for the price. Sadly, all that's missing is flavor. Whether this is a conscious blanding down for the locale, reflects the actual palate of the kitchen, or some other variable I can't say, but I was there with a party of 6, and there was really only 1 dish with noticeable flavor (beef with asparagus and portabellos) and that flavor was sort of generic, Chinese brown sauce flavor.

One of us tried their pho: only one version with cooked beef, none of the usual variations. I believe it did come with a pile of herbs and sprouts and lime, at least.
I was in the mood for comfort food, so decided to try their signature fried rice. A very generous portion which included nice looking grilled chicken, and promised all sorts of flavors in the menu description (galanga, ginger, etc.). But I didn't taste it. Also, the rice was a surprising short plump grain, almost like arborio.
Someone had clay pot chicken which I didn't taste, but I sat next to it and certainly didn't get the usual aromas coming out of the clay pot. I couldn't even tell if it was cooked in the pot, or merely presented in it.
Tried a mixed app. plate. There were seafood eggrolls, which I honestly couldn't swear had any seafood along with the bean thread noodles and other filling. There were two other dishes, pretty and generously portioned, but finally--although everyone was "ooohing and ahhhing"--- people asked timidly if they could get some soy sauce, which came in a ramekin, rather than a bottle, and we all begged to be allowed a drop or two. (There are no condiments provided on the tables.)
I hate to dis such an earnest effort, and in fact, whenever I walk by at prime time they seem to be quite busy, so they may have calculated exactly right for their audience, but not for me.

Has anyone stopped by here lately? I'm thinking of giving it a try with my buddy tonight before we catch a movie at landmark?

I was just there a couple of weeks ago. My opinion remains the same. If it were on Argyle, it wouldn't stand a chance. But in the culinary wasteland that is Clark/Diversey/Broadway, it's freaking gold.

I had the shrimp grilled on a sugar cane, and then salt & pepper shrimp/squid/scallop. All were a significant step above most everything else you can get in the neighborhood.

jesteinf wrote:I was just there a couple of weeks ago. My opinion remains the same. If it were on Argyle, it wouldn't stand a chance. But in the culinary wasteland that is Clark/Diversey/Broadway, it's freaking gold.

I had the shrimp grilled on a sugar cane, and then salt & pepper shrimp/squid/scallop. All were a significant step above most everything else you can get in the neighborhood.

Do you know it is still BYOB?

They serve alcohol. Not sure what their policy is on bringing your own.

I've only had their pho which is about average and a few notches down from places like Tank. That being said, it's an acceptable alternative to driving north.

Hi,

I recently went back for a 2nd try here. Hubby and I got a bun, which I recall as including both pork and pork meatball, and we ordered catfish in the clay pot. Both were very good, and these are items that we order frequently at Vietnamese restaurants. In fact, we think their clay pot catfish was the best one that we've had yet because it was cooked perfectly, just to the point of being cooked.

Service seemed less responsive and quick, but the food was very good. We'll be back.

So my buddy and I made it out there and they did have their own stuff. They said if you want to bring your own beer it has to be something they don't sell and they charge you a $6 fee. Our experience was mixed. Their appetizers were very good.

We got the First item on the menu, the Bo La Lot whichi are beef and pork sausages which were very good. We also got the Cjap Tp, wjocj was good as well - they looked like shrimp drumsticks. We also got the Banh Xeo which was tasty buy a tiny bit greesy but I didn't mind that. It's basically a deep fried pankcake with bean sprouts and shrimp inside.

Now for the bad. For my dinner I got the Ga Kho Xa Ot(?) which was advertised as spicey chicken sauteed in spicy lemongrass sauce. It was oversalty and underspicy and rather bland in general. I would have preferred a more intense flavor.

Overall I would give my experience a B but I don't think I would rather explore other Vietnamese places to eat before going back there.