Fresh bean sprouts, basil and mint are on a separate plate. Sriracha, Vietnamese hot chile sauce, is added to taste. But be warned that these servings are large and filling and meant as entreesa very inexpensive meal. This humble fish is prepared in a blend of spices of which the most predominant is star anise with a licorice-like flavor. The flat, deep-fried noodles are light and puffy, like those in Mongolian beef.
Service is pleasant and tries very hard, but when the place is packed on weekends it can crawl.
The problem seems to be the kitchens pace but at least you are assured that the steamed mussels havent been sitting under a light bulb for the last half-hour. Though there are more Vietnamese restaurants in Milwaukee than 25 years ago, the West Bank remains the very best. Mannequin's 111 E. Wisconsin Ave. Every Friday most restaurants and many taverns serve heaping plates of deep-fried, battered cod with french fries, cole slaw and rye bread. But pickier diners search for haddock, which once was common, and the sweet little perch fillets.