Paper Rice — Restaurant in Pasadena

The concept of Paper Rice is definitely an original one where customers are able to build their own spring roll or bowl order. Essentially a Chipotle, but with a Vietnamese flair. Had this place on my radar since they opened, but wasn't able to actually visit until a few weeks back for a late lunch. They've opened up in the Pasadena neighborhood on Union. There's street metered parking, but you're better off finding parking at the free 90 minute lots and walking over.

Storefront is decently sized, but with the pandemic, only a certain number of customers are allowed inside at a time. Looking at the menu, you can order items that are made-to-order (banh mi, salads, xoi chien, egg rolls, etc.) or you can go with the popular build your own meal. This is $10.25 for either 3 spring rolls or a spring bowl.

I opted for the spring roll option - choose the protein, vegetables and herbs, toppings, and sauces and they'll roll up your order for you before packaging it in a to-go container.

Had a difficult time deciding which meats to order (love nem spring rolls, but at the same time wanted to get an assortment so I could be able to taste something besides nem) but ultimately went with the charbroiled nem, braised pork belly, and charbroiled beef for the meats. There's several vegetables and herbs you can include in the roll, but they have a recommended four (lettuce, cucumber, cilantro, and pickled carrot and daikon) if you're unsure of what to order. Choose one topping (peanuts, sesame, garlic bits, or fried onion bits) as well as one sauce on the side (house citrus, house spicy, savory peanut, citrus ginger, or soy vinaigrette).

When they were gathering items to make the roll, it didn't look like much was being plated - but after they rolled everything together, it definitely looked hefty. My favorite out of the three was the nem - tasted super fresh and went perfectly with the house citrus. Pork belly and charbroiled beef were pretty good as well. Each spring roll had a unique flavor and brought something different to the palate. I think adding the egg roll inside for crunch really completes the spring roll.

So on the menu, they say you can choose up to four vegetables, one topping, one sauce - not sure if this is strictly enforced as I see some other reviewers try a variety of sauces. Price is a little on the higher end, but the quality of the food is pretty good and the ingredients are fresh.

Will be back to try some of their other items when I'm...

Solid Spring Rolls and Banh Mi, But Pricey for the Portion Size

I visited Paper Rice with my sister and niece after seeing it on social media. My sister, who’s obsessed with spring rolls, was excited to try it. I was in town for my sister’s wedding, and before heading back to Houston, we decided to check out the spot. I got the three spring rolls with a banh mi on the side. The process for the banh mi is pretty cool: they make the spring rolls right in front of you, and when you order the banh mi, they give you a ticket, and then they prepare it in the back.

The spring rolls were good, but for the price, I feel like they should give more protein in each roll. The portions were inconsistent, and I think they should use a scoop to ensure the protein is evenly distributed across all the rolls. I tried garlic shrimp, sautéed beef, and lemongrass chicken. My favorite was the sautéed beef—it had a nice, slight spiciness. The shrimp, which cost an extra $1.50, didn’t really impress me. They were mediocre at best. The chicken was decent, but I’d stick with the sautéed beef if I go back. Since I don’t eat pork, I skipped that option, but the banh mi was definitely the highlight of the meal—amazing!

As for sauces, they offer four different options. Since I’m allergic to peanuts, I didn’t try the savory peanut sauce, but my niece did. She said it was anything but savory—it was actually very sweet. I tried the citrus house sauce, which was OK. There was also a house sauce, which I didn’t try, but it was described as spicy. Everyone in our party agreed that all the sauces needed more fish sauce; they just weren’t salty enough for our taste.

To feel full, I’d recommend getting the three spring rolls and a banh mi. That combo will cost you about $30, and if you want a drink, expect to spend more. I brought my own water, but I did notice that for three people, one drink, and only one person ordering a drink, the bill was close to $70, which felt a bit pricey.

They also offer a bowl option, which I saw several people order during my visit, but honestly, it didn’t seem very filling to me. I’d say this place feels more like a snack than a full meal.

Parking Tip: Good luck finding street parking. Your best bet is to park in the attached parking garage, but keep in mind that they do not validate for this garage. We were there for about 30-45 minutes, and it cost us $3.

Would I go back? Only if I’m...

I was in the area for Cat Con event and needed to get a simple place to eat and I looked up my bookmarks and this came up. We had to park in the structure because it's in the area of Old Town Pasadena. As soon as we walked towards it, I noticed the long line. I was like, whoa, this must be a good place for sure. There was a point when we felt like we weren't even moving and for a minute we were actually going to leave and just go to King Taco. But good thing we didn't and just toughed it out because this was so good and I understand the line for sure. It's spring roll heaven here. Everyone is here basically for their spring rolls and every order comes in 3. Just imagine making the spring rolls and having to go fast. It's just not possible when you want to order every one of their types of spring rolls. We even thought about just ordering online but it seemed complicated because you have a choice of the noodles in it or not, the protein you have to choose, and it was just easier for us to just order in person so that there's no confusion. The shrimp was definitely a game-changer and so glad I paid extra for it because the flavor of it was too good, it had me wanting more. I also got the Nem which is always my go-to anywhere and that was good too. We ordered the pork belly banh mi and that was good too. What also makes this place unique is the thick, big, and crunchy wonton they put insides the spring roll. I also had this fried rice appetizer filled with meat, I would not recommend it. It sounded good and different, but I just felt like the meat inside was lacking in amount and flavor. Now back to the spring rolls, they also have a variety of dipping sauces which was a game-changer too. The sauces were like fish sauce consistency, not like the peanut dipping sauce you usually see. It was so good, one of them had a kick to it too that we were not expecting. But we would still get it again. I would definitely come back, such a shame it's too far for me but if you're in the Pasadena area, definitely give this...