We had a good meal at Long Provincial Vietnamese Restaurant recently, where the space was a welcome change from the neon-lime, tangerine, and vanilla colors/starkness of the former QUBE.

Now it’s all gunmetal and royal purple colors. Grass-like screens cover the windows and keep out the street scenes and light so you really focus on your food and friends/significant other. There’s a gorgeous oversize bowl with flames flickering out the middle and a large fish tank that separates bar from dining room–both are calming and very Zen.

The menu was voluminous (perhaps like Tamarind Tree Restaurant, its popular sister restaurant in the International District)–with nine (count ’em!) kinds of salad rolls ranging from fried tofu to turmeric-marinated catfish to lemongrass beef! I got mine with grilled chicken (above), which was dark meat and really could have been just about anything since it was strangely tasteless. The accompanying peanut sauce helped moisten and liven them up.

Better results with the Tamarind Tree Soup, above. I loved the interplay of sweet pineapple with the seafood-tamarind broth and the combination of catfish fillet, prawns, and scallops.

We took home more than half for leftovers the next day and added our own shellfish and veggies for protein and texture, plus a can of Fire-Roasted Tomatoes with Green Chiles for additional (spicy) broth. Yum!

Spencer liked his entrée of Grilled Beef Short Ribs served with a Mixed Herb Fish Sauce. The Garlic Green Beans were way good and garlic-y, too!

We can’t wait to go back to explore the menu further. Wines by the glass were interesting–I had a Grüner Veltliner and Torróntes, a “hot” new varietal from Argentina that’s supposed to be perfect for summer sipping. It didn’t hit my spot as much as the Grüvee, but also didn’t interfere with my enjoyment of the food.