There was no hint that Le V Cuisine would be so good. The menu at Cecilia Le’s 14-month-old restaurant had all the trademarks of confused “fusion,” with dishes from Italy, France, Vietnam and Japan, to name just four nations. Listing spaghetti alla vongole on the same page with yellowtail sashimi and rib eye with mashed potatoes hardly inspires confidence, and yet, it worked.

The concept really works during happy hour (Tuesday to Sunday from 3-6 PM), when Le V offers a selection of half-priced appetizers.

Le V features a plant-lined patio, but it’s much more pleasant to dine inside. The sleek interior included a spider-like fiber optic lantern, plenty of paintings and a glass fronted wine wall that displayed bottles in the shape of a V.

Crispy Spring Rolls ($4) were solid, crispy outside, with juicy ground pork and mushrooms inside. They were even refreshing when wrapped in romaine with mint leaves and pickled daikon.

Banana Flower Salad with Clams and Basil ($7) was the big winner, a generous pile of lightly dressed banana flower strands, shaved onion, crushed peanut and crispy fried garlic. The clams were really fresh, not chewy at all, and especially effective when piled on crispy rice crackers.

Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice ($6) was the only dish that fell flat. The tuna was mushy, the rice cakes were oily and the restaurant’s entire supply of chile oil wouldn’t have revived the flavor.

At $4, you’d think it would be risky to indulge in a plate full of snails, but not at Le V. Escargots de Bourgogne were slathered with garlic and butter, so the flavor was bound to be good, but it was the texture that stood out. The grey-green meat was really tender, kind of a like a fresh clam belly. The snails went well with the crispy garlic toast.

This meal had me thinking that Le V’s French onion soup might taste good. The chef clearly has a way with clams, so that spaghetti alla vongole might not be a bad call either. Next time, it’s tempting to return after happy hour for the full experience.

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This entry is filed under Asian, California, French, Italian, Orange County, Southern California, Vietnamese.