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A side of spring rolls from Bamboo Vietnam Kitchen near Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan.

A side of spring rolls from Bamboo Vietnam Kitchen near Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan. (Tyler Hlavac/Stars and Stripes)

A side of spring rolls from Bamboo Vietnam Kitchen near Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan.

A side of spring rolls from Bamboo Vietnam Kitchen near Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan. (Tyler Hlavac/Stars and Stripes)

A Vietnamese-style chicken sandwhich from Bamboo Vietnam Kitchen near Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan.

A Vietnamese-style chicken sandwhich from Bamboo Vietnam Kitchen near Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan. (Tyler Hlavac/Stars and Stripes)

The food at Bamboo Vietnam Kitchen near Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, is fresh, tasty and not too greasy.

The food at Bamboo Vietnam Kitchen near Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, is fresh, tasty and not too greasy. (Tyler Hlavac/Stars and Stripes)

Bamboo Vietnam Kitchen opened recently near Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan.

Bamboo Vietnam Kitchen opened recently near Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan. (Tyler Hlavac/Stars and Stripes)

Hungry servicemembers looking for a tasty but healthy meal should check out a new Vietnamese restaurant near the Womble Gate at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan.

Bamboo Vietnam Kitchen has been serving up plenty of delicious Vietnamese-style sandwiches and Pho soup since it opened in late December.

This colorful eatery gets points from the start for offering cuisine you used to not be able to experience without a long trip to Yokohama or Tokyo. Yokosuka’s other ethnic food options are rather limited and tend to revolve around curry, pizza or Korean barbecue. As far as I’m aware, it’s the only Vietnamese restaurant in Yokosuka, or at least the only one near the base.

The food here is fresh and tasty, but the main draw for me is that it is not heavily fried or greasy. Vietnamese food in general is heavy on vegetables, but it also boasts a good balance of meat that allows food to be tasty but not send you into a food coma in the afternoon. You can eat lunch here and still get things done at work the rest of the day.

Pho and sandwiches are the primary options here, although you can order a salad or a chicken dinner. The sandwiches cost about $6 or $7, and a good-sized portion of Pho soup is between $8 and $9.

I sampled both the pork sandwich and a bowl of Pho and found them tasty and not too heavy on the wallet or the digestive system. Unlike Japanese ramen, where the noodles are typically made of wheat, Pho noodles are typically made from rice. Although they are not quite as tasty as ramen, they are far easier to digest.

Bamboo Kitchen Vietnam’s dishes are available for takeout, or you can stick around and have a fruity Smirnoff Vodka cocktail for about $6.

The restaurant is comfortable, and the decor very colorful and brightly decorated in Southeast Asian style; the walls and furniture are painted green and yellow, and Vietnamese knickknacks adorn the wall.

The restaurant is usually busy with either American or Vietnamese customers; surprisingly, no Japanese customers were spotted during my visits. The menu is in both English and Japanese.

If you’re not terribly hungry, still stop by and have an order of spring rolls, $4, and a Vietnamese-style coffee.

hlavac.tyler@stripes.com

Location: Mitsuboshi building 1F, 1-24 Odaki-cho, Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture, 238-0008

Hours: Open daily, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Prices: 480-580 yen for a mixed drink. Most lunch sets cost between 630 yen and 1,500 yen.

Dress: Casual

Directions: Next to Lucky Exchange. A few minutes’ walk from Yokosuka Naval Base’s Womble Gate.

Information: 045-263-9975; www.facebook.com/bambootgt

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