One of the ostensible benefits of chain-restaurant dining is the predictability. Whether it's a Subway in Lakeville or a Subway in suburban Toledo, you are relatively assured of having the same experience -- whatever quality that might be. On the flip-side of that "benefit" is the mystery of a visit to a little hole-in-the-wall independent place. If you like mystery, then you can see one of the virtues of adventurous dining. Case in point: my recent visit to Ai Hue Bakery and Deli on St. Paul's mostly torn apart University Avenue.

A curious side/back-alley entrance leads into the Vietnamese deli. If you're new to the place, kudos if you can find it without making a wrong turn. Tinny, imported pop music filled the bustling restaurant, while bright posters and a dingy linoleum floor rounded out the ambience. An energetic and eager young man waited on our table, and was quick to suggest the spring rolls when asked for a recommendation. As is common at similar restaurants around the Twin Cities, the spring rolls had been pre-prepared and wrapped on a styrofoam plate in plastic wrap. Charming? It depends. Room-temperature shrimp and pork usually make me a little nervous.

The flavors were fresh, the hoisin sauce with peanuts was straightforward -- nothing to complain about. The banh mi with pork meatballs was good, cheap and unusually mild. It's worth noting the meatballs didn't have much in the way of bright five-spice or star anise flavor. The pickled carrots and radishes were similarly mellow -- not bad, but stronger, brighter flavors would be welcome. If you're in the area, it would be a nice, affordable lunch at $3.75. Then again, if you're in the area, you've got a dozen other banh mi purveyors to choose from.

An egg noodle soup with roast duck and baby bok choy had fresh veggies, and a flavorful fish sauce and star anise broth. The drifting duck breasts and legs ($6.75) were tender, and had clearly benefited from time in the oven before time in the broth. Everything washed down well with a pot of jasmine tea ($1.50) and a can of "sweetened grass jelly drink" ($1) -- something like miniature cubes of Jell-O floating in a banana-flavored light syrup, which come to think of it, nearly sounds like a Midwestern creation. All in all, a satisfying, hot lunch made from fresh ingredients, and sold at about the lowest price imaginable.

Ai Hue's was bustling the whole time -- the lunch crowd into the early afternoon lounging crowd. If I had any hunger left, I might've grabbed a slice of the brightly colored "coconut milk dessert with mung bean and tapioca," which, along with a dozen other to-go items, beckoned from the register. Mystery to-go, I suppose.

Beth Dooley, author of "Northern Heartland Kitchen," will teach a cooking class and sign books at Byerly's in St. Louis Park (3777 Park Center Blvd.) at 6 p.m. Dec. 7. Recipes covered will include roast mushroom, red pepper and sage pizza; ginger squash and apple soup; barley pilaf with chickpeas and autumn vegetables; and cranberry sorbet. The class costs $15 and includes a $10 Byerly's gift card and complimentary wine pairing. Register at www.lundsandbyerlys.com.