A few years back, my family traveled to Vietnam in the days leading up to Tet, the annual lunar new year celebration. As temperatures crept into the 90s each day, we found eating was something best done early in the morning or late at night, with plenty of iced coffee to tide us over in the middle of the day.

It was a routine easily recalled last week as Seattle experienced its string of 90-plus degree days. One steamy evening turned out to be the perfect backdrop for my first visit to Tigerly Ox, Wallingford’s new Vietnamese-inspired eatery at 4405 …