Cazuela Paisa. Big bowl of bean stew with chicharones at El Porton. Decent but probably should have ordered the ajiaco (only available on Saturdays)
Link below is to the ajiaco.
Cazuela Paisa. Big bowl of bean stew with chicharones at El Porton. Decent but probably should have ordered the ajiaco (only available on Saturdays)
Link below is to the ajiaco.
Beef stew (small) and the infamous bone soup at Trieu Chau. A huge bowl of 2 pork joints with ample meat falling off the bones and gelatin and connective tissue. $2.50 a bowl. Best hangover cure ever.
What sets Trieu Chau apart is the huge vat of bones simmering on high at all times. The result is a rich murky broth that is sweet in a savory sense. The broth at lesser places is watery and clear in comparison. The difference is as big as home made chicken stock and the canned supermarket stuff. They use this delicious meat elixir on most of their noodles, including the legendary house special noodles.
Come early. By 10am the wait was already 30 deep (I was number 18 and they were calling number 90, but some of those were parties of 4-9). Turnover is lightening quick and they probably move at least 100 people every 1-2 hours. It’s a Little Saigon institution in the same way Langers and Katz are.
Oh, that sounds and looks marvelous…
@Porthos awesome! So are the items you mentioned and show pics of the must get items at Trieu Chau? Or are they known for other stuff?
2 bowls of soup and protein with no carbs. Not bad.
Another Soup for our DOTM:
El Sinaloense
Sinaloan restaurant, featuring Menudo Blanco:
Menudo Blanco is a bit more rare than the usual Menudo. It was spot-on! Light, warm bowl of tendon, hominy, tripe, pig’s feet. Not overly salty, and the wheel of garnishes let you customize. A bit of Red Onion, Cilantro, Oregano and you’re good to go!
Loved their Handmade Tortillas as well. Slightly thick, piping hot, a bit of crisped outside, but soft and pillowy inside.
El Sinaloense Restaurant
7601 State St.
Huntington Park, CA 90255
(323) 581-1532
Remembered @CiaoBob’s recommendation a while back and had to get some Korean Pork Neck Stew on!
Ham Ji Park
Place was really busy when we went. Their free Panchan was rather simple, basic:
Almost every table was ordering their BBQ Ribs, so we threw that in here before the Pork Soup / Stew:
The Ribs were… OK. Slightly sweet, nice char, it had the familiar taste I’ve had at many KBBQ places. Tasty enough.
Pork Neck & Potato Stew:
This was spot-on for a chilly winter evening (a few nights ago). Despite the red color it was only mildly spicy. It tasted a bit like a Sundubu (Tofu Stew) base of flavors, but deeper with an awesome Pork broth. Loved the tender Pork and Cartilage.
I need to try @Porthos recommended restaurant next time to compare. Can’t wait.
Ham Ji Park
3407 W 6th St., Suite 101C
Los Angeles, CA 90020
(213) 365-8773
@Chowseeker1999 They are actually best known for their house special noodle soup which contains duck leg, 2 kinds of chicken, pork, shrimp, liver, fish cake, pork balls, and bits of pork fat. You get to pick if you want thick or thin egg or rice noodles. Add wontons for $1 more ($9 all in). It’s a monster portion but I’ve seen true champions do both yellow egg noodles and white rice noodles.
People will try to tell you the fried dough is necessary. It’s not. The true unicorn is the shau mai. Usually sold out by 9. It’s not really shui mai but more steamed fatty pork meatball. Ask for that if you happen to arrive before 10am.
Panchan looks way better at Ham Ji Park btw. It’s pretty limited at the place I went to.
Got the chicken noodle/matzo ball at Art’s in Studio City on Saturday. Yum.
Yes it was a carb fest. But kudos to them - saw no sign of bullion cubes or filler - just good broth with tons of stuff.
(I’ll never forget how sad I was trying the chicken matzo ball soup at the late Victor’s on Frankln and seeing and tasting the yellow salty soup extender thing. Sigh.)
Another fab place is Goodgirl Dinette in Highland Park. Their chicken pho is so light and flavorful. And you can get a half order! http://www.goodgirldinette.com
Although I have repudiated Jitlada forever for being too spicy, I like the coco turmeric roe soup and the black sea (squid ink) soup with baby squid. I also like the rasam soup at Mayura.
Nice! Have you had the one from Asian Ya? I havent been in a few years, but back when I used to go (pretty regularly) the tantanmen was awesome, definitely a big step above Chinmaya
I was lucky enough to have a cold this week – didn’t even know about DOTM – but it was soup time
I don’t eat much soup, but going to Trieu Chau (duck and wonton soup) and Kitakata (giant bowl of sliced pork ramen) within days of each other had me wondering why not!
Not only did he not get the consensus “must try,” I’m not even sure how he found those items on the (giant) menu. Good work @Porthos !
I usually go for duck and wontons with big egg noodles, but that’s me. I think the key is to look deep in your heart, pick the meats and noodles you like best, and go with that, or go for their house special (if your favorite is “f-it, I want EVERYTHING”)
Nothing could be more necessary
You’ll see a lot of serious old timers order the noodles dry (double portion at that) and order a side of the bone soup since the soup is so good.
The beef stew I’ve seen several people order. It’s as good as it looks. The version 10 steps away at Newport Tan Cang is also very good.
The 3-500+ people a day x 7 days a week that go to Trieu Chau do fine without it.
Just curious, what places do you like in Little Saigon?
Hi @Eater15,
No, I haven’t tried Asian-Ya’s version yet. But if you try Anzutei’s let me know what you think. I’m craving it right now, LOL.
I’m just busting your balls dude
My lord this sounds good. Makes me wish I still worked downtown.
Right now, I’m addicted to Broccoli Soup - and there are 3 I love: California Chicken Cafe, Rainbow Acres, and Bob’s Market. The latter has big chunks of broccoli. Photo below, the chili oil is my addition.