Little Saigon Adventures

Mom used to buy the silken tofu with ginger syrup dessert there…and soy milk. She also like their fresh tofu before competition kicked in and she defected to them.
@JeetKuneBao you are going Vietnamese full force. I admire your tenacity.
As a kid, I loved the shrimp paste on sugar cane…hell, I still love it…but love it more when the sugar can’t is switched out for snow crab claw.

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Panda soy milk is da fo shiznitz…

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This is outside of Bolsa area

In Anaheim not far from Disneyland, Honda Center, and Angel Stadium. Certainly a place to fill up before going to an event.


Menu. Yup a little more than your typical Banh Mi joint.

Got to speak with the owner, who is a complete sweetheart, and the inspiration for this place was a childhood favorite in Saigon, a family street stall that only made roasted chicken Banh Mi’s.

And that is the most popular item here or anything with roasted chicken.


Com Ga Roti.
Got a quarter with egg. I recommend getting all dark. Nicely seasoned with some crisp skin. I also recommend getting the chicken broth.


Roast Chicken Banh Mi with egg. I always enjoyed eating this but I think I’ll ask if she can throw in some skin and thigh pieces.

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I love that place, @JeetKuneBao. Next time, ask if they’ll do the fried egg in your banh mi instead of the scramble. It also works well with the lemongrass beef. My husband is a fan of their bo kho/beef stew…ask for spicy…it works well when we can’t get a supply from my Mom.

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I will most definitely ask for a fried egg instead and I love bo kho!

Was wondering what you Bolsa kids think of Ba Le? I read they make their own cold cuts, pate, and mayo. The bread has a smooth crust instead of being slightly crackly

Ba Le is OG. Can’t comment on the 714 location but the 626 Ba Le is great.

Same plaza as Brodards/Garlic-Chives/85.

image
I like this painting

A Hanoi specialist.


Bun Cha Hanoi. Very solid here, pork had some good grilled flavor.


Bun Bung. Read about this dish when researching Hanoi food. Not really sure how it is suppose to taste, mostly sour with some potatoy-yuccay notes. Visually very stunning. The pork ribs appeared to be cooked prior. Added lime and chile sauce.

how was the pork meat patty? Any comparison to the OG Hanoi restaurant near Asian Garden mall?

Not well formed patties but the flavor is there.

Not sure which place by Garden Mall. I know across the street Pho Quang Trung does Bun Cha, actually had a Viet coworker recommend it

Pho Ga Hai Van at Westminster x Magnolia (same plaza as Ngu Binh), IMO the best pho ga in town. Forgot to take pics.

God I love 7 Leaves Mung Bean milk tea, warm and less sweet.

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Speaking of Ngu Binh, it was a mom and pop, until they got divorce and mom opened up Ben Ngu lol!

Some Little Saigon restaurant drama!

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Just wanted to thank you for your contributions. It must take a tremendous amount of discipline to eat through and document each of these shops. Couple questions — have you tried Thanh Mai’s banh xeo, and since you stated that banh xeo is one of your favorite dishes: What makes a good, proper banh xeo for you specifically?

Also, have you been able to find a truly great pho bac in Little Saigon? I’m feeling pretty stumped; lots of great pho nam.

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I have not had Thanh Mai’s but I will definitely try it. I really don’t know what makes a good one. I just know what I like personally.

I don’t think there is a legit Hanoi style Pho in Little Saigon. SF’s Turtle Tower and some places in SGV seem to do it right. Pho B in Huntington Beach does a Hanoi style Pho.

There been a few times when the broth at Pho B was out of this world good. Pure. I just skipped the basil, and sprouts.

@euno, what are your favorite Pho places?

For me:
Pho Ga: Pho Ga Hai Van and Pho Dakao
Pho Hanoi: Pho B
Pho Saigon: Pho 79

I really want to try something else besides Pho 79

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I have a few mixed feelings on a truly great Hanoi-style pho; one of my best friends is Vietnamese, and actually it was his father who made a proper pho bac for me for the first time, a very clean beef-based broth with minimal garnish or spice that was refreshing without the assistance of juiced limes. As far as I know great examples of it are hard to come by; that friend’s father claims the best are in Vietnam, and he has yet to find a practitioner of a proper pho bac broth Stateside.

The dominant style at least in Little Saigon appears to be pho nam and pho ga, for obvious reasons.

Pho 79 has its contrarians though their reasoning is generally lacking in uniformity/clarity. It’s my favorite pho as the blend of spices used has always had a very comforting effect on me. I’m partial to the star anise. I also really like Pho Quang Trung, for a very decent pho and an even better bun bo hue (and of course, those great dao chao quay crullers :slight_smile:)

My favorite Pho Ga is at Pho Dakao, though oftentimes I’ll just be cheap and get that $4.50 pho ga (not sure if it’s still that cheap) at Pho Vie due east of Westminster and Brookhurst. Pho Ga Hai Van is also excellent. My only beef against Pho B is the overall unctuousness of the broth, it’s a little bit heavy and doesn’t get much help to lighten it.

Up north I do like Phorage (though I haven’t been in some time), and Golden Deli.

Pho tau bay…for their banh cuon

for pho? i’ve heard that pho is not their strong suit - it’s other parts of the menu.

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Yeah I have more bowls at Pho B where it was more heavy as you stated. I concluded that beef pho can be so inconsistent at times.
Also been times when it tasted more like a Saigon broth.
But man there has been a few times in which
(2 times) it was so pure!

Pho Huynh in El Monte seems to be the place in SGV for Hanoi Pho. Maybe @JThur01 or @secretasianman have tried it.

Since we are on the subject Round 3 Pho Noodle House in Rowland Heights caught my attention, you can get a beef and chicken pho with Hainan dipping sauces on the side. One Yelp review said the pho was less herbal and more beef based.

Quang Trung is solid and open late!

After Saigon style Pho I think the second most popular noodle is Hu Tieu.

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It’s probably been more than a year but I’ve had the Banh Cuon there. It was tasty!

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i think i’ve been there and also pho filet nearby, but it’s been a while for both. had i known that pho huynh was northern, i would have evaluated it differently; i now understand that northern is supposed to be more nuanced than southern, but to an inexperienced palate the line between subtle and bland is fairly murky.