Little Saigon Adventures

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.

I always liked their combination pho, they’ve a pretty reliable bowl of tendon-tripe-brisket pho that I find comparable to replacement-level bowls in Little Saigon.

a chacon son gout; the common wisdom as i hear it is to skip the pho there. i went to pho 79 (now saigon eden) a lot when i first moved to the west coast and it was my go to for a long time. now recalibrating as i try more different vietnamese stuff.

The Pho 79 in Alhambra I believe you are referencing was massive disappointment for me. I do recall them being listed with the Pho 79 from Westminster on the Pho 79 website at some point, but the broths were completely different, and on the last two visits (one was about a month before it closed) the noodles were completely overcooked, puffed to an off-putting softness. The Westminster location is vastly superior in my opinion, but à chacun son goút. :joy:

what.

ever.

Ba Le

Although there are many Ba Le’s in the US they are all independently owned and operated but all have some type of connection to the original, be it former employee or family/friend. The recipes can also be different from each one.

Everything here is house made. The bread, pickles, protein, mayo, and pate.


Pic of the Mayo that is available to take home.

They do make one of the best Banh Mi’s around. This “Bacon”/Pork Belly Banh Mi is great…

Warm bread and pork belly combines with the richness of the mayo and pate spread with a balance from the pickles to create truly one of my favorite Banh Mi’s.

$3.81 for the damage. All house made ingredients, you can’t get a sandwich at any of those shitty sandwich chains for that price.

One of the workers there said I should try this next time since New Years is coming up

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Nha Hang 1.99

This is a Little Saigon classic!!!

I hate all you Yelpers who give this place less than 4 stars especially for the whole “its not $1.99 anymore”. Well no shit man. The 2 locations are strategically located at the West and East bookends of Little Saigon (Beach Blvd and Harbor Blvd).

Real OG’s will show their age when they truly ate here for $1.99. I think just about every Bolsa kid has ate here. Every.


So it’s now $6.75 and you can get a small mound of rice, egg, pickles, and Cornish hen. Of course the sauce!!! The sauce has onions that are completely cooked down until they are sweet. The sauce is more on the salty side but then you get a hint of sweet from the onions. Enjoy the crispy skin on its own first. Then parts of the chicken with a little rice and sauce.

Thank You Nha Hang 1.99 for feeding anyone who ventures in and all the Bolsa kids past, present, and future fueling their bodies so they can do great things for their family and this country.

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Extra sauce like a boss.

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Hot, easy sweet, always.

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I just try this next time.

More Hu Tieu!

But this place specializes in a different style, egg noodle-Chinese.

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Delicious brown sauce. Fried shallots, pork belly, liver, duck, pork, squid, and fish cake.

The Uncles here expect you to order when you sit down so here’s the menu lol
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No English menu. Use your Google Fu for Vietnamese desserts. Got this and the filling was mung bean and coconut.

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Dayum. All the major food groups representin’!

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Outside of Little Saigon in Huntington Beach.

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AFAIK the only place in OC doing Hanoi style. Tonight’s broth on point! Pure, beefy without being heavy. A few drops of lime and some black pepper AT MOST. The broth really stands on its own. What’s that? You never had Hanoi style? You would know. No dominant cinnamon, clove, anise flavor. More clear.

Ain’t no foodie media coverage here but I assure you, despite being outside of Bolsa, this is as close as it gets to Hanoi style.

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“No food media coverage” he said, tempting fate

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I’ve got to defer there. I truly haven’t explored the SGV Vietnamese scene in any depth. I’ve been kept far too busy with the Chinese places. Aside from hitting most of the Burmese places, an occasional other style is about all I manage before I’m out of stomach and cholesterol space.

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None the less your SGV coverage is appreciated.

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Seeking out:

Bo La Lot ( thinking ala carte at 7 Course Beef places)

Baked Catfish (Favori?)

The best damn egg rolls (with lettuce/herbs/fish sauce to roll up in)

Thien An Bo 7 Mon

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