Yup - and that’s why Langer’s is still king.
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Izakaya Hachi last night.
We finally made it after trying three or four times without reservations before. It was pretty freaking incredible
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Kyokushin-style?
onion @ santa barbara shellfish co.
live uni, scallop
Some of the best damn live uni I’ve had. So fresh it’s friends with dj jazzy jeff
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Them uni there is da fo’ shiznitz…
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How was the stuff under the onion? I see that the onion came with a decent side. 
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I’d pay $10 for that onion and the free side that comes with it. Maybe even $11.
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My first visit to Little Saigon.
I’m still on an indefinite posting sabbatical, but wanted to share a post ‘cuz it epitomizes the people and culture I liked at the old CH site.
Perhaps some of the former hounds on this site remember phamschottler. I met her and some other folks at Tacolandia 2014 and we’ve continued to have food adventures.
Phamschottler is quite familiar with Little Saigon and since I’d never been during my 11 years of living in SoCal, she volunteered to curate a crawl for a small group including moi.
It was a Bang x 4 regional tour of mom and pop places in 4 hours with no pho, no broken rice, and no dessert. Ran out of time so she couldn’t take us to a bikini bar 
1st stop: Banh Cuom Luu Luyen for steamed rice paper and snack foods.
From left: Banh Cuon Thit Nurong (rice rolls filled with bbq pork and veggies); Banh Cuon Doc Biet (rice sheets with shrimp, pork and toppings; Banh Duc Tom Chay (steamed coconut rice cake with savory toppings).
Banh Cuon Luu Luyen
14351 North Euclid Street #1J, Garden Grove, CA 92843**
2nd stop: Northern Vietnamese cuisine at Hanoi Avenue
From top left: Nem Ran Cua Be (Hanoi style egg rolls); Bun Cha Hanoi (Hanoi style bbq pork with rice noodles and vegetables); Canh Bun Rieu Cua (crab soup).
Ha Noi Avenue (aka “The Avenue”)
8432 Westminster Blvd, Westminster, CA 92683
3rd stop: Central Vietnamese cuisine at Ben Ngu
From bottom left: Banh It Kep Banh Ram (steamed mochi dumplings filled with pork — @JeetKuneBao posted about these in another thread); Banh Canh Tom Cua (Vietnamese udon with crab and shrimp balls); Mit Xuc Banh Trang (young jackfruit salad with sesame crackers — @JeetKuneBao also posted about these in the past)
Ben Ngu
10051 Garden Grove Blvd, Garden Grove, CA 92844
4th and final stop: Southern Vietnamese cuisine at Thanh My
Top row: Ca Kho To (Casserole of catfish braised in hot pot. Couldn’t miss this because it was a dish billed as a “Kevin favorite”); Canh Chua Ca (Tamarind soup with catfish).
Bottom row: Banh Hoi Chao Tom (sugarcane shrimp) and a plastic file folder-like contraption holding 1/4 size rice sheets and warm water to soften the sheets in — so ingenious! Used less table space and less water.
Thanh My Restaurant
9553 Bolsa Ave, Westminster, CA 92683
I loved every stop and would love to revisit again, but before that I’ll prolly ask for a group dinner for 7 courses of either duck, beef or rabbit (eventually all 3 kinds).
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@foodshutterbug I think @Chowseeker1999 tried to hit up Tho 7 Mon (7 courses of rabbit) only to find that they had closed recently.
Great write up! You had some of my favorite dishes growing up.
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Yes indeed! Say Hola to her from me!
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Dessert run at The Royce
royce chocolate bar | salted caramel, popcorn ice cream
classic creme brulee | vanilla, brown butter, shortbread
cheesecake | cookies & cream
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The california king was really good, but for me, the true king of california is dungeness.
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I hope the side show didnt overpower the onion main? Otherwise, that would be a waste of a great main dish.
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I can attest this was a indeed a mighty morning Little Saigon Food Crawl with @foodshutterbug and phamschottler.
I skipped the last stop - DUMB.
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When’s the next crawl? #askingforafriend
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Palourdes mariniere with white wine & shallots, served with garlic bread & aioli, from Trois Familia (Silver Lake)…
Classic hamburg lunch special, with mentaiko cheese, from Tokyo Hamburg (K-town)…
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Finally checked out Guerrilla Tacos’ brick & mortar. Loved everything, as I am wont to do.
Brown is Beautiful - Reposado tequila, Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, Mexican fernet, vanilla liqueur, orange oil.
“Chips & salsa” (special) - Crispy chicken skin, chicharrones, and salsa.
Shrimp Tostada - Mexican white shrimp, burnt tomato chile, pickled shallots, avocado, chives. With uni added.
Pocho Taco - Ground wild boar, pine nuts, raw tomatillo chile, chipotle crema, aged cheddar.
Puerto Vallarta Style Crab Tacos - guajillo, chipotle crema, raw tomatillo chile, cilantro.
Lamb Kebab - pico de gallo, tomato labneh, flour tortillas.
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Great job by phamschlotter! The fun thing is your can repeat the same regional tour with different restaurants next time!
First, a matinee by LA Master Chorale.
Then Happy Hour at Rappohannock
Oyster Bar.
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