I think Pork and Shrimp is the most popular. For me really it’s not so much the pork and shrimp but the actual crepe, herbs, fish sauce/chilli sauce, and freshness that I enjoy. In Little Saigon, Quan Mii is kinda the place now for Banh Xeo, you can do it traditional with everything wrapped in lettuce or roll everything up in a roll
3 Likes
Thanks @JeetKuneBao! Can’t wait to try this. 
Also, I noticed Google says there are 2 Quan Mii restaurants?
Which one do you recommend I go to?
I haven’t been to the new one in Fountain Valley but I been to the Bolsa one.
1 Like
My cousins and I go to the Bolsa one, too.
1 Like
Bolsa for sure!
1 Like
Update 4 (To-Go):
Our previous trip to Little Saigon during the pandemic reminded us of even more mom & pop places we were hoping to support during this shutdown, so we headed back. 
Ba Le Sandwiches (Westminster) (Revisit)
Ba Le Sandwiches in Westminster stunned us when we visited them for the first time recently, putting out some of the best Banh Mi Sandwiches we’ve ever had. We wanted to go back and show some support.
On this visit, we noticed the rotating oven (with a see-through glass door) was off, and no customers were inside.
#7 - Banh Mi Xiu Mai (Pork Meatball Sandwich):
Ba Le’s Xiu Mai (Pork Meatballs) are only a touch sweet (thankfully), with a fresh, tender, moist Meatball filling. I think we prefer Banh Mi Cho Cu more for a more balanced savory, barely any sweetness, delectable Xiu Mai, but these are probably our 2nd favorite, as many Banh Mi Xiu Mai we’ve had at other places around town are way too sweet.
Their Housemade Bread on this visit was a bit soft(!), fresh tasting, but lacked any crispness.
#1 - Banh Mi Thit Nguoi (Cold Cuts Sandwich) + Bi (Shredded Pork Skin):
Their #1, the Banh Mi Thit Nguoi (Cold Cuts) Sandwich, add Bi (Shredded Pork Skin), was perfect! 
Their Housemade Bread was toasty-crisp, with a light crunch to the exterior, the various Vietnamese Cold Cuts within were all balanced and fresh tasting, a smear of Pate, the Bi (Shredded Pork Skin) added textural contrast and some porkiness, and the fresh, bright crunchiness from the Carrots, Daikon and Jalapeno and Cilantro. Our favorite Banh Mi Cold Cut Sandwich by far!
#6 - Banh Mi Trung (Egg Sandwich):
Strangely, on this #6 Egg Sandwich, their Housemade Baguette was soft again. It tasted fresh, but not crisp like the #1 Cold Cuts Sandwich. I’m not sure if this is Ba Le’s style, or perhaps they ran out of their more crisped Baguettes, but the Banh Mi Trung we’ve had at places like Saigon Bakery, Banh Mi My Tho, etc. have all been using the same bread (slightly crisped exterior). (@Ns1 @attran99 @hppzz and others.)
Still, the Egg within was hot, freshly fried and put in, but we would’ve liked the Yolk more runny / Sunny-Side Up style.
One of the most heartbreaking conversations we had with one of these local mom & pop shops was asking the mom (and solo employee on this visit) how business was. Her face became sullen and sad, and she said, “It’s very hard.” 
It’s difficult to convey in words the look on her face, but just spending a few minutes chatting with her, it was clear how difficult it must’ve been.
When she apologized to us, asking if it was OK to charge us $1 more because the price of Eggs she was getting was more expensive now, we immediately obliged and said, “No problem.” We left a generous tip.
Ba Le Sandwiches (Westminster) is putting out some of the best Banh Mi that we’ve tried in LA and OC, and the owner was selling them at a bargain at $3.68. 
I can almost hear the cries on our old board now, of people complaining that Banh Mi should be given away Buy 1 Get 1 Free or something like that.
From a previous FTC conversation, as @hppzz @attran99 @Ns1 @JeetKuneBao and others have stated, why should Vietnamese food be deemed “overpriced” if a mom & pop shop dared to charge more than absurdly low prices? The culinary joy we’ve received from a bowl of Ngu Binh’s incredible Bun Bo Hue, or this seemingly simple Banh Mi Sandwich (the #1 + Bi is ridiculous), etc., is so disproportionate to the price charged by these places (e.g., Ngu Binh’s wonderful Spicy Beef Noodle Soup is $8.95, Ba Le’s Sandwiches are $3.68). Will these mom & pop places survive the pandemic with reduced customers at these prices?
I really hope so. We’ll be back to support them as often as we can.
Ba Le Sandwiches
9152 Bolsa Ave.
Westminster, CA 92683
Tel: (714) 891-9424
Mia Juicery (Revisit) - CLOSED
With Cococane being closed during the pandemic (although thanks to the tip from @JeetKuneBao that they are going to re-open late May), we were craving some Sugarcane drinks and decided to stop by another favorite, Mia Juicery.
Sadly they are CLOSED (@JeetKuneBao):
Hopefully they can survive this pandemic and re-open when it’s safer for them.
Mia Juicery
9084 Edinger Ave.
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
Tel: (714) 574-0853
Pho Tau Bay L.T.T. (Revisit)
Thankfully Pho Tau Bay LTT is open during the pandemic!
Banh Cuon Dac Biet (Steamed Rice Paper Cake with Meat Inside and Dry Pork Topping):
Pho Tau Bay’s Banh Cuon (Steamed Rice Rolls) have remained our favorite Banh Cuon ever since @Ns1 @PorkyBelly extolled the virtues of this incredible dish (I continue to kick myself for never having tried Pho Tau Bay (or Banh Cuon) for so long!
For the pandemic, Pho Tau Bay has converted their front door into a Takeout window(!), interesting. You just call in your order, show up and tell them your name and they will bring out your food (all while wearing a mask & gloves).
Taking a bite, their Banh Cuon is just as thin, delicate, wonderful as before! I love how refined and supple they are (not overly thick like some Banh Cuon we’ve tried on our previous exploration last year). The Ground Pork, Mushrooms and Onions are just flavor bombs, and then the toppings of Shredded Dry Pork and their Nuoc Cham (Fish Sauce-based Dipping Sauce) brings it all together, not overly sweet, nor overpowering like some restaurants.
So worth the drive!
(Cash Only)
Pho Tau Bay Ltt
3610 W. 1st Street, #C
Santa Ana, CA 92703
Tel: (714) 531-6634
We can’t wait to revisit Little Saigon soon. During the pandemic, it took us only 35 minutes to get there from the Westside (which is far less time than usual traffic just navigating around and through Santa Monica during normal times). 
8 Likes
Vietnamese people won’t accept expensive Vietnamese food. It’s just in our blood.Try again in 2-3 generations.
To your point though it’s ridiculous that banh mi is substantially cheaper than going Subway.
5 Likes
Ditto to what @Ns1 said. My immigrant parents have a hard time spending more than $X on certain items because they are used to it being cheap. That mentality is passed on to their children (first generation to be born here), and it takes experience and education for us to change our beliefs. But if I’m willing to pay $15 or a loaded bowl of ramen, then that should apply to pho and BBH.
Thanks, @Chowseeker1999! I hop down there this weekend to patronize some of these businesses.
6 Likes
Thanks @Ns1. Very unfortunate. But yes, it’s crazy that people are willing to shell out for Subway at much higher prices but not great Banh Mi.
Ba Le Little Saigon makes everything in-house and at under $4, there is not a better QPR sandwich!
There should be lines out the door for this and they should imo easily charge a few $ more.
But these mom-n-pop places need to market themselves more with greater social media presence.
3 Likes
Hi @attran99,
Thanks for your insight on this as well. It’s as you said: It seems many folks have no problem shelling out $20 - $30 for “baller / fancy Japanese Ramen”, but there’s no way a real / great Vietnamese Bun Bo Hue can sustain a price tag even at $10 without people balking. 
Looking forward to some more great recommendations and reminders from you as you revisit Little Saigo soon.
1 Like
Thanks @JeetKuneBao for your great recommendations again, and I agree.
We recently tried an overhyped Italian (Cold Cuts) Sandwich that turned out to be almost $23(!) after tax & tip. Not only was this disappointing Sandwich over 500%(!) of the price of the Ba Le Sandwich’s amazing #1 Cold Cuts Banh Mi, we would easily choose Ba Le over this Italian any day of the week.
I heard some talk on this board about Garlic & Chives. That seems to be more well marketed and “modern”? I’ve never been yet.
2 Likes
Yep, I’ve thought of the Subway comparison too–not even a close call with price and quality factored in. It’s insane.
It took about 10 years of going to Sea Harbor before my mom finally accepted the slight price markup was worth it. This after years and years of sitting across from each other as she grumbled about the prices and how the dim sum wasn’t THAT much better than other SGV places. Same for Elite–one dinner was so bad there (not the food!), we haven’t been back since. That was about 10-12 years ago. It’s been so blissful to eat at Sea Harbor without the cost tension.
Not that this has meant a wholesale change in my mom’s attitude. She made an exception for Sea Harbor. Most recent was a Malaysian place in Sydney. She was totally dismayed with paying more than $15 for rice and noodle entrees when across the street was a huge mall food court. And of course, afterwards, when I told my Malaysian aunt where we had lunch, her response, naturally, was, “that place is expensive…” Not that she had ever eaten there.
4 Likes
That conversation w/ the first restaurant is so heart breaking. I hope they survive. I never go to Westminster, but if it only takes 40 mins…
I’ve noticed this w/ quite a few places (Felix, Antico, Sweetgreen, Takuma [to a certain extent]). I personally love it. Protects both the staff and the customers, IMHO.
5 Likes
My mom is the same way. I took her and some aunts and uncles to Four Sisters in Northern Virginia, which is a more “modern” Vietnamese restaurant run by the 2nd generation of a Viet immigrant family. it’s outside of the core Vietnamese shopping area, Eden Center, but nearby. The prices weren’t even that absurd to me (like around $12-$20 for a decently large entree) but my mom complained after the meal that the food was “good” but “too expensive.” Or she’ll say she can make it better at home (I mean, my mom’s cooking is delicious so she’s got a point there).
7 Likes
Do we have the same mother? That sounds exactly like the little old Asian lady that belongs to me.
6 Likes
I think a lot of our little old Asian moms have similar ways of thinking 
6 Likes
Same here. My mom always says she can cook whatever we are eating better and cheaper. She’ll usually throw in a little jab too while critiquing the food. Oh the food was ok but a little salty.
We thought about taking my parents to Majordomo but is not with the aggravation. My mom would faint if we ordered a bowl of veggies and ssam jang for $15 or whatever it costs.
6 Likes
Nobody in my family knows about my food expenses. I am positive they would disown me.
8 Likes
welcome to AAA (ashamed asians anonymous)
8 Likes