Little Saigon Adventures

Correction Food Nerd but good works!

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Thank you for the wonderful reply!

Pho add ons you may not know about:


Pickled onions, I enjoy these more like a side then a soup add on.

Nuoc Beo…the fat that is skimmed from the broth.

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diy banh mi:

for the closest airy crumb type of bread you will find to vietnam: saigon bakery/banh mi saigon 8940 Westminster Ave
Westminster, CA 92683 but only get the small loaves, not the long baguette

best pate: boulangerie pierre & boulangerie 14352 Brookhurst St, Garden Grove, CA 92843

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I already know I am going to have the egg Banh Mi at Saigon and across the street BBQ Pork at Lien Hoa for my own fusion Banh Mi

Ben Ngu


A Central specialist.

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Mi Quang. For me it’s about the interplay of peanuts, cracker, shrimp, pork, mint, lettuce, banana flowers and noodle all in one bite.

But…,


The Banh It Ram. OMG out of this world! The texture contrast, and the flavors. What a bite! What a dish! Me and @ipsedixit are fans, so should you!

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Have you tried their chả Huế?

Nope.

Is it something I should get next time?

Last I was there, table next to mine was chowing down on some. I looked over, at first thinking it was zongzi, but no. Basically Viet steamed meatloaf? (excuse the stupid ignorant non-Vietnamese description). Looked quite good.

#VietSpam

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it’s the foil/banana leaf wrapped items at the cash registers of the central vietnamese spots like ngu binh and ben ngu. two types of steamed pork meatloaf, one is cha hue which is like the cha found in banh mi but with garlic/whole peppercorns. The other is cha oc, typically hotdog shaped and contains minced conch? and lemongrass.

both great for snacking.

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Minced conch. You had me at “hotdog shaped” but minced conch just takes it to a ridiculous level.

Thank you very much for the info.


Saigon Bakery @$3.50, certainly is the highest QPR Breakfast (because egg) Sandwich around. And guess this the egg actually tastes like an egg!

Also got the meatball hoping for a taste of a Vietnamese family’s weekend breakfast/brunch. Grammy cooking up some spiced meatballs in a slightly sweet tomato sauce. Grandpa went out to grab some baguettes and some fruit. Mmm meatball sandwiches. You might see some Uncles and Grandpas in Little Saigon hanging around with coffee and baguettes, but a lot of them are taking them home and enjoying delicious homemade stews, and DIY sandwiches!!! How I wish I was invited.
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Add an egg of course!

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Damn should have went next door to “Little Saigon Food To-Go”, they have meatballs and quite frankly some tasty looking food for takeout

2-3 item combos are like $5-6.

Saw bittermelon, huge omelette, eggplant, meatballs, fish in sauces…

Few doors down from Brodard…

4 different types of Goat stews/soups in to-go containers.

Another place has Cha Oc for Banh Mi’s

Thanh Son Tofu and other Viet Tofu places, favorite things to get? Both sweet and savory?

Sad commentary on our food chain that the above phrase needs to terminate in an exclamation point…

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Hu Tieu Thanh Xuan


The plaza across from Garden Mall (New Duong Son, Pho Quang Trung, Seafood Cove)


Menu. $4-6 for a bowl!! Got the indecisive medium for a whopping $5.36!

Let me just say I think Hu Tieu is one of the most underrated noodle dish by the mainstream. Everyone and their mama loves pho and ramen. It’s Chinese-Cambodian but really the Vietnamese have expanded this dish with a few variations. I think “Thanh Xuan” is a variation of this known for the highly addicting tomato-pork sauce.


Holy Trinity of pickled garlic, pickled chiles, and chile sauce.

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Sprouts and Chrsythaneum leaves (too lazy to look up the proper spelling!!)


I think dry with clear noodles is the way to go for this style of Hu Tieu. Comes with a small bowl of pork bone broth.

I always feel there is never enough of the tomato sauce, I should ask for more. Not the best but really you can’t beat that price! You pay more for lunch at some shitty corporate chain this is a real taste of Saigon here in the heart of Little Saigon.

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More Banh Xeo…

Van and Cay Dua both had some solid Banh Xeo.

Thanh Ha was a tasty surprise…


Another Little Saigon Banh Xeo specialist.

Banh Xeo/Khot is easily one of my favorite Viet dishes of all time!! I think I said that before.


Biggest plate of herbs and lettuce I ever seen. Also not seen from other Banh Xeo specialists a few pieces of some Chinese greens that provided a nice slightly bitter taste.


Look at the size of that thing!!!

The center was filled with sprouts, mushrooms, shrimp, and pork. More filling than any other place! The batter had a delightful hint of coconut.

Use both the center filling and the crispy outer pieces! A small dab of chile sauce will bring another flavor profile with the coconut, fish sauce, lettuce and herbs.

Do be patient and wait, which could be anywhere from 10-20 minutes.

So far my favorite Banh Xeo in Little Saigon.

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Current To-Do List:

-Thanh Mai (goat curry and mam)
-Vua Bun Bo (bone marrow and different bun bo variations)
-Binh Minh (bun cha Hanoi and the very rare bun bung)
-OC and Lau/Tram Chim
-Canton Restaurant (fish porridge, tumeric dill fish, sugarcane shrimp)
-Favori (Baked Catfish)
-Au Coeur De Paris

That’s off the top of my head. I am open to suggestions and recommendations

And a New Duong Son and Saigon Bakery DIY mashup Banh Mi will happen!!!

Believe that!!

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I haven’t had hu tieu in ages! I can’t even remember the last time my Mom made that…it used to be my favorite. I love it more than pho because I really loved glass noodles when I was younger, but I loved the wet version more than the dry.
Thanks for the reminder! I need to go find a bowl of hu tieu this weekend.

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