Lucas and Chef Shawn visit Banh Cuon Luu Luyen
Should’ve listened to @JeetKuneBao. Went to Hanoi Corner on Bolsa. Place was 90% full and pretty much everyone was Vietnamese. Got the bun cha hanoi which I did see on a few tables. It wasn’t great. I could see someone liking it though because it tasted very home-cooked in a somewhat povertyish way. Almost everyone had some crispy egg noodle thing, and saw tons of seafood (snails, clams, etc) and some noodle soups I didn’t recognize. Might be back to try those.
After that disappointment, went and got the Vietnamese iced coffee at Phin Smith. The barista asked if I had it before, and she was nice enough to let me try it before paying. It was really good and I would certainly drink this more if you could adjust the sweetness. Americans would love this if someone could figure out how to market it.
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They will add additional black coffee for free
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I have given Hanoi Corner many tries and I think it’s fair to say the place is not that good. The pictures are very photogenic but the taste and execution is pretty bad.
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Wow! Shocking. Gotta be more than just that.
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Aww damn. When I went it was just Mom and Pop as the employee. Good for them though to make things better. Hopefully you found another Vietnamese or Korean place!! Gaenali Bon Ga across the street is killing it for Korean, plus Fri and Sat they have marinated spicy crab for their banchan.
Speaking of the area I still haven’t had the cold noodles at Mo Gan Rak with a side of galbi. I need to correct this soon!
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Thanks for the tips. Gaenali is not bad. Ended up just circling back around to see how Peking is doing. They’re batch cooking the noodles and sweet and sour pork when it’s busy which is annoying because noodles are not as chewy and the tangsuyuk is not as crunchy. Basically, avoid during peak hours lol
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Mo Ran Gak is still very busy and still very good. Enjoy the complimentary beef broth. Delicious. My kids finish the whole jug of the broth. Good banchan too.
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Andrea Nguyen with a Hu Tieu article.
Hi Andrea!
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I believe they can adjust the sweetness on the mung bean drink. Ask.
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Cafe Sua Da at Phin Smith was great. Tried the hazelnut and sea salt on recommendation from the barista and enjoyed it as a change of pace. Appreciated that she told me to try it and if I preferred it original she would remake it. I thought that was a very generous offer particularly in the middle of a busy morning.
Moved work from ESGV/ West IE (Walnut/Pomona/Diamond Bar) to Westminster. Today was my first cococane experience. Despite it being relatively chilly today, it was perfect; reminded me of drinking from a coconut stand on the side of the road in 95 and humid Thailand. Got the original, but I will certainly be back to try the other flavors. There were also multiple fruits in the front that I had never seen before.
Went to Le Pho for lunch and it was…fine. Banh mi not nearly flavorful enough (both veggies and meat), but the pho was fine. Other people’s dry noodles and rice bowls smelled good.
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Anyone have recommendations for a place with good bo ne? Doesn’t have to be in Little Saigon but I figured that’s where likely would be.
Khoi Hung but you have to order the eggs on the side
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Garlic and chives and while you’re there get the salmon belly spring rolls too.
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Bun Ngoc Leo Soc Trăng
Had a Meh Khao Man Gai at Steelcraft Garden Grove so I need something to unf*** that.
As you can tell by the name this places specializes in Bun Ngoc Leo Soc Trăng. Hard to find! I driven by here many times and the name has always caught my eye so I use my Google-Fu. Interesting…Soc Trăng food is a mix of Viet/Chinese/Cambodian. I love the areas bordering the Mekong the noodle soups are incredible! A little funky but balanced out with other flavors.
The broth…fermented and salty profiles hit your taste buds than you get a little sweetness. I added the sprouts, mint, banana flowers, squeeze of lime, some black pepper, and 1.5 spoonfuls of chile sauce. There is also Thai Chiles at tableside like Ngu Binh. This was a damn good bowl of soup. The rice noodles were the weak point. This is not Bun Mam, you damn Yelpers!!! Not even close. It’s funky but not as funky as Bun Mam. There is also roast pork, shrimp, and I think tilapia (I know that muddy taste!). Roast pork good, fish is meh. I think these noodle soups from Mekong cannot be 100% the same with the lack of available indigenous ingredients
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Pho Ga Hai Van
Mien Ga.
Very simple and straight forward Chicken Glass Noodle Soup.
I think many Vietnamese consider this a quick homestyle dish. I love it and found it very satisfying.
Asked for all dark meat and they deboned it all, nice touch.
Again and again, Vietnamese Is the King of Noodle Soups…try and change my mind
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Made it back to Little Saigon and went on the anti-keto diet again.
Banh Cuon Lu Luyen
Pork with shrimp paste banh cuon with the fixins
Knew to order the banh cuon stuffed with thit nuong this time, and this was well worth the return trip!
Bun rieu- decent
Nice deep fried shrimp rolls!
Also hit up Ba Le for their banh mi- thanks for the heads up on this @JeetKuneBao
Really loved their bread (more pliable and chewy and not too stale /crunchy like so many other places) plus the homemade mayo in with all that other good stuff
(And yes, that’s me holding the sandwich on my lap and eating a third of it in the car despite being stuffed from the the banh cuon and promising myself that I would do “take out” and eat the sandwich later)
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Nice visit!!!
Ba Le is one of the best, everything is housemade! Lu Luyen is always solid for Banh Cuon and for new ways of approaching this dish.
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