Little Saigon Adventures

Americas - USA West Los Angeles
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i was down in westminster this morning and decided to try banh mi saigon and went for the buy two get one free deal and ordered one egg, one BBQ pork and saigon special. i immediately ate the one made with egg in the parking lot since i thought the egg would suffer from the time lapse. i wouldn’t say it was worth the drive (but getting a $1400 electric violin for $400 was) but part of what i enjoyed about it was the contrast of the warm egg and the cold pickled vegetables.

when i got home i discovered that that given me TWO egg sandwiches and no BBQ pork. the bread and filling didn’t suffer as much as i thought they might, in part because i asked for veggies on the side.

the bread is excellent and on a par with bread i’ve had in france. unfortunately, i didn’t get to try the BBQ pork filling, and still think BMMT still does the best BBQ pork banh mi in the SGV though their bread can be on the dry side.

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Nep Cafe in FV is doing Vietnamese Egg Coffee. My insider info says it’s the best.

I had no idea this is a thing! It’s origin is in Hanoi.

@attran99 @Ns1 @hppzz

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The vietnamese are no stranger to eggs in drinks. I used to love this as a kid but can’t drink it anymore:

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Fresh Roast in San Gabriel does that too, where it’s billed as “Hanoi Egg Coffee.”

I didn’t know it was a thing either, until I saw it there in early March. My last real outing prior to the pandemic :slightly_frowning_face:

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How did you like it?

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Yeah it’s been around since the 40s when dairy and condense milk was hard to find or expensive so one cafe in Hanoi whipped up the egg… it’s definitely a well known thing…

Cafes and food culture in Vietnam is much more diverse and it really took a new generation of young restauranteurs to bring these popular dishes from Vietnam over here.

Egg coffee, Banh Trang nuong , bun dau mam tom, and so much more are all recent trends brought over by 2nd gen after visiting Vietnam.

It really speaks to the relative sad homogeneous menus of Vietnamese restaurants in America in general. @JThur01

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Banh Xeo Boys are at new Rodeo 39 public market (Beach and Garden Grove). Phoholic is there as well.

That plaza used to be dead for years now with InNOut, Raising Canes, and Rodeo 39

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Did you go to the IG influencer extravaganza? lol

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Im gonna give it a go this weekend or next. Thanks for the heads’ up.

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I saw Kristie Hang’s

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The Banh Xeo Boys looks really good. Did you get to try the banh xeo rolls at Quan Mii?

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Gonna try to check it out tomorrow. To be honest, banh xeo is not a thing I order when I’m out. The only thing I can compare it to is my Mom and my Grandma’s.

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The craft beer community has very positive things to say about Bearded Tang. How is the parking situation?

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I drove by today. It’s their grand opening weekend so I did not go in. The parking lot is the equivalent of a normal strip mall/plaza…and it was FULL today. Work’s been a beast so I’ve not had time to drop by.

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Thanks for the heads up. We will wait a few weeks and maybe a report back or two before going. Looks like a nice space with decent amount of outdoor seating. Food options look good between Steel Pan Pizza, Bahn Xeo Boys, Phoholic and a few others that caught my eye.

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That would be my to-do list as well Banh Xeo Boys, Steel Pan Pizza, and Phoholic.

Good to see a new brewery added to OC. I think a lot of my friends were getting bored with Bottle Logic, Green Cheek, and The Bruery.

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I really want to check out Steel Pan Pizza…that and a beer would be a welcome way to laze about.

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I think Banh Xeo and Beer would be a great combo as well!

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Or you can order from Banh Khot Lady and get a few dozen!!

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We have so many good breweries near us in LA, OC, SD and even the Valley. It’s really an embarrassment of riches. Your friends need to venture out more.