Vietnamese in Hollywood?

[bza]

I know there have been tomes about the absence of Chinese food in Hollywood, and my Thai needs are well taken care of, thank you very much.

But is there any good Vietnamese food in Hollywood? I can't think of a single thing and I would love to find a place for lunch during the week.

Thank you in advance for not saying Gingergrass.

[rameniac]

pho cafe in silverlake on sunset isn't half bad, considering it's the hinterlands. i second gingergrass as well, just don't get the pho there. rolls and banh mi are spectacular.

[trolley]

this is not quite hollywood proper but... across from the beverly center north of beverly blvd. there is a place called pho..bulous or something like that. i've been there twice and both times the pho tasted like hot water. they had a chicken salad which was hot and a bit too sweet for my palate.

then there's those two places in silverlake...gingergrass and the pho place on sunset next to rambutan thai. once again nothing to write home about but i like gingergrass for their gentrified asian take on the food if you're into that sort of taste.

[bza]

I actually rather enjoy gingergrass, and feel their banh mi is very underrated if you aren't in the mood to make the trek to SGV. But it's way too far to go for lunch. It's really a shame about the whole thing, though, considering how much great Asian food there is in this city, how could the middle of it be so devoid of Chinese and Vietnamese food?

[Das Ubergeek]

This question comes up every few weeks here. The abridged answer is that where there are no large concentrations of Chinese people, there is no good Chinese food, which means that with few exceptions, west of Hill Street you're just up the creek.

The Pho place is on La Cienega, I think, is called Absolutely Pho-bulous, and I've never managed to drag my sorry behind in the door because I'm always bowled over in pain from the stupid pun.

[trolley]

i like gingergrass too. most people complain that it's gentrified but i enjoy that. i feel like they use fresh ingredients and i do like their bahn mi. truthfully, and maybe i just don't know the right spots to go to, but i find most of the "authentic" places i've tried in LA area use cheap ingredients. i've been to westminster in the OC and found most places use margarine on their bahn mi which i'm not fond of. i would like to try KP deli in silverlake.

i digress...back to gingergrass...i find their pho on the light side. most of their dishes are really good like the shaken beef. yum!

[bza]

KP Deli is odd, it's like a hoagie but with vietnamese ingredients. I like it... it's just not banh mi, so it doesn't satisfy that craving in me. They are super nice though, and I would never be disappointed to go there, I just wouldn't expect banh mi.

[Normal Garciaparra]

The reason is that KP himself is 2nd Generation Vietnamese American...he was born and/or raised in the US, so his take on the banh mi is a bit more American influenced. I like it too but it's a bit too much bread, plus I can go to Buu Dien on New High St. and get the real deal for a mere fraction of the price.

[Chandavkl]

Simple. There aren't a lot of Chinese and Vietnamese residents in the area, and it's that base which supports an authentically good restaurant. From time to time a good place may pop up in an unexpected location, but invariably they can't stay in business. Examples of authentic Chinese restaurants that failed were Diamond BBQ on Cahuenga, Golden Village in the Beverly Center area, and Unicorn Inn in Venice.

[Chowpatty]

I imagine he's referring to the parking problems and congestion of central Hollywood, as well as the restaurants and clubs which are more style than Chowhound, which I try to avoid as well, at least on weekend nights. However now that I've tried 25 Degrees and Lucky Devils, it might be hard to stay away.

[bza]

yeah, i was just playing. I don't exactly frequent Sterling myself. :)

[bza]

so does this not exist?

[Das Ubergeek]

I don't think so. I couldn't swear to it, since I try and avoid Hollywood whenever possible, but there certainly has been no discussion of Vietnamese food available in Hollywood, let alone good Vietnamese food in Hollywood.

The nearest place I can suggest is either in Chinatown (and Pho 79 is not loved by many people, but I believe there are other options, Pho Hoa and whatnot), in Koreatown (but Korean pho is a bit different to regular pho), or in North Hollywood (Pho 999, Sherman and Coldwater).

[bza]

Tragic. Oh well, thanks.

What's this about avoiding Hollywood, though? Do I need to throw down in defense of my neighborhood?

[Das Ubergeek]

I live in the Valley; I wouldn't want to besmirch the streets of Hollywood with my bridge-and-tunnel, tragically unhip presence.

[Normal Garciaparra]

Pho Hoa - that's the place on Vermont & 2nd, in the minimall, correct? If so, that place is run by actual Vietnamese people, not Korean.