605649 Sat Mar 21 13:45:16 -0700 2009 35 2 Los Angeles Area 0 4525614 Looking for good (or great) Vietnamese restaurants in, or within easy striking distance, of Costa Mesa. Any ideas? Sat Mar 21 13:45:16 -0700 2009 130134 kjmerz 1 4525664 Take the 405 north. Get off at Brookhurst and head north. There is an entire world of Viet food waiting for you in Little Saigon, the largest concentration of Viet restaurants in North America. Of particular note is one relatively close to the 405, Xanh Bistro. Sat Mar 21 14:06:59 -0700 2009 4525614 10811 Das Ubergeek 2 4526163 Das, what are your top 3 recs for pho over there? I tried Pho 79 on Hazzard. It was good but broth was a bit heavy-handed. Any other recs? Sat Mar 21 17:23:11 -0700 2009 4525664 13289 Porthos 3 4526185 Pho Thanh Lich; Pho 86 (especially for morning pho) and Pho Dakao for chicken pho. Sat Mar 21 17:36:48 -0700 2009 4526163 10811 Das Ubergeek 4 4573652 Das. Thanks for the Pho Thanh Lich rec. It's currently the best bowl of pho I've had in that area. The broth was complex but not overwhelming like Pho 79. The noodles were excellent and the "filet mignon" was delicious. My only gripe would be that the tripe as a touch overcooked but overall an excellent bowl of pho. The chile sauce in the glass jars is amazing. I could see putting that on pretty much everything. At Pho Kim Long in San Jose, I was able to get an amazing noodle soup with periwinkle and ground crab. I think it's called bun rieu. Is there anything like that in Little Saigon? ***Edit: Online search shows that Vien Dong offers a mean looking bowl of bun rieu. Any other contenders? Mon Apr 06 20:12:30 -0700 2009 4526185 13289 Porthos 5 4573719 Glad you liked it. Next time get the meat on the side (I think it's a 50c upcharge but you get a little more meat for that money) and cook it yourself. Just be aware that it will cool the broth quickly, so make sure you cook it at the start, not the end. I think they will give you the tripe on the side too if you ask politely. With the periwinkles it's called bun rieu oc. I don't personally like it very much so I don't seek it out -- anyone else got a suggestion? Mon Apr 06 20:44:58 -0700 2009 4573652 10811 Das Ubergeek 6 4585990 Stopped by Vien Dong for the bun rieu tom oc. It was a delicious bowl of noodle soup with so much going on in terms of flavors and textures. The periwinkles were chewy and briny tasting. The ground crab was delicious. The side of sprouts and herbs that I added into the soup made it a pretty complex dish as I was occasionally surprised by a hint of mint, etc. Not sure if I was supposed to keep the herbs and lettuce in or out of the soup. I chose in. It was satisfying but I found myself craving more pho from Pho Thanh Lich. Fri Apr 10 18:39:38 -0700 2009 4573719 13289 Porthos 5 4590541 Went back to Pho Thanh Lich. This time for the duck, stewed bamboo, vermicelli noodle soup (bun viet sao mang) . It's only available Saturday and Sundays. This bowl of noodle soup was amazing. The broth was clean, focused, and complex. There was the richness of the broth accented by various herbs and the spash of lime. Amazing stuff. It tasted like really amazing pho gao broth (I apologize for the superfluous use of the words amazing and delicious in this post). I asked the lady at the cashier and she said it was the pho gao broth with some duck broth mixed in. Delicious. The duck leg itself was tender and perfect with the accompanying sweet and sour lemon grass and garlic dipping sauce. I added the magical table side chile sauce to taste. It's a tough call, but this bowl of noodle soup may be even more delicious than their filet mignon pho. Depends what you're craving I guess. It's definitely a win win situation here at Pho Thanh Lich. Sun Apr 12 22:04:15 -0700 2009 4573652 13289 Porthos 5 4641239 Cuiriously, Banh Cuon Tay Ho serves one of the better bowls of bun rieu oc in Little Saigon. My branch of choice is on Bolsa, next to the Nextel and fabric store, just next to the Mall there. Wed Apr 29 21:22:56 -0700 2009 4573652 279271 Raspberries 6 4641529 has anyone compared the banh cuon at banh cuon tay ho vs pho tau bay? ive been meaning to try the banh cuon at banh cuon tay ho, but i end up going to pho tau bay everytime b/c they are so good Thu Apr 30 04:33:06 -0700 2009 4641239 12298 Lau 4 4689473 Went to Pho Dakao for the chicken pho yesterday. The chicken meat was good. A nice mixe of white and dark meat. The noodles were a touch soft for my taste and the broth was not as complex or flavorful as the chicken pho at Pho Thanh Lich. In fact, I think I preferred my bowl of pho at Pho Thanh for 50% off vs the chicken pho at Pho Dakao. I know I sound like an infatuated school boy but the chicken pho at Pho Thanh Lich rocks. The only caveat is this. I've had the chicken pho 3 times now. The first two times was the chicken pho that comes with innards. Both times were excellent. The chicken breast meat was tender, moist, and thickly cut. The third, time, I just got the chicken pho with chicken breast meat. This time, the breast was more thinly cut and more dry. The broth and noodles were outstanding all 3 times. Pho Thanh Lich rocks. Sat May 16 10:38:13 -0700 2009 4526185 13289 Porthos 5 4689926 i really need to go there, thats one of the few famous pho places i still havent been to Sat May 16 14:36:17 -0700 2009 4689473 12298 Lau 2 4573709 Das...I eat and enjoy all good food. My situation is complicated by my partner who is a vegetarian. I there a good and authentic Vietnamese restaurant in OC that can accommodate both of us? I enjoy everything and want authenticity and good food...but my partner is a vegetarian. Help?? Mon Apr 06 20:38:10 -0700 2009 4525664 171170 josephnl 3 4573717 You should try Au Lac. Vietnam has a Buddhist tradition just like China, and so there are meat-free Viet restaurants. Au Lac is expensive by Little Saigon standards but is still a stone-cold bargain by anyone else's standards. Mon Apr 06 20:43:03 -0700 2009 4573709 10811 Das Ubergeek 1 4526666 Xanh Bistro is good. I like Quan Hy because they feature Hue style food. Bun Bo Hue or Minced Clam Salad are two of my favorites. If you go to Vietnam, most people really think eating Hue food is a big treat. As much as people talk about Pho, I prefer a really good bowl of BBH. There are so many good places. Vien Dong is good for Bun Cha Hanoi (another favorite of mine). Ba Le for Banh Mi sandwiches is also good. Spring rolls at Brodard is another no-brainer. Maybe 7 Courses of Beef? When we visit my wife's VN family, that's what they like. If you are looking for Pho, my favorite place is Quan Hop (same owners as Quan Hy). They use Filet Mignon and their broth really has the taste of being cooked for a long time. Some places cheat and use MSG rather than cook the bones overnight. Pho 79 is the OG Pho Joint, but I think there are better choices now. Sat Mar 21 22:58:52 -0700 2009 4525614 71423 bsquared2 2 4527912 Vien Dong also has really, really excellent nem ran (Imperial/spring/egg rolls). And fantastic cha ca thanh long (turmeric-marinated grilled catfish with dill). Sun Mar 22 14:20:59 -0700 2009 4526666 10811 Das Ubergeek 2 4558500 Just got back from Quan Hop. The filet mignon was excellent, and very thinly cut. The noodles were great. The broth though lacked complexity and there's definitely MSG in there. I'm drinking water like crazy now. My other complaint about Quan Hop is that you can't get tripe in any of the pho. They offer filet, flank, tendon, and beef ball. I recently had a good bowl of pho at Pho Hoa in Hawthorn. The broth was light yet complex but very heavy on the MSG. Will try Pho Thanh Lich next. Wed Apr 01 13:54:07 -0700 2009 4526666 13289 Porthos 3 4563012 I would disagree about the MSG and the broth. I think the broth is very good there. There are some places that "cheat" and use MSG rather than cook the bones for a long time. I would put their Pho up there with some of my favorites in Little (not to mention BIG) Saigon. As far as tripe goes, not really my favorite so I can't really comment. Of course, lately when I go there, I usually order Bun Cha Hanoi! I think their version is pretty good. Good rice cakes too. Thu Apr 02 19:27:59 -0700 2009 4558500 71423 bsquared2 4 4586188 It really seems that almost all Vietnamese restaurants use MSG. It just seems to be as much a part of their cooking as salt and pepper is to French or American cooking. Am I wrong? Are there any Vietnamese restaurants that do not use it? I'm not sure that I can always tell, but I think that a bowl of pho in OC (or perhaps anywhere) without MSG is pretty rare. Fri Apr 10 20:00:12 -0700 2009 4563012 171170 josephnl 5 4586325 Given that fish sauce is a natural source of MSG, you're right... Fri Apr 10 21:29:23 -0700 2009 4586188 10811 Das Ubergeek 2 4561650 where is Ba Le? Thu Apr 02 12:29:02 -0700 2009 4526666 130134 kjmerz 1 4528983 Vien Dong on Brookhurst. Get the Bun Cha Hanoi like bsquared said. Sun Mar 22 23:48:17 -0700 2009 4525614 254809 A5 KOBE 1 4573910 This is slightly on topic... a couple years ago I was taken to a Vietnamese place (fusion I think) in a newer restaurant, a little trendy, nice outdoor patio that had the most wonderful fragrant plants - lemongrass and some other things - on that patio. If any of your answers for terrific Vietnamese in the vicinity meet that profile, please remind me of the name! Mon Apr 06 22:35:08 -0700 2009 4525614 40486 Cinnamon 2 4573993 Not much to go on on but it might have been S near the Westminster Mall. http://www.sfinedining.com Mon Apr 06 23:55:50 -0700 2009 4573910 10728 New Trial 3 4577031 Thank you... I'll visit there next time I'm in the area. I don't recognize the front patio area but the decor scheme is right in tune with the general gist of what I recall. Tue Apr 07 19:19:29 -0700 2009 4573993 40486 Cinnamon 1 4573971 I really liked the northern style broth at pho kimmy. anyone else tried this place? Mon Apr 06 23:25:13 -0700 2009 4525614 262621 peppermonkey 2 4626369 I tried Pho Kimmy today. It's an excellent bowl of pho. The aroma from the anise and cloves is more aparent in this broth compared to Pho Thanh Lich. Both broths have a very deep and rich flavor but they're different and I don't know if you could say one is better than the other. My only complaint is that some of the meats were pretty fatty. I think my preference is still for PTL. I'm dying to try more of that duck leg noodle soup this weekend. Fri Apr 24 16:43:35 -0700 2009 4573971 13289 Porthos 3 4628016 Glad you liked it. Looks like you're on a little bit of a vietnamese noodle/soup run. Duck leg noodle soup, you say? What is it called in Vietnamese? hopefully i'll get to try it at PTL next time i'm in OC Sat Apr 25 12:01:17 -0700 2009 4626369 262621 peppermonkey 4 4689479 Check my previous post above for a description of the duck noodle soup. It's called bun viet sao mang. I asked for it with pho noodles on my return visit. I think it's actually better with the vermicelli. Sat May 16 10:39:57 -0700 2009 4628016 13289 Porthos 1 4627136 Has anyone tried the new Vietnamese restaurant in Irvine off Jamboree near Michelson...called Phans 55. It looks very nice, but have no idea re the quality of the food. Has anyone been there? Fri Apr 24 23:41:01 -0700 2009 4525614 171170 josephnl 2 4630655 I saw that too on the way to the farmers' market. I wasn't curious enough to try it, though. It's got one of those cutesy names ("phân" means "portion" or "order", as in "an order of spring rolls" in Vietnamese) which always makes me wonder whether it's just going to be pricey instead of good. I have no basis for so thinking, though, other than that it's in Irvine, practically in Newport Beach, and in a place that's not really a known retail area. Sun Apr 26 17:01:08 -0700 2009 4627136 10811 Das Ubergeek 3 4631216 Looking at the pictures on Yelp, the decor looks like a modern and trendy bar spot you might find in LA. With that said, even if the food is good, it's definitely pricier. So if you're happy with hole in the walls in Little Saigon, like I am,not planning on making a visit anytime soon. Sun Apr 26 20:28:21 -0700 2009 4630655 63444 groover808 4 4634272 I noticed it on the way to the film festival this weekend. It appears to be in the bottom floor of the residential high rise The Plaza? Mon Apr 27 18:44:23 -0700 2009 4631216 10883 JAB 5 4634502 Yes...that's correct! I drove back to look at it and it looks very nice...very much upscale, and not the typical Vietnamese restaurant. More like S Fine Dining in Westminster, which is very nice and good, although expensive, and not the typical Vietnamese pho joint. I don't mind paying extra for nice atmosphere, service, cocktails, etc.....but I want the food to be good. Thus my query re Phans 55. Would love to hear from someone who has eaten there to tell us about the food! Mon Apr 27 20:08:30 -0700 2009 4634272 171170 josephnl 6 4640901 The food is fresh and tasty, somewhat Westernized (sauces tend toward the sweet), though there seemed to be as many Asian as Caucasian guests. Prices are, as you might expect, higher than in Westminster but lunch entrees tend to run below $12 for the most part. I have tried the spring ($5.50) and imperial ($6.50) rolls--good but Brodard needn't worry, the lemon grass beef ($11.95) and the 5 spice chicken ($10.95)--liked the former, liked the latter a bit less. Ther service was friendly and efficient and there is 2 hours parking in the garage or 20 minute spots in front that don't seem to be enforced. I would certainly go back if I did not have the time to travel up the 405 to better. Wed Apr 29 18:58:07 -0700 2009 4634502 10728 New Trial 1 4629928 ive been trying viet restaurants in little saigon everytime i come home from NY...i found a bunch of great places some of which have been mentioned by the other posts, here's my reports: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/576549?tag=search_results;results_list http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/582941?tag=search_results;results_list Sun Apr 26 11:13:48 -0700 2009 4525614 12298 Lau