Filed under: Chao Bo, Chao long, Pork, Sausage, asian foods, dinner, food, lunch, pho, resturants, soups, traditional foods, unusual foods, vietnamese foods
I felt a little under the weather this morning and was thinking I need a great “comfort food” Vietnamese style. So I went with my father to another “old school OG” Vietnamese restaurant called Pho Nguyen Hue. This restaurant has been around for years, I think it was maybe one of the first Pho places in Little Saigon. My father calls this place the “gossip center” since it is full of older clientele who knows good Pho and there is always a group of old guys out front sipping their coffee/ Tea and smoking and just “kickn it” talking about politics, social stuff, and in general the happenings in Little Saigon. I think it is very European in culture and I hope to be one of those guys when I retire.
So what is the best thing at Pho Nguyen Hue? Obviously the Pho, but I came for my version of “Chicken Soup for the Soul” Chao. Chao or sometimes called rice Con-gee or Rice Porridge has been around for centuries. It is very simple to make, Basically it is a pot of rice and water that has been slow boiled to a porridge consistancy and mixed with chicken or beef broth with hints of ginger, green onions and depending on what meat you want to add, fish, beef, chicken, shrimp or pork. I had Chao Bo which is ground up seasoned beef. My father had the Chao Long, which was the soup with all of the insides of the pork like intestines, heart, kidneys, blood jello in other words the crazy stuff you see Andrew Zimmerman or Anthony Bordain eats when they go to Vietnam.
I myself I like a simple cooked Chao Bo (ground beef) but one of the thing s that Pho Nguyen Hue has that I grew up with is Vietnamese Blood Sausage. Sounds Yummy Right? Before you gag, this was something I ate before I knew what it was so I was already accustomed to it. Pho Nguyen Hue makes this dish very well. with pieces of blood jello, rice, and basils all rolled up in a steamed sausage and sliced to be dipped in a very salty sour brine shrimp sauce. So I hope I didn’t gross you all out but if you have an adventure to try something unique and COOKED and especially authentic you must order the sausage. Finally to accompany our Chao was a fried long donut fresch with is salty and cooked golden brown. It’s like a crispy donut/crouton on top of the soup for some crunch.
Live a little dangerously and I promise you won’t be sick. Pleaes comment me back if you venture to try out the Chao Long or the blood Sausage. The Hungry Buddha Belly gives Pho Nguyen Hue 4 RUBS OF THE BELLY. 5 alone for the Basil Blood Sausage. FEAR FACTOR HERE WE COME!
Filed under: Clay hot pot, Fried fish, asian foods, dinner, fine dining, lunch, resturants, seafood, soups, traditional foods, vietnamese foods
Home Cooked Goodness found at Huynh Restaurant in Little Saigon. This corner restaurant is a “Diamond in the Rough” Huynh is a small restaurant very well decorated with modern décor. What I would recommend there is their spectacular “Home Cooked” food that only costs $5.95 each. I would suggest ordering at least 3 entrees and share among friends Family style. On this day for lunch the Hungry Buddha Belly ordered 3 of 15 many delicious items on their menu. They do have the norm such as pho, but this place is not known for pho.
I think they have the best Soy Sauce BBQ short ribs, which are covered with a sugar broiled coating with thyme and parsley to finish. SHHHHHCH! That was my mouth watering Sorry. The other item I ordered was the CA KHO TO, which is a salted filet of catfish, cooked in a fish sauce, garlic, ginger and reduced down in a clay hot pot. This was my second favorite item, especially with white rice. The salty but delicate fish is a great sweet and salty taste to the fragrant rice.
To keep in the fish theme, I also ordered a whole deep fried Tilapia with a ginger fish sauce on the side for dipping. Fresh fish FRIED? What could be more heavenly? Tilapia can be a little tricky to eat since you cant eat the bones but almost everything else is a crispy treat and dipped in the garlic, ginger fish sauce it was an explosions of flavors only like my Moms can make.
Finally, with all of these entrees I had a very traditional Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Catfish soup. The Soup is cooked with celery, bamboo shoots, tomatoes, soy bean sprouts, pineapple chunks, lemongrass, and fish stock. This soup eaten with a little rice brings me back HOME to the days when my mom made dinner for me.
\Huynh Restaurant deserves 5 RUBS OF THE BELLY, the highest marks for great Vietnamese food. Truly traditional and authentic family food. Also you know the place is good when their Hungry Buddha Belly Statue is proudly displayed. Oh Yeah, I rubbed it for luck as well.
Huynh Restaurant is located at 9500 Bolsa Avenue #B, Westminster CA 92683, (714) 531-7379, Casual and CASH ONLY.
Filed under: Chinese Food, Clay hot pot, Com tam, Pork, asian foods, dinner, food, resturants, soups, vietnamese foods, won ton
How many of you Buddha Heads have watched a good old style martial arts film where the swordsman fly in the air like “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”? There is a place in Little Saigon that specializes in old school style cooking with authentic cooking methods. LUC DIHN KY is located in a old strip mall that need remodeling however I love the decor which is straight out of an old Kung Fu movie. You know where usually it is like a “Asian spaghetti western” where the mild mannered hero is eating his roast duck and then all of a sudden some bad ass villain walks in and starts pushing the waiter around. All of the chairs and tables are wooden and Chinese style with place-mats that have the 12 Chinese horoscopes on them. By the way I am year of the DOG. I have added a picture of the decor for you to enjoy.
Luc Dinh Ky specializes in 3 things. First is their Won Ton Soup. It is the best in Little Saigon in my opinion with every bite of ground season pork is half of a shrimp wrapped delicately in a egg noodle slowly cooked in a chicken and green onion broth with fresh Chinese broccoli and spinach added to enrich the broth with veggies. I highly recommend to order this soup as an appetizer or accompaniment with your entree.
Second, Luc Dinh Ky brews and manufactures their own tea. It is a refreshing ice tea that is supposed to cool your body down as well as calm your senses. It is a stress free tea, sweeten slightly with honey. They actually brew and bottle their tea and is sold throughout Little Saigon in Asian markets. But the thing I like most is that it is bottomless and free with your meal so drink up and relax.
Last but not least is what I think most people come to enjoy. Food that is cooked with century old methods. COM TAY COM-A hot clay pot. Basically they fire burn these hot clay pots and put rice with toppings of beef, vegetables, pork, chicken, fish or seafood. Usually the rice is put on and then their is an assortment of toppings on their menu that you can pick from. I suggest that most people get either their special pot which is a little of everything or their BO LUC LAC COM TAY COM which is their stir fried beef and onions over rice. The beauty is that its not just rice but the slightly burnt crispy charred rice on the bottom that you have to scrape with a spoon. Also every dish is served with a soy sauce and spicy chili sauce on the side just in case you need to “kick it up a notch”. I have a picture of the Bo Luc Lac and I ordered the Beef Stew clay hot pot.
I give LUC DINH KY 5 RUBS OF THE BELLY, for great price (cheap), authentic old school food and giving the Hungry Buddha Belly a chance to relive one of my fantasies as a Kung Fu Master.
Luc dinh Ky is located at 9812 Bolsa Avenue, Suite 100, Westminster, CA 92683, (714) 839-6813, Very casual, kids are welcome, CASH ONLY. Not to be confused with Luc Dinh Ky 2 which is a block down. That place doesn’t serve it in clay pots.
