Serrato

In anticipation of many future trips to Portland, I became worried that I wouldn't find any good food.  People told me over and over how the food is AMAZING.   How amazing could it really be?  I mean, I hail from LA.  While haters from NYC or SF may turn their noses at the food scene here, I'm pretty happy with the LA's depth and breadth of prices, qualities, flavors, cuisines, and scenes.  So I looked to Portland with a lot of foodie hesistation.  And now, while I have not been amazed, I have been pleasantly surprised by all my outings so far.

Dumpling Man, Big Spoon, Zhu Zhu Hamster and her friend, and I came upon Serrato in hopes of a nice Italian meal.  The restaurant itself is quite spacious and wasn't terribly crowded for a Saturday night.  It has a pretty standard menu for Italian.  I wasn't expecting any tricks here.


Beet Salad bosc pear, chevre, baby organic greens, dijon-tarragon vinaigrette, fried garlic
I don't know if beets are just native to Portland and therefore taste fresher and better, but these were again very delicious.  The beets were sweet and juicy and were well complimented by the crunchy sweetness from the pears, and the creamy sharpness of the chevre, or goat cheese, and the tanginess of the vinaigrette.  I thought the fried garlic was an interesting touch, which I really liked.  More beets please!!

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Mother's Bistro & Bar

I like brunch.  I don't love brunch.  Aside from Norma's in NYC, I can't say I've had a mind blowing experience when it comes to this very popular meal.  Granted, most of the places I've tried are not in the same price range as Norma's so it may be an unfair comparison.  I've done Doughboys, Blu Jam Cafe, Toast, etc.  My problem is that when I eat brunch, I never order the brunch items.  I love the idea of pancakes and waffles but cannot stand to have that as my meal.  I'd prefer to have that as dessert, but then that just seems excessive.  So this time I compromised and ordered my sweet with a side of savory.

Mother's Bistro is a pretty popular brunch place in Portland.  There are few restaurants that have hundreds of reviews on Portland Yelp, Mother's Bistro just happens to be one of them.  It's actually quite a big place with multiple dining rooms.  I couldn't tell if they served different things.  In any case, we came at ~1pm on a Saturday and were seated immediately. 

Fresh Oregon Blueberry Pancakes made-from-scratch tender cakes, local berries, pork apple sausages
After hearing our total order, the waitress suggested we order just 1 pancake instead of the standard 2.  We were like "Don't worry, we'll be fine."  Uhh, maybe we shoulda listened.  The cakes were huge!  They were also PERFECT.  Soft, fluffy, with just the right amount of chew.  My favorite part were the fresh blueberries.  They were large, sweet, and full of berry flavor.  Most of the time, blueberry baked/breakfast goods tend to have very tasteless berries.  These were the complete opposite.  They totally made the pancakes.  The sausage were whatevers, but it was nice to have real meat in the meal. 

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Animal

You know how they post those warming signs on big rollercoasters, "If you have a heart condition or a seizure disorder, do not get on this ride."   They should post a sign like that outside of Animal.  "Those with known coronary artery disease or coronary artery disease risk equivalents should not dine at this establishment."   This place is unabashedly carnivorous.  And what is meat's best friend, but fat?  Some places you go for "meat and potatoes," but this place is a "meat and fat" type of place.  Ok, enough!  Because I think I'm scaring everyone, but I'm just being frank.  Don't bother coming here if you're not ready to indulge.   Triple T, Triple F, Running Man, Smooth Obturator, and I were all ready to do just that.

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Mo-Chica

Mo-Chica is just one of those places you hear so much about, but never get a chance to go.  Well, I finally went and now I feel like I'm part of the "The Club."  I think MC Bowtie, Hates Asian Food, and Brown Bear (who has now joined our forces) and myself were a bit put off by the set up of the place.  I think it would be an understatement to say the ambience, decor, and location of Mo-Chica is underwhelming.  I was in such a state of surprise when I walked into the "restaurant" that I didn't really get a good picture that conveys the setup of the place. 

I suggest you squint very hard and imagine that Peruvian flag to be replaced by an emblem of a panda encircled in red and the color scheme to be more warm, like orange and red.  Yes folks, I'm trying to get you to see what I saw, a Panda Express turned into a Peruvian sit down restaurant.  I was waiting for someone to ask me if I liked a sample of some orange chicken.  The goddamn "restaurant" is in a food court/cafeteria!  The guy at the table next to us looked like he was eating pad thai.  I dunno where he got that from, but it was noodles!

I felt embarassed walking in and telling the cashier that I had a reservation for 4 people.  It really felt like a grab and go place than the wildly lauded and talked about restaurant boasting delicious Peruvian cuisine. 



See all the awards?  This place is no joke.  How a restaurant like this, located where it is, can garner so much attention is proof that all it takes is solid and affordable food to bring the masses. 

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Kalbi Burger

To my lucky readers, we have another guest blogger!  Care Bear has so willingly offered her authorship for today's post about the very popular Kalbi Burger.

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Well hello everyone!  Let me introduce myself, I’m sometimes referred to as Care Bear but don’t let the name fool you, I could still be a lethal assassin like Nikta, my new TV show interest. Anyhoo, today I am honored to be a guest writer for Overworked’s blog (aka BO per WonTuan).

The target of the week: Kalbi Burger.

The top secret mission: To gather intel on this new Asian infused burger joint and to annihilate some burgers while we’re at it.

The elite undercover burger tasting agents (and yes, everyone will be bears): Overworked Bear, Hates Asian Food Bear, Panda and Little Bear, Bowtie Bear, Buff bear, Hawaiian bears consisting of Luau and Macadamia Nut Bear. Luau brought Farm Bear. And then there’s me and Token Bear. 

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Farm Cafe

If you haven't noticed by now, I am a proud carnivore.  How can one live without meat?  The juicey tenderness of a perfectly roasted chicken?  The marbled succulence of a cut of rib eye steak?  The hearty homey taste of your mom's pork stew?  I won't even delve into seafood.  It's safe to say, I could NEVER live as a vegetarian.  I probably would not date a vegetarian either.   Sorry vegetarians, it's nothing personal!

So as I was looking at Farm Cafe's menu online, I noticed there were no meat dishes.  Fish, shellfish, yes, but meat, no.  I looked at the pictures on yelp and I saw pictures of chicken.  I still don't understand the deal with Farm Cafe, but I think they only do certain days with meat.  While Dumpling Man welcomes vegan/vegetarian places with open, unprejudiced arms.  I, on the other hand, look at those places with a disgruntled, dissatisfactory cold shoulder.  But it's Portland, and maybe I just need to embrace the Portland ways.  Who knows, maybe one day I'll be a crunchy granola tree hugger.

Clams & Mussels sauteed in golden ale, garlic, butter, red chilli flakes, served with grilled bread
I won't say too much about this dish, except that it was solid.  The seafood was fresh, the broth was delicious, the portion was generous.

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Angelini Osteria

Ever since Osteria Mozza, Italian food has made its way back into my life.  It's not that I disliked Italian, it's just that I never had GOOD Italian food.  It all tasted the same.  It was all a lot of carbs and tomato sauce.  Dumpling Man, having many preferences above Italian, was also a contributing factor.   But now, I've been on Italian adventure, and I'm loving it!  Smooth Obturator and Triple T had been here before and felt it a solid Italian eat worth revisiting.  

Duck Prosciutto arugula, apple salad

I LOVE prosciutto.  My mom and Miss Rhee could probably attest to my LOVE for this Italian cured meat.  At Costco they sell a package of prosciutto of pretty decent quality.  I'm not sure how much the package weighs, but it's from Costco, so you know it's a good size.  I can eat the whole thing in a week.  Everyday I'd just eat a couple slices.  By itself!  I eat it like its potato chips.   If I could have a whole Costco sized package of this, I'd be in heaven.   I know how to share, since I grew up with 2 siblings, but sometimes I just DON'T LIKE to share.  This was one of those moments.

The problem with poor quality prosciutto is that it just tastes like salt.  This however was mindblowingly cured to perfection.  It had such an interesting flavor, probably from the duck aspect, as prosciutto is usually made from pork.   Paired with the apple arugula salad, it was a winning combination.  The peppery arrugula played perfectly off of the tart apple slices.   My mouth is watering just remembering the dish.  I also loved the next 2 appetizers, however, they were not as AMAZING.

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Break of Dawn

In an attempt to be more adventurous in the OC, my family and I tried a Vietnamese fusion restaurant in Laguna Hills for brunch.  All of those descriptors are totally atypical for the H.o.P.  We don't eat "Vietnamese fusion."  We certainly don't do brunch.  And who the heck eats in Laguna Hills?

The chef/owner of Break of Dawn has a very sad/interesting/inspiring story.   Perhaps for some, it makes the food taste better knowing how hard the chef/owner had to work to get where he is.   For others, it probably doesn't make a lick of difference.  I suppose I fall in the middle.  I admire the guy, but I wish the food was a bit better.

Kabocha Squash creamy soup, crispy lobster & shrimp roll
The soup was quite watery, not the thick heartiness I expect from anything containing squash.    As a result it was on the bland side.   It was creamy sweetness, but not the good kind.


The shrimp roll was a nice addition.  Flavors were light for any Vietnamese egg roll.  I don't think I tasted much lobster.  A good eggroll in the end, but pretty standard.

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Magnolia Bakery

Why oh why is there such a cupcake craze?  Why not cookies (my personal favorite)?  Why not brownies?  Why not donuts?  I guess I'm not much of a cake person surprisingly.  I prefer a good pie or tart.  In any case, when it comes to cupcakes, I am a follower and I agree that Sprinkles Red Velvet Cupcake is the best.  Granted, I have not tried many other cupcake places, but I generally use it as my baseline for comparison. 

Once upon a time, Magnolia held a special place in my heart-stomach.  This was back in the day, when my heart-stomach was young and naive.  It was also during a time when a cupcake was just a cupcake.  Fast forward like 8 years and my heart-stomach has matured into a discerning individual, unwelcoming to the dull and flavorless.  Magnolia is now in LA, but is no match for the hipster cupcake scene here.

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Test Kitchen: Young Team

This food blog has become both a blessing and a curse.  It is a blessing because I am reconnecting with old friends and also making new friends.  People are just coming out of the wood work wanting to eat and try new places with me.  It is a curse because dining at this level is burning a hole in my wallet and unless I start moonlighting or robbing banks, I'm gonna be showing up to LA Free Clinic for my medical care.  Also, I'm starting to feel waaay unhealthy and my GERD is acting up.  Oh, this blog also takes a lot of time to maintain!   The witty writing and dazzling photos don't just magically spill onto the page.  In any case, I plan to stay the course for now because making new friendships and keeping up the old ones over some good food is too much fun.

Case in point.  I haven't talked to Hungry Douche since graduation probably.  But he discovered a fellow "food-liking" (Hungry Douche dislikes the word foodie) friend in me and was excited to have some new dining companions.  He already had been to Test Kitchen for Michael Voltaggio, Starry Kitchen, and some other ones that I forgot.  He found it hilarious that almost EVERYONE, save himself and his sister, busted out their SLR cameras for the Voltaggio night.  So he was amused to find out that I had a food blog and that I obnoxiously snapped photos of my food in the same way.

When he invited me to "Young Team" night at Test Kitchen, I was curious.  Sous chefs collectively from Bastide, Water Grill, L'Orangeries, Ludobites, and the Bazaar were to be cooking up a surprise menu which later on was revealed to include foie gras donuts.  At that sound of foie gras donuts, I immediately said yes.    Then we were hypothesizing who these "mystery chefs" could be.  We thought one of them had to be Marcel from Top Chef since he works at the Bazaar.  We found out there would be no Marcel, but instead there would be Amanda from this season's Top Chef.  Sorry Amanda, but I found you really annoying on the show and it really seemed like your food sucked.  Tom Colicchio told you to go to Italy to learn what Italian food tastes like.  Plus you had what looked like a cold sore on your face for a good deal of those interviews.  So not only was Ed dripping his personally seasoned sweat into all the food, you were shedding viruses into the food.  I kid, but these are the things we joke about sometimes.  Enough of this since I'm beginning to drone on like some other people.

Foie Gras Powdered Donuts shallot jelly dressing (Dan Moody of Ludobites)
The most anticipated dish of the night turned out to be the most disappointing.  Don't put the words "foie gras" into the title and not present any "foie gras" that any of my senses can pick up because thats just criminal.  Apparently they took tapioca starch with rendered foie gras to make the "powder." 

It didn't even taste like a donut either, more like a dinner roll.  And it wasn't even warm!  The filling was more interesting, slightly sweet from beets and figs, but with hints of savory from the shallots and leeks  It had more of a paste texture than a jelly texture.   I really liked it and wished there were more of it to go around.

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Musha

I often don't get too many opportunities to try small portioned foods such as izakaya, yakitori, or tapas (somehow dim sum does not fall under this category) because Dumpling Man likes his food in large sizable quantities.  My sister on the other hand, Triple F (for Food, Fun, and Frivolity),  not to be confused with my sister-in-law, Triple T, loves small portioned little eats.   So we went to Musha, a very popular izakaya/fusion type place in Santa Monica.  I overslept and almost didn't go to meet my family, but I am glad I did.  This place was fantastic!

Spicy Tuna Dip with crispy rice crackers

As sisters, Triple F and I naturally share a love for many things, Tea Station Green Milk Tea, anything shrimp, men who are poor communicators, and spicy tuna!  We both agreed this dish was Mmm Mmm Good!  For once, spicy tuna was NOT served on some stinking "cruchy" rice ball, like at Katsu-Ya and many other Japanese fusion joints.  This was like eat chips and dip, but like 100x better!

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Melisse

I have a special treat for all my dedicated readers!  Today's entry has been written by my foodie friend, WonTuan.   Unlike my guest writer, I'll keep it BRIEF, and let him explain the why's, who's, and what's.

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Andina

So Andina has to be one of the most popular restaurants in Portland.   It serves modern Peruvian cuisine.  It was just a regular weekday and the place was paaaaaaacked.  There seems to be 2 parts to the restaurant.  A quieter sit down part, where all the old stuffy people were hanging out, and then a place adjacent to the bar where it was loud and crowded.  I don't think they mean to separate the restaurant like that, but what do you expect to happen when you're near the bar?  In the central part there was a cool guy playing ethnic tunes.   The vibe was really energetic.



The amuse bouche was a fried cheesy risotto ball.  It was lightly crunchy on the outside, and deeply unctuous on the inside.   A good amuse bouche, always says a lot about the meal to come.

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Jitlada

Boy was I looking forward to trying Jitlada. Care Bear really hyped it up for me. Alas, as we all know, hype goes hand in hand with disappointment. Don't get me wrong, most of the food was good. I just don't know why people think it is soooooo good. I mean, it was on FoodTV's "The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Hot & Spicy" episode. Apparently, Chef Curtis Stone thought the crying tiger pork dish was the best hot & spicy thing he ever ate. Who is Chef Curtis Stone?

This is Chef Curtis Stone:


Do I trust Curtis Stone's opinion? Much less so after this experience.

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Taste of Beverly Hills 2010 (a.k.a. Disneyland for Adults)

It was my luck day when Cathy of Gastronomyblog let me know that I was the (randomly selected) lucky winner of her 2 tickets to Taste of Beverly Hills, a weekend long celebration of great wine and fantastic food from local restaurants in the Beverly Hills/Los Angeles Area, hosted by Food & Wine magazine.  I'm sure you could imagine my reaction.   I had just won $300 worth of foodie fun festitivites!  I am usually aware of the various food festivals taking place around LA, but usually do not attend because of cost and crowds.  I'd hate to fork out money when I can't guarantee the food will be good, or when I can anticipate being elbow to elbow with other obsessive foodies.

I took Miss Nancy Rheeeee, and she brought The Millionaire Man, who obviously purchased his own ticket but at a discounted price.   I was planning on being uber cheap and parking at the Century City Mall and walking over to the shuttle stop nearby, instead of parking in the $15 lot.  I got lazy and parked there anyways.  They had shuttle buses, but they also had these cute little trolleys, which I got to ride. 

Everything went smoothly from parking, to shuttle busing, to will call line, to entering to the festival.  It was pretty well organized and set up, as you can see below.  There were two large tents like these with all the food & wine stations, and various smaller tents and tables with cocktail, beer, beverage, and demo stations.

Wide-eyed, hungry, and camera-ready, I made my way through as many stations as possible.  Big thanks to Nancy Rheee and Millionaire Man for being so patient with me and my photography.  I managed to do a decent job with the pictures considering I was eating and fighting crowds at the same time.  

Foie Gras Duo brioche crouton, honeycomb, strawberry marmalade, spiced duck jus - One Pico @ Shutters on the Beach Hotel, Santa Monica.
I should have enjoyed this in two bites to appreciate the cool, smooth, creaminess of the foie in contrast to the marmalade.  The marmalade was probably a little too overwhelming for the subtle flavors surrounding it.  It was a good bite in the end.

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Church & State

Church & State had been on my "to try" list for some time, but after the change in chef's I heard the food was not as mind blowingly good.  In addition to that, RCM and Triple T went there and said it was just OK.  So Church & State got bumped down on the list. 

My friend, MC BowTie had been itching to try the bone marrow dish from Church & State.  So together with Mrs. BowTie and Hates Asian Food, we traveled to the far depths of Downtown LA.  When I say "far depths" I certainly mean it.  When I imagine downtown LA, I think of anything within a 1 mile radius of Little Tokyo and the Staples Center.  Church & State is just outside of this vicinity.  It's where all the strip clubs are!  You know what I'm talking about, the Play Pen, Speariment Rhino, etc.  I was worried we would get ambushed by dirtbag pervies and crack whores as we searched our way to the most random location for a nice restaurant. 



As you can see, the place is quite nice as are the surroundings.  I actually think normal people live here.





My attempt at an artistic shot.  Salt anyone?

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Osteria La Buca

I love to catch up with friends and use that as a pretense to try new restaurants. Don't get me wrong. I enjoy the company of my buddies, but I also enjoy EATING. Killing two birds with one stone is how I like to think about it. So when it was time to spend some quality time with LoMa-Linda, I suggested trying Osteria La Buca. I had heard great things about this place, but apparently it hasn't been as amazing since "Mama" left. Who is Mama? I dunno, but apparently Mama makes all the good food and she decided to open up her own restaurant, Osteria Mama, which I will certainly be trying one of these days.

The place is two stories and we were seated on the 2nd floor. It felt like a cozy place, although I didn't appreciate the fold-up nature of my chair. We started off with the calamari which looked delicious at the table across from us. It was lightly breaded and delicately seasoned, served with a marinara sauce and a creamy tangy sauce.

Surprisingly, or not suprisingly, we finished the whole dish pretty much. Was it the best calamari I had? Probably not, but it was solid.

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Josie

The last outting with Dumpling Man's friends was at Osteria Mozza. How do you follow up that?!?! EXACTLY! There's no follow up to Osteria Mozza. Nothing even comes close. Josie had the unfortunate luck of being our next spot for dinner. Not that I was ever really comparing Josie's to Mozza. It's totally different cuisine, but man did the reviews really mislead me. Josie was no bueno, only because we expected so much more.

From the outside, you wouldn't expect fine dining cuisine. Upon entering inside, you see all the stuffy old white people with their grown children in tow and then you know that only fine cuisine must be served here. There is something classic and comforting about the decor, sorry I didn't get a good picture.

I am disappointed with the quality of the pictures. The lighting was poor and I had to do some editing afterwards to lighten up the picture and they just look grainy =(




One of Dumpling Man's friends have the tendency to run late. So in our hungry wait, we ordered some truffle fries. At first they just taste like some quality fries, good crunch, hot, lightly salted, but deeper down in the basket the fries really have this great umami truffle essence. They were delicious and definitely special.


The amuse bouche of mushroom and gruyere quiche. This was also a nice start to our evening's meal. The crust was flakey and buttery. The gruyere was not overpowering. I was left wanting another slice.

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Cafe Brasil

Who doesn't love meat? Well, I suppose vegetarians don't, but the rest of us usual enjoy dead animal to feast upon. Who does meat best? Well I guess that's just a debate for the ages. Is it Koreans? Brazilians? Americans? Argentinians? Ah who knows, but I enjoy it all!

I went to try a new Brazilian restaurant that had been on my to-try list for a while. My go to Brazilian place has been Bossa Nova (very solid btw) but I wanted to try Cafe Brasil since it was so highly rated on Yelp. I went with the Nancy Rheeee and my brown friend who does not have a name yet. It's the first time I had seen my brown friend since he left for NYC and discovered that gas pumping was not as fun as mental masturbation. It was a good reunion with good food.

It was a bit confusing on how to order. Do I order at the counter? Do I get a number? Do you call my name? Do you bring it to my table? Is the bill separate? Since the place was totally not crowded it didn't turn out to be such a mess, but if I went here again I still would not know what to do.


Miss Rhee and I were waiting for our other friend to show up, so we ordered some appetizers. I got the pasteis which is a Brazilian empanada with beef and my friend got the pao de queijo (cheese bread made with yucca root flour and cheese).



Do not order these things. They weren't poisonous or anything, but just not very good. Do you know how sad I was to cut into my empanada to find it to be 80% air and 20% meat!

The meat wasn't even all that tastey. The dough part wasn't even all that crispy. These things are not made to order so they're sitting around under a heat lamp. The pao de queijo, although usually deliciously chewy, cheesy, and addictive, were nothing to write home about here. Enough said.

I ordered the grilled flank steak served with white rice, black beans, salsa, and fried plantains. The meat, although marinated in "Brazilian spices" tasted quite different from the other Brazilian meats I have tried. There was a subtle mustard taste in the marinade I think. Maybe it was just me. Anyways, it was still tastey and not overcooked. All the sides were pretty standard.




I still think Bossa Nova is a better Brazilian restaurant. But it may be an unfair comparison since that's more of a sit down restaurant with waiter service. Nonetheless, if I lived closer to Cafe Brasil I'd be happy to pick up some food from here on one of the many lazy I'm-too-lazy-to-cook nights. One knock, is that it's probably a tad pricey for food that's served to you on a tray.

Cafe Brasil
11736 West Washington Boulevard
Los Angeles



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Vien Dong (The Best Northern Vietnamese Food in Westminster!)

When you think of Vietnamese food, what do you think of? Pho , right? What else do you think of? Spring rolls? The more informed foodies may know of rice noodles and broken rice. And then what? There's a whole other world when it comes to Vietnamese food. I am referring to Northern Vietnamese food. You may be saying northern??? What's the difference. From my perspective, being from a northern Vietnamese family, I'd say a northern Vietnamese cuisine is generally more bland. A whole lot less sugar and heat. And you're probably saying to yourself, "wow northern Vietnamese doesn't sound so good." And I don't expect you to really. It's just a taste I grew up on, so I can't stand going to your average Vietnamese restaurant and being overwhelmed with sugar, sugar, sugar. My mom never used sugar in her cooking, so it's not something I'm used to. So aside from the lighter hand with sugar, northern Vietnamese food is marked by noodle soups that are NOT pho, including bun thanh, bun rieu, bun bung, bun vit sao mang, etc etc.

My family's go-to Vietnamese restaurant for foods that hail from our part of the country is Vien Dong. We've been going to this place since before its relocation to Brookhurst, when it was originally on Westminster and owned by a previous mayor of Westminster. Although Vien Dong serves northern cuisine, I'd still say there's plenty of sugar in the food and maybe they are just catering to the many southern Vietnamese people or maybe I just come from a crazy anti sugar Vietnamese family.




This is a common theme among restaurants in Westminster. In this economy, businesses are hurting. The restaurant industry is no exception.




Bun Cha was one of my favorite foods when we went out to eat. It's very simple and therefore very kid friendly. It consists of grilled pork sitting in a dressed up sweet/tangy fish sauce with little pickled daikons and carrots.



It is served with rice noodles and a medley of fresh lettuce and aromatics including cilantro, mint, and other things which I don't know the English names for. I suppose this is not necessarily a northern Vietnamese specialty, but its done very well here. One downside to this dish at other places is that the pork can be very fatty, so beware!




Northern Vietnamese food is also known for the large of variety of noodle soups. My mom makes better versions at home that taste cleaner, but they do a great job here. My grandma's caretaker makes a great version of Bun Rieu, which is a tomato and crab based soup. It can be very labor intensive to make from scratch using whole fresh crabs, but you can cheat and buy pre-mixed seasonings from a jar, add some eggs, some canned crab meat, and voile!



I always get cha ca thang long from here. It is catfish marinated in tumeric and served on a sizzling hot plate with dill, white and green onions and hot oil. The trick is to take all the aromatics and bury them under the fish so they cook and add flavor.



It is served with the aromatics, lettuce, rice noodles and then a special fermented shrimp paste sauce, called mam tom. It's frankly pungent and a lot of people cannot tolerate such funkiness. But the funkiness is tempered by the addition of sugar and lime juice. You could also eat this with fish dipping sauce. The dish also comes with roasted peanuts and crispy sesame rice crackers. Mixed all together it creates a wonderfully delicious and balanced dish, the savory fresh grilled fish, the herby aromatics, the salty/sweet/tangy sauce, the nutty peanuts, and the light crunchy toasted rice crackers. I believe in Hanoi it is served a bit differently in a sizzling bowl of oil and aromatics, but the idea is all the same.




If you're tired of the same ole things when it comes to Vietnamese cuisine, you should definitely come here and familiarize yourself with Vietnamese noodle soups that aren't pho. This place is a family favorite, and the H.o.P. is picky when it comes to Vietnamese food in Westminster.

Vien Dong
14271 Brookhurst St
Garden Grove, CA 92843



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