Quan Vy Da in Westminister

After checking out the Bolsa Chica wetlands, a couple of friends and I decided to do an impromptu dinner in Little Saigon in Westminster. Having never been in that part of town before, it was mind boggling trying to choose a restaurant from the myriad of Vietnamese restaurants lining Bolsa Avenue. Finally, sheer hunger got us to just stop and pick a restaurant and we ended up at Quan Vy Da.

Our meal started with the Vy Da's Combination Plate, which consisted of five different appetizers:

Steam Rice Cake with Dry Ground Shrimp

Tapioca Cake with Shrimp and Pork

Thin Rice Cake with Ground Shrimp

Steam Rice Roll with Ground Shrimp

Steam & Fried Dumpling with Shrimp & Pork

While none of them in particular stood out in my head, I remember that they were all quite tasty.

Now the soup we had was a different story. It was a rice noodle soup with fresh cilantro, noodles and shrimp and was absolutely delicious and even more so when I squeezed lime and added peppers to it. I honestly could have just eaten that whole bowl by myself and would have been perfectly content.

My entree was a broken rice dish that included shredded pork skin, egg cake and BBQ pork chops. I've never had broken rice before, so that was a first for me. While nothing on the plate was mind-blowing, I enjoyed every bite. All the flavors went well together. The grilled pork chop and the slightly salty pork skin balanced well with the milder egg cake and than with the "fish sauce" poured all over the rice, I was a pretty happy camper.

In general, my first experience eating in Little Saigon was a good experience and I look forward to trying out other restaurants there.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157594587014652/

Quan Vy Da
9950 Bolsa Avenue, #B
Westminster, CA 92683
(714) 531-2905