8 Courses of Fish at Restaurant Nhu Y

While many of you may have heard of a Vietnamese dining experience referred to as 7 Courses of Beef (Bò 7 Món), 8 Courses of Fish (Ca 8 Món) may be a little less unfamiliar. In fact, I had been hearing bits and pieces about this type of meal for a couple of years now, but couldn't seem to get the name of the restaurant. Finally, between Chowhound and a couple of Vietnamese friends pointing me to the right direction, I found Restaurant Nhu Y in Fountain Valley. So as soon as I could, I set up an outing to see what the fuss was all about.

Walking into a roomful of primarily Vietnamese diners, my group of 16 from mixed backgrounds really stood out and I think because of that, the manager took us under his wing. First, he helped us determine the number of orders of the 8 Courses of Fish we should have for our two tables. Apparently, one order per person is actually too much food unless you have a big appetite. Second, he even had one of his wait staff give us a lesson on how to properly roll up the food in the rice wrappers a little later in the meal.

As we were waiting for the food to start arriving, some of us ordered drinks. My drink of choice was the Durian Shake. For many, durian is definitely an aquired taste. Some can't get past the smell, let alone have a taste of something that is quite pungent and not for the faint of heart. But I grew up on it and will savor it, whether it's as ice cream, as candy, as a milkshake or even fresh. This particular durian shake was thick, tasty, hit all the right flavor notes and was already a great start to my meal.

Speaking of the meal, the first course to arrive was the Fish Salad that came with large fish or shrimp chips. I'm not sure which. Regardless, the Fish Salad itself was tasty. The fish itself was cut in strips and lightly fried. I enjoyed the crunchy cabbage and carrots and the dressing's sweet vinegary flavors hit the spot.

The second course was the Fish Spring Rolls. On their own, they were a little dry, although I appreciated that the greens that were part of the filling tasted fresh. They really needed to be dipped in the fish sauce for some moisture and flavor.

For our third course, we had the Sizzling Fish Filet on Hot Plate. The fish was delicate and ate well with the onions and topped with the ground peanuts.

Earlier, we also got a plate of greens, rice wrappers and bowl of a thick peanut sauce, but we didn't really do anything with them until the next four courses all arrived on one plate after the Sizzling Fish Filet. Those 4 dishes comprised of Fish Egg Rolls, Fish Wrapped in Hawaiian Lot Leaf, Wrapped BBQ Fish and Fried Fish Strips with Tamarind Sauce.

Before we dug in, we got a lesson in rice wrapper wrapping by one of the wait staff. Key thing to remember is to skim your rice wrapper in a bowl of hot water, but don't soak it or else it'll get sticky. Once the rice wrapper is dampened, lay it flat on your plate. First, add your greens and herbs. Be sure to strip the mint leaves off its hard stem before adding it to your wrapper. Add your noodles, if you're so inclined. Than add either the Fish Wrapped in Hawaiian Lot Leaf, the Wrapped BBQ Fish or the Fried Fish Strips and top with either the thick peanut sauce or the fish sauce before wrapping it up like a burrito and taking a bite. It was definitely a fun hands-on eating experience.

Our last fish course of the night was the Fish Rice Porridge, which was actually one of my favorites dishes of the night. It was a simple dish with just a little bit of toasted ginger and chopped herbs for flavor, but it was so good. The rice was creamy and it reminded me of when my Mom makes Arroz Caldo, a Filipino rice soup, but with fish instead. I honestly could have eaten it as an entree soup and would have been perfectly happy.

To end the meal, a few of us opted for ice cream. I went straight for the taro/ube ice cream while others went for the pandan ice cream. It was a colorful and sweet way to end the meal.

Overall, I really enjoyed the 8 Courses of Fish. One thing that I was found interesting was that the courses that stood on their own (e.g. fish salad, sizzling filet, fish rice porridge, etc.) were quite delicious without having to add anything to them. However, the three items that we used as fillings for the rice wrappers tasted just okay by themselves. They really needed the flavor layering of the greens, herbs and sauces for them to have any type of yum factor. In the end, I had a wonderful meal at Restaurant Nhu Y and for those of you who have never tried 8 Courses of Fish, check this place out for a different kind of dining experience.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157613847982846/

Restaurant Nhu Y
10830 Warner Avenue
Fountail Valley, CA 92708
(714) 963-1700

www.nhuyrestaurant.com

"Banh Mi Quartet" - a tasting of 4 different restaurants

In early 2007, I organized my quarterly "Quartet" dining series for my group and this time around, we focused on checking out 4 Banh Mi restaurants in February and March. The four places we visited were Mr. Baguette, Banh Mi & Che Cali, Banh Mi Cho Cu Bakery & Lee's Sandwiches.

Before starting this series, I have never had banh mi before so this was definitely going to be a new culinary experience for me. I started the "Banh Mi Quartet" with Mr. Baguette in Rosemead primarily because I remembered seeing it featured on Huell Howser.

Walking into Mr. Baguette at 10:30 am, I was surprised at how busy it was. After finally getting a table with my dining buddies, we finally walked up to the counter to place our orders. When placing your banh mi orders, you have a choice of either having the pickled veggies on the side or in the sandwich. I opted for the side so that I could customize my sandwiches to my taste.

I went for the Avocado Shake and ordered two sandwiches, the Special Banh Mi with the ham and pate as well as the Smoked Bacon on the Sesame Roll. Being an avocado lover, the shake was an instant hit. It was rich, creamy and filled me with avocado love. As for the sandwiches, let's start with the Special Banh Mi.

While I liked the bread, I didn't think it was anything to write home about. It had a nice crust to it, but the inside of the bread wasn't soft enough, which disappointed me. As for the cold cuts, I wasn't that impressed. On their own, the meats were kind of bland and it was only the pickled veggies that gave the sandwich any flavor at all.

I actually preferred the Smoked Bacon on the Sesame Roll. Yes, it's more like a Subway sandwich in that it's a bigger roll and it comes with lettuce and tomato, but the bread was really good. In fact, in this scenario, I just liked this bread better than the more traditional Vietnamese banh mi bread of the other sandwich. Of course, it didn't hurt that the main ingredient was bacon in all its fatty, smoky goodness. I think it just may be true that everything tastes good with bacon.

Based on my meal there, I'd probably go back to Mr. Baguette again. I would definitely like to try a different banh mi from the cold cuts as a point of comparison. If nothing else, there's still that avocado milkshake to look forward to. Mmmm.mmm...good!

Second on the rotation was Banh Mi & Che Cali at the Rosemead location. Before I even start talking about their banh mi, I have to give kudos for what I consider are the best spring rolls I’ve ever had. The vegetables were extremely fresh but what stood out for me was the crunch aspect of these rolls, which I think was pieces of a deep-fried spring roll wrapper, but I’m not completely sure. Whatever it was, it added a different dimension in flavor which was comprised of a little salty and a little sweet.

Ok, let’s get back to the banh mi. Compared to Mr. Baguette, the bread at Banh Mi & Che Cali was definitely superior. For my visit there, I only had one sandwich, a BBQ Pork Banh Mi. The bread was outstanding - crusty on the outside and soft on the inside, just the way I envisioned what a French baguette roll should be like. As for the BBQ pork, it was absolutely delicious. Both sweet and a little smoky, the flavor of the pork was dancing up and down my taste buds. The pickled vegetables made the sandwich that much better and by the way, these veggies can also be ordered on the side or not. Based on that one sandwich alone, I’d go back to Banh Mi & Che Cali in a heartbeat, but the desserts that were also offered by this restaurant sealed the deal.

The Che part of the Banh Mi & Che Cali restaurant name is a general term is for a Vietnamese sweet dish or dessert. Che is usually soupy and is generally served with sweetened coconut milk and ingredients will include any combo of starches, fruits and/or jellies. We went to town and sampled 7 different kinds of Che. One of my favorites was the Che Thai, a chilled coconut milk drink flavored with pandan and featuring jackfruit, longan and agar-agar. This was an extremely refreshing dessert drink. I also really liked the sticky rice balls in the ginger syrup. Overall, Banh Mi & Che Cali is a banh mi keeper, but these wonderful desserts really stepped up its appeal even more.

After my great dining experience at Banh Mi & Che Cali, I didn’t think it could get any better, but it did and that came in the form of Banh Mi Cho Cu Bakery in Westminster. The only downside is that it’s a take-out place, but on a pretty day, the park across the street is a wonderful substitute for a sit down restaurant. Walking into Banh Mi Cho Cu, it's quite apparent that it's a hopping place. Throughout our stay, there was a constant hustle and bustle of people coming in and out ordering their food. Other than banh mi, you’ll also see the variety of Vietnamese foods for sale other than the banh mi, which explains this small shop's popularity. From cold wrapped dishes to various filled hot pastries, you certainly had your pick. But do you know what really made me smile? The price of the banh mi sandwiches.

Up to this point, the sandwiches at Lee’s and Banh Mi & Che Cali were between $2.25 to a little over $3.00 in some cases. At Cho Cu Bakery, the prices were a steal at $1.25 and $1.50. Wow, my jaw almost dropped. I’ve heard that banh mi sandwiches were supposed to be around that range, but the first two restaurants I visited didn’t live up to that at all.

Other than the banh mi sandwiches, we all actually ordered some of the other wrapped items to share. There were definite hits and misses. Of all the ones we tried, I did like the more straightforward rice topped with dried fish, especially with soy sauce poured on top the best. The rice was a little sweet, but it really balanced well with the saltiness of both the fish and the soy sauce. Some of the other food items were just too glutinous for my taste.

So enough of the lolly-gaggling, let’s talk banh mi. I have to say that while I loved the banh mi at Banh Mi & Che Cali, I love the banh mi even more at Cho Cu Bakery. An intriguing thing to note about their exceptional bread is that it seemed hollowed inside, which meant that the baguette actually "cups" the filling as opposed to the filling just lying flat against the bread and falling out. With each bite, you get the delicious light-crispy-crusty bread, the delicious filling and the pickled vegetables all at one time. Now that's tasty efficiency.

A friend and I shared two sandwiches, the BBQ Pork Banh Mi and the Pork Meatball Banh Mi. As mentioned already, I thought the bread was absolutely wonderful and thankfully, the fillings were just as amazing. The bbq pork was charred to the point that it looked like beef jerky, but wow, the meat was tender, moist and had an intense caramelized flavor that just did it for me. As for the meatballs, my only complaint was that I didn't get enough of them, but what I did get was juicy and yummy.

I also really enjoyed the addition of sliced cucumbers to the veggie mix because they added refreshing notes to the overall flavor of both my banh mi sandwiches. One thing to note is that unlike Mr. Baguette or Banh Mi & Che Cali, there was no option to have the veggies on the side at Banh Mi Cho Cu Bakery. My only regret about this tiny bakery all the way in Westminster is that it's so darn far from where I live, but then, what are gas prices and the 40+ miles I'd have to drive for even just a bite of one of their spectacular sandwiches. I wish I had one in front of me right now. (big sigh)

To end this "Banh Mi Quartet" series, Lee's Sandwiches was our last stop. Lee's has been around for a long time and I think it's fair to say that by virtue of having stores that have multiplied like bunnies all over the US; they've done a great job introducing banh mi to the mainstream public.

Given their place in banh mi "history", I was curious to see how what the banh mi sandwiches would taste like from what many consider as the "McDonald's" of banh mi sandwich shops (and not necessarily in a positive way).So in anticipation, I ordered a Grilled Pork Banh Mi and a Sardine Banh Mi. Like Banh Mi Cho Cu Bakery, the veggies were not offered on the side, but came with the sandwiches. When my sandwiches arrived, I gravitated towards the Grilled Pork Banh Mi first. In taking the first bite, one thing I noticed right away was the bread and that wasn't a good thing. I was very disappointed in Lee's baguette.

It was sweet in a weird un-bread-like sort of way and the texture was chewy. Sweet and chewy is okay with a caramel candy, but not bread. I wouldn't say it was horrible but with recent memories of Cho Cu Bakery still floating in my mind, it's hard not to compare the two and find Lee's bread lacking.

The grilled pork filling was okay, although it reminded me of Chinese pork in that it erred on the sweeter side. "Sweet" bread and now a "sweet" filling? This combination wasn't quite working for me. Now the Sardine Banh Mi was fairly successful. I think the saltiness of the sardines cancelled out some of the sweetness of the bread and that's why I enjoyed it more.

In general, it was really the bread that brought everything down for me. The meat fillings, though not spectacular, were fine, but a sandwich without good bread is pretty much worthless. You might as well just take the filling, put it in a bowl, add lettuce and dressing and just make a salad out of it. I wouldn't say that I'd never go into a Lee's Sandwich shop ever again, but if I were in a part of the country where Lee's was the only place I could get a banh mi, I'd make the walk inside. Sometimes a burger just doesn't cut it.

Overall, this was a wonderful "Quartet." It was a great way to compare similar foods and to see how much the same or different they are from each other and the same goes for the 4 restaurants where we did our "Banh Mi" tastings in early 2007. In the end, what I really learned is that the baguette makes the "banh mi" and based on that, you'll definitely see me returning to Banh Mi & Che Cali and maybe, even making the drive to Banh Mi Cho Cu Bakery whenever I need a Vietnamese hoagie fix.

Mr. Baguette
8702 Valley Blvd
Rosemead, CA 91770
(626) 288-9166
http://www.mrbaguettesandwiches.com/

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157594566591159/

Banh Mi & Che Cali
8450 Valley Blvd
Rosemead, CA 91770
(626) 288-5600

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157600037602651/

Banh Mi Cho Cu Bakery
14520 Magnolia Street Suite B
Westminster, CA 92683
(714) 891-3718

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157600048279878/

Lee's Sandwiches
8779 East Valley Blvd
Rosemead, CA 91770
(626) 291-2688
http://www.leessandwiches.com/

To see pics, go to:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157600048206471/

Xa Vietnamese Grill - CLOSED

Imagine my very pleasant surprise when I was going out to lunch one day to see a Vietnamese restaurant that was going to be opening really soon just around the corner from my job. With eager anticipation, I'd drive by a couple of times a week to see if their doors were open yet and one day, they were. :)

Their menu is limited for now, but they had the two things that was of definite interest to me, Pho and Banh Mi. Yaay! So for my lunch there, I started with their Shrimp & Pork Spring Rolls. I liked the fact that the ingredients tasted very fresh and they certainly didn't skimp on the filling that's for sure. I only wish that there was less noodles and a little more veggies and while I liked the shrimp, I thought the pork tasted a little bland.

Since I was craving Banh Mi, I ordered their Grilled Beef Banh Mi. While the dough isn't made there, they bake the bread there and so the baguette was nice and warm when it came to me. I thought the bread was good. I would have liked it to be a bit more crusty, but it was soft and warm where it should be. The grilled beef was excellent. It had great flavor. Again, the veggies were fresh and I loved the addition of cucumber spears. The cucumber added a nice light, crunchy moisture to the sandwich that was really appealing.

While I was waiting for my meat pie, which they were baking, I had their flan. Wow. That flan was one of the best flans I ever had. It was light, delicately sweet and there was a flavor that was familiar, but I couldn't identify until the owner mentioned that the flan had almond flavoring. A great summer dessert.

Soon after my meat pie arrived and it looked gorgeous. It was a nice golden color and cutting into it with my fork, I found it wonderfully flaky. The pork filling was moist and flavorful. My one complaint was that there was something a tad salty about either the pastry or the filling. I couldn't quite tell.

Overall, I really enjoyed my meal at Xa and am looking forward to trying their Pho next.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157600066295578/

Xa Vietnamese Grill
15652 Arrow Highway
Irwindale, CA 91706
(626) 338-0192

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

Dinner at Phong Dinh - CLOSED

I've been hearing about Phong Ding off and on for years now, primarily for the "famous baked catfish", but also due to their extensive menu featuring more unusual meats. When I posted a dinner outing to check Phong Ding out, I jokingly mentioned that while I don't necessarily want to eat the entire zoo, I'm open to trying some new things.

Upon being seated and given the menu, we were overwhelmed with all the choices. There were various dishes that featured everything from boar to kangaroo, from ostrich to quail, from snake to frog legs and so much more. It was amazing that we were even able to settle on the 10 dishes we finally ended up ordering.

Of course, I had already called and pre-ordered the baked catfish and wow, what a feast that was. We could have easily just had the catfish for dinner without anything else. First, came out all the fixin's which included all sorts of veggies as well as vermicelli noodles and the wrapper. Soon after, the catfish arrived in all its glory and in what seemed like moments, was stripped clean.

The fish was delicate, moist and tender and I really enjoyed the group's interactive eating. There's just something about eating with your fingers and hands that seems so liberating.

We were all getting kind of full with the catfish, but there were still 9 dishes to go. Of the other 9 dishes, two really stood out for me.

First, there was the charbroiled goat spare ribs glazed with spicy bean curd marinade. I've never had goat spare ribs before and my thought that the ribs probably wouldn't have much meat to it, but surprisingly, the ribs weren't as lean as I thought they would be.

The marinade for this dish was amazing. There was a little bit of heat, but it was a sweet heat. It also had a subtle smoky flavor to it that made it even more appealing. Other than the catfish, this was one of my favorite dishes.

Second, there were the quail eggs wrapped in shrimp paste and battered with crispy sweet rice flakes and served with ginger plum sauce. Once you get over the surprise of seeing green eggs appear before you, this is a really tasty dish.

Quail eggs to me, generally have a gamier taste to them than regular chicken eggs, but the combo of the strongly flavored shrimp paste and sweet rice really cut a lot of that gamey flavor out and just left an egg with really interesting flavor profile.

Another dish that I liked included the kangaroo sauteed with black and pepper and prepared flambe style with wine. This was my first time having kangaroo and it reminded me of goat or lamb just because it had a strong taste to it. I would have preferred less wine but overall, I thought the meat was tender and cooked well.

Overall, we didn't stray too much into the real exotic meats, except maybe for the Kangaroo, but still this was an enjoyable meal and I know that if I ever want to host more of a "Fear Factor" kind of dinner, Phong Ding is the place to go.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157594429181266/

Phong Dinh
2643 N. San Gabriel Boulevard
Rosemead, CA 91770
626-307-8868

Saigon Cuisine in Santa Ana

One Saturday I was in Orange County visiting a friend and we decided to check out a Vietnamese restaurant that was close to the movie theater we were going to see a movie at later on that evening. The restaurant's name is Saigon Cuisine. The menu looked interesting, but I was really in the mood for soup so I ordered the Crispy Chicken Noodle Soup, but once I saw that Avocado Milkshakes were on the menu, I had to have that, too.

I have to say that I really enjoyed that milkshake. It was thick and creamy and even had little chunks of avocado that hadn't been completely blended through. It was so good that I wish I had one in front of me right now. :)

I also liked my soup. It could have been a little richer, but it still had a good flavor. The crispy chicken, by the way, came out separately and it was fried to deep golden brown perfection. If I hadn't had the soup, I would have been just as happy to eat that chicken all by itself, even if my arteries would have been complaining the whole time.

My friend ordered the dry Vermicelli with eggroll, shrimp and pork and gave it a thumb's up. Overall, I'd make my way back to Saigon Cuisine again and this time with a bigger appetite so that I can sample more dishes.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157594335178523/

Saigon Cuisine
3930 South Bristol Street Suite 109
Santa Ana, CA 92704
714-557-8824
http://www.saigoncuisinecali.com/