I love Vietnamese food, but I don't like driving through LA traffic to Westminster. I found two incredible Vietnamese restaurants nestled in the heart Los Angeles for us locals.
If you've never had Vietnamese food I suggest that you try it at one of these two locations .
Both restaurants cook with noticeably fresh ingredients that leaves the palate feeling invigorated and the dining area is clean in its minimalist style.
Dining at these locations is sincerely enjoyable, affordable and you leave the restaurant feeling satiated and light.
Things to experiment with:
Drinks:
I recommend for newbies to experiment with tea or with Vietnamese coffee, one of the most potent cups of caffeine I've ever sampled. The brew is usually so bold that a non experienced coffee nut may need a second glass of hot water to dilute the amazing concoction.
Appetizers:
For the first course, I recommend an order of "Summer Rolls". The fantastic appetizer is served chilled, not fried and makes for a great starter in the searing hot months.
The Summer Roll is made of cucumbers, herbs and shrimp wrapped in a sheet of rice noodle. The option of adding lemon grass steak to the dish is available, but unnecessary. To eat, one simply dips the roll in a savory sweet peanut sauce and enjoy the fresh cool vegetables, dance with the sophisticated touch of shrimp, drenched in a salty sweet peanut dipping sauce.
My favorite appetizer in cooler weather is "Bun Xeo" which is essentially a Vietnamese crepe filled with shrimp, bean sprout, basil, mushroom, tofu and lemon grass steak. You're left to your own wits at wrapping the morsel in piece of lettuce, wrapped again in rice paper and dipped in peanut sauce or a sweet vinaigrette.
Main Course:
For the main course there are two options that are guaranteed "safety" dishes that anyone would love.
When the temperature drops in LA, I tend to favor "Phô Noodle" at the restaurant. Phô is a bowl of delicate rice noodles bathed in the house broth, and served with your choice of protein: chicken, beef, tofu or seafood. I usually ask for sliced sirloin.
*note: The bowl is served piping hot with the slices of meat (sirloin) resting on top of the noodles.....rare. Dunk the beef into the center of the bowl to allow the broth's temperature cook the meat thoroughly. This is the method for guaranteeing ideal personal degree of cooking.
I suggest dumping a few bean sprouts and a few sprigs of basil into the bowl as well.
How to eat Phô:
Personally, I like to have my Pho accompanied with a side of Hoison Sauce combined with chilli.
I cram the spoon with noodles, a piece of protein, a dab of my Hoison concoction, fill the remaining space with the broth and ingest. This is a delicious method that will eventually become cumbersome. At that point, I ditch the idea of combining each ingredient into the spoon and go wild on the noodles and protein.
The broth makes a great chaser and warms your body instantly.
Vermicelli:
During the summer I thoroughly enjoy a bowl of Vietnamese Vermicelli topped with charbroiled steak and spring rolls..."bun." It's served cold accompanied with a side of vinaigrette. It's an Asian's answer to a summer salad.
This dish is deceitfully light and delicious.
Douse your bowl of Vermicelli with the vinaigrette and enjoy.
It's awesome accompanied by a beer or a Vietnamese Iced Coffee.
Bon Appetite!
Pho Cafe
(Silver Lake)
2841 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(213) 413-0888
Unpretentious, affordable and fantastic. The only drawback is that a storefront sign is completely absent. The business is so confident about its food that it relies on word of mouth marketing.... which is working. There is often a line outside the restaurant during dinner and weekend lunch.
Find Pho Cafe by spotting the Escrow sign next to it.
Ginger Grass Silverlake
www.gingergrass.com
2396 Glendale Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90039-3209
Fresh, tasty food, reasonable priced. It's Western influenced enhancing the the marriage of East and West in its food and its ambience.
(323) 644-1600
