Antonia R -yelp

It’s rough moving across state and leaving everything you know, especially the abundance of Vietnamese food in Orange County, CA – namely Little Saigon and the great selection of Vietnamese food just 15 minutes from where I used to live.

We were in the mood for banh beo so I did my research and it appears that this was the only place nearby us that carried it.This place is tucked away in a little asian business center. When we arrived, there was ample parking (6pm on a Tuesday). There was no one there and the place was dead. Which doesn’t bother me, it just means quicker service.

We ordered:
Banh Beo – Not what I am used to in CA, but they tasted good. I wish they added mung bean and real shrimp, also the dough was a little dense than how I would prefer it, but I still really enjoyed them. They didn’t come out with any fresh thai chilies so we asked for them. The chilies were perfectly spicy and really made the dish better. If you’re Vietnamese, you should know that chilies and this dish go together like icing on the cake! 4/5

Banh Cuon Dac Biet – The presentation was great. The rice noodle rolls weren’t spectacular, pretty plain – even the meat filled ones were boring. However, the pork patty (cha) tasted really good and I could tell that they were fresh and homemade. I also enjoyed the fried crispy mung bean fritters and the fried sweet potato fritter (banh tom chien). Overall we slurped the dish clean. It wasn’t the best i’ve ever had, but it was still very good! 4/5

Goi Cuon Chao Tom – this is always a controversial dish to order. We are always comparing this one to the famous spring roll restaurant in Orange County (Brodard). This place is obviously not going to compare, but they are also not trying to be like them either. We both really enjoyed these spring rolls. 2 large rolls were cut in half making them 4 pieces, they had a nice big fat slice of shrimp patty, and the sauce tasted good. 4/5

We also wanted to try their Banh Mi, so we ordered it to-go for our lunch tomorrow. I requested that they put the pickled veggies (do chua) separate, so that they don’t soggy up the sandwiches. The veggies could of been pickled a little bit more – the sandwiches could of used the sourness, however, the sandwiches were tasty. The bread was very fluffy, crispy and tasted fresh even out of the toaster the next day!

Of the 2 sandwiches we ordered, by far the best one was the Banh Mi Dac Biet. The meat was homemade and moist, very tender, and flavorful. I would skip the Banh Mi Nem Nuong – the nem nuong meat patty was missing a lot and not flavorful.

By the time we were done, there seemed to be a good amount of people coming in and eating. I also noticed they were all Vietnamese! Looks like I found my local spot for banh beo and banh mi dac biet cravings.