Quick Eats - Vietnamese sandwiches a plenty

One of my favorite foods for lunch is a good sandwich, and one of my favorite sandwiches (other than a good chicken salad sandwich) is a Vietnamese french bread sandwich (aka bahn mi, in Vietnamese). The foodie in me loves bahn mi because when it is done well, there are a lot of different aspects to enjoy - from the warm outer texture of a freshly baked french baguette to the sweet crunchy pickled carrots and daikon inside, cilantro, pate spread, and various Vietnamese sliced meats (and for those that love spicy foods, the sliced chili peppers, which I take out!). And the part of me that enjoys a cheap meal (which started in Berkeley during college; I appreciated anything cheap, good, and filling that makes a good meal) loves bahn mi because a sandwich is no more than $2.25 a sandwich, and that is on the expensive end...normally, they are between $1.50 and $2.00.

Here are a couple of my favorite bahn mi places in Los Angeles and Orange County, introduced to me by different Viet friends of mine over the years:

This first one is a photo of Bahn Mi Che Cali - although there are not as many of these as the ubiquitous Lee's Sandwiches, they are expanding from the Little Saigon area in Orange County to parts of the SGV in Los Angeles, and the sandwiches here are MUCH better than Lee's Sandwiches - kind of like comparing McDonald's to In-N-Out. One of the greatest things about Bahn Mi Che Cali is their "Buy 2, get 1 free" special (just when you thought it couldn't get cheaper!!)

This particular store is the one closest to me that I often drive to - on the southern part of Brookhurst in Fountain Valley. A random note - I heard from my friend David that the best Bahn Mi Che Cali is somewhere north of here (I think on Bolsa?), because there are Viet grandmothers making it at that location, which makes it better! =) I never personally confirmed it, but amusing nevertheless.



A photo of the sandwich itself. The bread here is usually soft, with a slightly crunchy outside - although the bread quality does up and down depending on the location - I heard some of the newer places in the SGV may be having some quality control problems. =(. It is a good size - one can definitely constitute a whole meal, and they are also very liberal with the sandwich filling - lots of pickled vegetables, etc.

A close-up photo of the bahn mi, for those who are a bit more unfamiliar with bahn mi. Here is Vietnamese Sandwich making 101: every bahn mi comes with the long, skinny pieces of orange and white are the pickled carrot and daikon, cilantro, and tot viewable is a mayo/pate spread that they often put in Vietnamese bahn mi. What varies in each bahn mi is the meat filling - in this one, the pink and white sliced meats are various Vietnamese meats (ham, etc.).

Mr. Baguette is on Valley Blvd. (btw. Walnut Grove and Rosemead Blvd) right on the border of Rosemead/San Gabriel, and it is one of my favorite places in the San Gabriel Valley for a bahn mi because they offer it with a different type of french bread than the regular places.



Mr. Baguette offers a french baguette with sesame, which makes for an interesting change on the standard taste and texture of the bahn mi. You can get either the sesame baguette or the regular baguette (see below).

A photo of a bahn mi without sesame: the baguette here is very fresh, but is more on the thin and crunchy side than Bahn Mi Che Cali, which might appeal to those who don't like the soft, chewy texture of other baguettes.
Mr. Baguette separates out the pickled vegetables and the chili peppers, so it doesn't make the sandwich soggy, and keeps the ingredients fresher in case the bahn mi is taken to go; it is a small touch, but something which I appreciate greatly! =) (especially since I usually have to go hunting for the chili peppers to take them out of the sandwich, since I don't like to have it spicy).

Here is my favorite banh mi place in Los Angeles/Orange County: a place named "Tan Hoang Huong Bakery"; it is in a small plaza on the corner of Edinger and Ward in Fountain Valley.

Here's why it's my favorite: the baguette is thick, slightly crunchy on the outside, with a soft and chewy texture in the middle. Also, they are liberal with the pickled vegetables, they add cucumber, and there is no mayo, just a pate spread. For me, this banh mi is incredibly delicious!
A type of Vietnamese spring roll with Vietnamese pork from Tan Hoang Huong Bakery with a dipping sauce; any good bahn mi place will offer other small dishes to order with the bahn mi like spring rolls, etc. (something which Bahn Mi Che cali does as well).

Sunday Dim Sum at 888 Seafood Restaurant

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the Sunday dim sum at 888 Seafood is the best in U.S. - to lead you to that conclusion, we'll engage in a logical syllogism: since I think that it is the best dim sum in Los Angeles, and L.A. is the center of the asian cuisine world in the U.S., that makes it the best in the U.S. See, that makes sense, right? Ok, now I haven't had dim sum at every place in the U.S., but with some good old logical reasoning, I feel comfortable in making that statement. =) Just kidding. I do think it is the best in L.A. for its selection and flavor though.

Although a lot more places (especially in the SGV) are offering dim sum every day, 888 still offers it only on the weekends. And on the traditional day to eat dim sum, on Sunday morning (it's just what we do, don't ask me why), when lots of Asians go to eat dim sum, this place gets really really busy. If you've never went to dim sum at a really popular place, it is an experience worth trying - there are large groups of people (often whole groups of asian families and their friends, lots of groups of eight or more), chatting and jostling each other in the lobby and outside in the parking lot. To add to the general melange of sound, the maitre'd is yelling out #'s over a speaker in cantonese and english. If you want to avoid the crowd, come before ten a.m. You could go later to avoid the crowd (after 1:00 pm), but no more fresh food is made soon thereafter, and your selection of dishes will be quite limited.

A little information for the dim sum novice: it is a type of chinese (more specifically, cantonese) food where you sit down and order food from woman that walk around the restaurant pushing carts of food. Although you can order from the menu, traditionally everyone orders from the woman walking around. As they come by, they tell you what type of food they have (or if you don't speak chinese/cantonese, they can show you the food), and you order what you want. The food usually comes in small portions, and ranges from steamed dumplings and buns to foods that are cooked in front of you (e.g. luo bo gao, the american translation would be turnip cake).

The first cart that came around had a selection of dumplings and steamed buns. We preemptively ordered one of each without knowing really what they were - they just looked good. And that is what you have to do sometimes, especially if you have been waiting for awhile already, because you never know when another cart with the stuff that you want will roll around.

Jen's favorite - chicken feet. Ok, now before people flee from their computer screens in collective horror, it isn't that bad; the chicken feet are steamed, and although there isn't much meat on the chicken feet, there is a lot of skin and cartilage, if you like crunchy and chewy textures.

One of the next dishes that we ordered was one of my favorites: luo bo gao, or turnip cake. It is basically turnip, ground up into a paste with spices added, and then the paste is made into little cakes, which are fried on a grill. I love the crunchiness of the outer layer contrasted with the chewy texture of the interior of the luo bo gao. They are very tasty.
This is also one of my favorites, and is a traditional thing to order at dim sum - they are shrimp dumplings: siu mai (cantonese) xia jaio (chinese). I always order at least two or three orders of these for the table.

These are steamed pork dumplings, also known as cha siu bao. The pork (cha siu) is actually a bit sweet.

This is another type of dumpling, xia chang (in chinese) (although that isn't the most accurate description of this, it is the closest word in english I can come to describe it). The outside is more of a thicker rice-noodle type of wrapping, and it comes filled with either shrimp, beef, or vegetarian, and they pour a special type of sweetened soy sauce on top of it. The shrimp ones are extremely popular (they run out as soon as the cart comes out, usually), and they used to be a favorite of my family. We used to order 4 or 5 of these, and would often clean out a cart if they came by.

Another set of chicken feet, because Jen likes these more - they are more flavorful, because in addition to being steamed, they are sauteed in soy sauce and red chili.

Another one of the more popular dim sum dishes people like to order: ha gao. It is a steamed pork dumpling with carrots. This is another one of those dishes that you have to have multiple orders of.

Although we don't do desserts very well (at least in my opinion - I'm taiwanese btw, so I feel I am fairly qualified to make that statement), I always love this dessert and order it whenever it comes by. It is a mango pudding, and they pour a condensed milk sauce over it with fruits in it (usually melon and a cherry). It is simple, but I love eating it, and I think it always is a good way to end a dim sum meal.

Mandarin Noodle Deli - One of my all-time hometown favorites

Ok, so before I start into the details of this post, let me just up front about my bias for this place - I grew up eating here with my family, so I have a sentimental attachment to this place, of course. And my parents ate here back when they moved to Los Angeles in the 70s. But I really do believe that this restaurant is one of the best places, if not the best place, in Los Angeles for beef noodle soup (hong sao niu rou mian) and green onion pancake (tsong yu bing). Btw, Mandarin Noodle Deli and Mandarin Noodle House - not the same place, not anymore at least (see history below if you are interested).

A brief history for those that are interested: the owners of Mandarin Noodle Deli used to be the original owners of the Mandarin Noodle House in Monterey Park...I think she was maybe a daughter or relative of the person who started up the first original tiny Mandarin Noodle House in chinatown. Mandarin Noodle Deli used to be filled with 70's decor up until just a couple of years ago - orange and white tile, octagon-green shaped lamps, the whole deal. I have memories of the woman owner, who would always yell back orders to her husband, the cook, and would a lot of times get kinda grumpy at him. It was part of the charm back then, I think. Anyway, some kind of fracas occurred a couple of years back, and for some reason, the owners at this Monterey Park branch moved out and started Mandarin Noodle Deli in Temple City. The food is now not the same - go to Arcadia, you will not be disappointed!


Here is the current location of Mandarin Noodle Deli, in Arcadia.

Green onion pancake - the best I've ever had in Los Angeles - and that is saying a lot, with all the asian places around here. They make the dough fresh, which makes the texture perfect - chewy and crunchy, and it has just the right balance of green onion. *drool*

Two classic side dishes which I always order - seaweed in vinegar (hai dai), and cucumbers with lots of yummy garlic (xiao hong gua).

I don't even know what to call this in English - Jen calls it "beefy goodness" =). The chinese name is Niu rou da bing. There is beef, green onion, and spicy sauce, wrapped in the fresh dough they make for the green onion pancake. Delicious!

And last, but definetly not least - the braised beef noodle soup (hong sao niu rou mian). For some reason, they now make it in a smaller bowl then they used to, back in the Monterey Park era =(. But, it is still just as good as before! Some people might not like the soup as much as other places, because it isn't as spicy, but for me, it is perfect! What makes this special though are the noodles - made fresh, and so they have a wonderful texture. Feed me this and some green onion pancake, and I'm in heaven!