Pho Viet - Columbia, SC (with a quick and dirty primer to Vietnamese cuisine)

Pho Viet, on Decker Blvd. in the Northeastern area of Columbia, is quite possibly my favorite restaurant in all of Columbia. That may be a bit of an overstatement, but it is without a doubt the restaurant we eat at almost every week, without fail. It offers the best Vietnamese food in these parts (but, considering there isn't any competition around, that really doesn't say that much), and, IMHO, considering all the Asian cuisine in general around here (lumping together Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese), it is probably the most authentic and accurate of all the Asian restaurants in Columbia in terms of the flavors and menu offerings.

For me, Pho Viet = comfort food. It reminds me of the kind of flavors I used to enjoy when I lived back in Los Angeles - while Pho Viet would be an average Vietnamese restaurant back in Los Angeles, here, it is exceptional for the area. I have been going here since I moved, back when the menu was tiny (only about 15 dishes total), but since January 2009, they renovated the restaurant and now offer a gigantic menu of Vietnamese dishes to choose from. I may sound like a shill for the restaurant, but I just really, really like their food a lot, and definitely recommend that you try the food there at least once.

Because Vietnamese food may be something new to some of you around here, I am going to provide a bit more detail for this post than I normally do as sort of a quick and dirty primer to eating basic Vietnamese cuisine. Here are some of the dishes that Pho Viet offers, and that we usually eat when we go there:

This appetizer is probably familiar to everyone: egg rolls. But, I like the egg rolls here better than anything else in the area, because they are made like they are supposed to be - smaller, with a thinner wrapping than the gargantuan American-style egg rolls that are so popular around here.

My favorite appetizer at Pho Viet is a variation on the egg roll - shrimp rolls. They take a piece of shrimp and some green onion, wrap it in the egg roll wrapping, and fry it up like an egg roll, but it comes out much more savory and delicious. I especially enjoy the contrast in texture between the crispy egg roll skin and the shrimp.

The orange and white vegetables on the left are pickled carrots and daikon that are thinly sliced, and serve as a slightly sweet counterpoint to the shrimp rolls (also offered with the egg rolls and other dishes).

At the top of the photo is a small bowl of Vietnamese fish sauce. Fish sauce is used as a dipping/flavoring sauce in a lot of different Vietnamese dishes. It is unlike anything else you've ever tasted, so I can't really describe it if you've never tasted it, but I can tell you how it is made (the more finicky eaters of you scroll down to the next photo right now so you don't have to read the next couple of sentences): it literally is a sauce made out of fish - the fish (usually anchovy, sometimes other fish), is fermented, salted, and then slowly pressed. The residual liquid is a pretty strong flavor, and is the basis of Vietnamese fish sauce. You can buy it in its "raw" form at most Asian supermarkets, but when it is served at restaurants, it is diluted and combined with other ingredients, including some chili paste, for the dipping/flavoring sauce that you see above. I personally love the flavor of fish sauce - it is a little bit sweet, salty, spicy, and a bit pungent all at once. It may be something that you have to try a couple of times first to get accustomed to.

Pho Viet at heart is a pho restaurant, as the name clearly implies. Pho refers to a type of Vietnamese noodle soup that is probably one of the staples of Vietnamese cuisine. The soup is made from beef bones and other ingredients that are cooked for a long time, and a good soup broth can make or break a pho dish. I have heard that the soup broth at Pho Viet isn't quite as good as it was before, but I can't confirm that, because we don't usually eat the pho here, not because it isn't good, but because there are other favorite dishes we have.

The pho dish is composed of a couple different things: the soup base, white rice noodles, and the meat that is served with the dish (usually thin slices of beef sirloin, beef tendon, beef tripe, or other pieces of beef that you can order). Like other pho places, Pho Viet offers a range of different pho that you can order in two different sizes - the small bowl, above, is usually enough for most people. The above photo is of a Pho with a type of vietnamese beef meatball.

Sometimes, there is nothing better than a bowl of pho - the soup is hot and comforting, the broth is flavorful, and for me, you can never complain about having beef as a food group. =)

Every pho bowl gets served with a side of vegetables - bean sprouts, fresh basil, and small slices of green chili - that you can use to put in your pho. Generally, the custom is to place in the basil and the bean sprouts (as much or little as you want), and put in the chili if they want it to be a bit spicier.
Lastly, for every pho dish, you can add in the two different sauces to your pho: on the left-hand side of the photo is a very popular type of chili paste, Sriracha that is pretty much ubiquitous here in the United States. You can purchase it in asian supermarkets, but beware of imitators - some nefarious manufacturers have made versions of the chili paste that look really similar, down to the rooster and the green bottle cap. You have to look for the one made by Huy Fong. It is a spicy chili paste - a small squirt or two will be more than enough spiciness for most people. On the right is another sauce, a type of hoisin sauce, which adds another dimension of flavor to the pho. Neither sauce is required for the pho - you can definitely enjoy the pho without either, or as much of the sauce as you want.

Another type of noodle soup that Pho Viet offers is an extremely spicy noodle soup called Hue-style spicy beef soup (Hue refers to one of the regions in Vietnam). For all you spicy lovers out there, this is the dish for you. This noodle soup is REALLY spicy - so spicy that we usually order it less spicy, because if you order it without any alterations, there is enough heat to burn you up and then some. It comes with slices of beef and beef tendon, pork belly, and onion.

My favorite dish in Vietnamese cuisine is bun (pronounced boon, like Daniel Boone, but without a long drawn out "oo". NOT bun, like a hamburger bun). Bun is a type of vermicelli rice noodle served in a bowl, along with shredded lettuce, thinly sliced cucumber, bean sprouts, and pickled carrot and daikon, along with whatever meat you order. As opposed to the pho above, bun is a dry dish without a soup broth. It also comes with a bowl of fish sauce, which you pour over the bun before mixing all the ingredients together to eat.

Pho Viet offers a lot of different bun dishes, but I would recommend two in particular: a bun made with beef rolls (thinly sliced beef, rolled up with thinly slices onions and then grilled), that is really delicious, or the grilled pork and egg roll bun that is shown above in the photo.

I love the pickled vegetables that come with bun, so I always order an extra bowl of it. =)

Next up is another Vietnamese dish - a vietnamese-style crepe. It is made out of rice flour, water, and either tumeric or coconut milk. At Pho Viet, I think they also add mung bean (which is a flavor I don't like very much). The crepe is filled with thin slices of pork and bean sprouts, then fried. It is served with some lettuce leaves, which you use to wrap up pieces of crepe, and then dunk it in the fish sauce.

For those of you that aren't feeling very adventurous, Pho Viet also offers your regular fried rice. =)
Lastly, for the vegetarians out there, Pho Viet also offers a decent amount of vegetarian options. This is one of our favorite dishes to order - a vegetable noodle soup that comes with tofu. We usually actually order it with a chicken broth instead of the vegetable broth, which destroys the vegetarian nature of the soup, but it comes out much more flavorful.

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).

Gooood Vietnamese in the OC - Brodard Restaurant

My favorite Vietnamese place in the OC definitely deserves its own post! It has the best rolls I have ever tasted...if God made a Vietnamese roll, and gave it to the world to eat, it would have to be the rolls made by this restaurant. Ok, I'm drooling, let's get to the food!

Note: This place is really hard to find unless you know what you are looking for - it is in a plaza that is on the back end of a 99 cent store on the corner of Brookhurst and Westminster. Enter the parking lot in the back of the 99 cent store, drive past it, and when you see the photo above, you've arrived! =)

Second note: For those of you visiting for the first time, if it is a really busy time of the day, the maitre'd obviously cannot seat you immediately; he reads names off a notepad that is located on a stand that he stands near, so remember to write your name down when you first enter, otherwise, he will pass you by.


Here are the rolls which Brodard are famous for, and which are their specialty: "Nem Nuong Cuon", or pork spring rolls. The rolls are perfectly made, but they don't achieve their godly status unless eaten with their house special sauce (it is a warm sauce, in the bowl at the top of the photo). With the sauce, it is perfect. And I don't know what the sauce is, other than it has lots of garlic - you don't come out smelling the best, but your taste buds are happy!


A close-up shot of the pork spring roll: at the bottom, there is grilled pork paste, a piece of rolled-up and fried wonton skin, lettuce, mint, cucumber, green onion, and pickled vegetables - daikon and cucumber, all rolled up in rice paper.


Another roll that we have tried - definitely not as good as the pork spring rolls, but it always good to try different things. It is a "Bi Cuon"; a roll with crunchy shredded pork skin, lettuce, and cucumber, rolled in rice paper, and served with fish sauce.


Brodard does have a lot of other dishes: this is a typical dish that I often order in different Vietnamese restaurants - it is a a fried cornish hen, served with rice and salad.


For me, the chicken is only good with the sauce that comes with it - a soy sauce that has garlic in it.


Another dish that I also order, depending on my mood: a pork vermicelli bowl, or "bun thit nuong". It has bbq pork, sauteed green onion, pickled vegetables (the usual daikon and carrots - my favorite, I love eating Vietnamese food with them), peanuts, all on a bed of vermicelli. I usually pour the fish sauce all over the food, but I have no idea whether or not that is the correct way to eat it, but I like it that way.


This is one of the two salads that Brodard offers - it is under the section of Brodard Specialities. It is a spicy beef salad, or "Goi Bo". The description by the restaurant - grilled beef marinated in Thai spices over lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, and onions in house vinaigrette dressing - doesn't do the salad justice. It is a warm salad (because of the grilled beef), and is very good because it has a lot of different layers of flavor: spicy, smoky, a little bit sweet, and other flavors which make the taste complex, but great to eat.


A drink that Jen and I like to order - coconut juice. It is lightly sweet, and is a refreshing mix for us, especially with the other highly flavored Vietnamese dishes.

Quick Eats - Downtown L.A. lunch eats with my LBBS Friends

Here are a couple of places that I love to eat lunch at in downtown Los Angeles while at work (and beyond). There are two notable favorite places of mine that are missing, which I hope to get photos of someday: Papa Christo's (greek) and Phillipe's:


Langer's is one of my favorite places to eat lunch at, but only if I have a lot of time - they don't really go fast at this deli. Langer's is one of the classic downtown places that I think everyone should try at least once!




Here is the sandwich that I love from there - they make a killer pastrami and coleslaw on rye, with russian dressing. The combination is absolutely great for me - especially the saltiness of their pastrami with the cole slaw. And of course, no deli sandwich is complete without a pickle.


If you order fries at Langer's, you get the classic krinkle-cut french fries - it personally reminds me of memories from my elementary school cafeteria!


Next place on the list - a vietnamese sandwich (banh mi) place named Buu Dien - the only one I know of in downtown Los Angeles. It is in Chinatown, and is really kind of hard to find - the official address is 642 broadway, but it is a definite hole in the wall.

Funny note: "Buu Dien" literally means "post office" in Vietnamese. The restaurant is named after a very famous banh mi restaurant in Vietnam that is actually next to a post office (although the one here isn't, as far as I know).


So, this is what they offer - for all us non-vietnamese, it doesn't help very much, lol. And no english spoken. I always order the #1, which I think is the special? A new note: So, my Vietnamese friend Huong took a look at this post, and pointed out to me that the menu is in three different languages - vietnamese (on the left), english (center), and chinese (right), but it is all the same kinds of banh mi. Ah!


Anyway, so it has all the normal stuff for a special combo vietnamese sandwich - pate, various meats that I am never able to identify, pickled vegetables, and cilantro. When the french bread is fresh, this is one of the tastiest vietnamese sandwiches I have ever eaten. When it isn't, it is only ok =P. But, still better than driving out to the San Gabriel Valley just to get a banh mi.


The next place on my list of favorite lunch places in downtown LA is Angelique Cafe. It is a cute little french cafe in the Fashion district, and has lots of great french dishes, as well as salads and sandwiches. The photo above is of my favorite sandwich - a chicken salad sandwich, for those of you that know me well. Their fries are excellent for those that like thin crunchier fries ( as opposed to the thick, soft steak fries).


Here is another sandwich from Angelique Cafe that my friend Chris likes to order - a pate sandwich.




Ok, so these two last photos aren't from a place in downtown LA, but since my work friend Chris first introduced me to this place, I figure this is as good place as any for the posting.

There is a sushi place in Beverly Hills that is a favorite of Chris's named Mako - it is Japanese/Mediterranean fusion cuisine. It is very good, and I suggest going there if you have the opportunity. The first time I went there, I had an excellent meal, and one of the best desserts I have ever had - it was a dessert bento box, with 5 different desserts that I could eat. What a great idea!!! Anyway, so we went back this past summer.

The photo above is of their special lunch bento box. Sorry, I didn't write down what the various dishes were - although I can tell you that I personally thought that the first lunch bento box I had was better, because it had less meat, and more fish. This bento box seemed geared towards a more americanized palate this time - two different kinds of meat and noodles - the kobe meatballs were good, and the other one was ok. I didn't really like the noodles - they were completely ordinary, and not something I would expect from Mako, because he is a really good sushi chef - maybe the cook who made this messed up? Anyway, it was still a good bento box overall.


And here is our desserts. Not as great as the first dessert bento box I got (I think probably because my friend Chris knows Mako well), but it still had a lot of delicious desserts to choose from. We ordered two desserts, and they provided two more - the ice cream with fruit, and the cookies. They have really great desserts here, especially for a Japanese place, which is why I like coming here.