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V.P. Tofu – Monterey Park

Published

on March 16, 2009

in Che, Dessert, Restaurant Review and Vietnamese

. 3 Comments

When it comes to desserts, there’s always room for tofu. I’m not one for drawing broad conclusions, but I’ve tested this truism across several continents and countless meals, and it has never failed me.

After cramming in one too many “bread foods” at Qing Dao Bread Food, The Astronomer and I headed up the street to V.P. Tofu for dessert. Following a porky and greasy Chinese feast, the thought of warm silken tofu was downright soothing and endlessly appealing.

V.P. Tofu is a Vietnamese-run establishment offering all sorts of soy products, including fresh tofu, deep-fried tofu, and soy milk (or “soy juice” if you’re in Tony C.’s camp). There’s also a selection of Vietnamese sweets like sticky rice (xoi) and tapioca cakes (banh da lon) strewn across the counter.

We ordered two small containers of sweet tofu ($1.10 each)—one with ginger syrup and the other with pandan essence. Both were served in Styrofoam cups to protect our hands. There’s no seating for patrons inside V.P., so The Astronomer and I took our sweets to the streets—Asia-style.

The texture of the tofu was perfectly smooth and light, while the flavor was clean and mild. The ginger syrup wasn’t as intensely spicy as the ones made by our favorite street side tofu vendor in Saigon, but definitely flavorful enough to sweeten the gentle curds nicely.

The pandan tofu was delightful as well. I was skeptical at the start due to a previous bad experience with a pandan imposter, but was very pleased after my first bite. The pandan tofu was topped with creamy coconut milk.

This place is a keeper.

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V.P. Tofu
237 S Garfield Avenue
Monterey Park, CA 91754
Phone: 626-572-9930

Bánh Mì and Moving Trucks

Published

Gastronomer

on November 2, 2008

in Banh Mi, Cha Gio, Che, Deli, Restaurant Review, San Diego and Vietnamese

. 4 Comments

The Astronomer is not a casual stargazer. In fact, he takes his science very seriously. After a year of quant-free fun in South East Asia, his brain was more than ready to delve into the rigors of graduate school. The Astronomer flew into San Diego from Birmingham the day before orientation started to pack up our worldly belongings and haul them to our new pad in Pasadena—home of the Rose Parade, Jackie Robinson and Dr. Drew.

Before sending him on his way, we lunched on banh mi, cha gio and che from A Chau, my favorite Vietnamese deli in San Diego. I’ve blogged twice prior (here and here) about A Chau’s wonderful sandwich offerings and continue to sing their praises.

Prices have gone up slightly since my last visit, but only by a quarter or two. The banh mi thit nguoi ($2.25) was solid, and like with all Vietnamese-American offerings, contained a more than generous portion of protein!

The banh mi thit nuong ($2.75) tasted of smoky lemongrass and reminded us of the delicious, stupendous, and fabulous sarnies we downed just a few short months ago.

We also shared three cha gio ($1 for three) because a gas•tron•o•my reader named BAM! once commented that he went out of his way to procure them and that they tasted even better than A Chau’s sandwiches. The Astronomer and I both really dug the cha gio, which was stuffed with pork and carrots, and appreciated that A Chau’s cooks made the extra effort to roll them using rice paper. I never knew the joys of blistered cha gio wrappers until spending time in Vietnam and now I consider them an essential component of the dish.

I also bought a portion of che dau hu la dua ($1.85)—sweet pandan-flavored tofu—because there’s something kinda magical about the subtlety of pandan. The che turned out to be a disappointment because the overall flavor was sweet, rather than pandan. Food coloring can be so tricky! I guess I’ll just stick to the tried and true ginger tofu from now on.

The Astronomer standing proudly on his U-Haul parked in my mom’s driveway.

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A Chau
4644 El Cajon Blvd Ste 111
San Diego, CA 92115-4432
Phone: 619-281-4066

New Threads and Breakin’ Bread in Chinatown

Published

Gastronomer

on September 10, 2008

in Che, Mi Vit Tiem, Saigon, Sup, Unique Meats and Vietnamese

. 5 Comments

District 5, also known as Cho Lon, is home to Saigon’s Chinese population. Unlike Chinatowns in America, the shift from neighboring districts into Cho Lon isn’t nearly as dramatic—there isn’t an ornate archway like in Philly. On the surface, District 5 more or less resembles every other district in this sprawling metropolis but with the addition of Chinese characters on storefronts, and maybe a few more steamed bun carts.

The Astronomer and I ventured into Cho Lon to Christmas shop last December, but haven’t found any reason to return since. That was until Hanh, The Astronomer’s Vietnamese teacher, mentioned that she knew a kick-ass tailor in that part of town. Like my good pal Miss Adventure said, getting custom made clothes can be a real treat.

On one very ordinary weekday evening, The Astronomer, Hanh and I ventured to Cho Lon to get some new threads made. Prior to our visit to the tailor, The Astronomer and I went fabric shopping at Cho Tan Dinh on Hai Ba Trung Street in District 1. I commissioned two dresses to be made—a replica of a dress I purchased in Bangkok and a dress designed by Theory (above) that I took pictures of when I was back in California. The Astronomer commissioned a pair of corduroy pants and a T-shirt. After the tailor took our measurements and collected a deposit, we headed to a nearby che (Vietnamese sweet soups) shop (Che Thanh Tam – 98 Bui Huu Nghia Street, District 5) for a bite to eat.

I grossed out both of my dining companions by ordering the che me den—sweet black sesame seed soup. The che was served warm and resembled tar, but trust me, it really tasted great. The flavors were sweet, full and nutty. It was even better than the cold black sesame seed Jell-O that I enjoyed so much in Hong Kong at the roast goose eatery.

Hanh started off with a faux tofu che that was less fun than a box of rocks. The cubes of “tofu” were made of agar, and even though they were supposed to be flavored with pandan and ginger, they didn’t bring much to the table.

She also ordered a che with bitter beans/nuts because she wanted to introduce The Astronomer and me to something new. Hanh really dug it, but it just wasn’t our cup of tea. Please holla (or just leave a comment) if you know the name of this not so sweet treat.

To supplement her two che, Hanh ordered a bowl of pig brain soup (sup oc heo) from the eatery next door. While I’m down with brains, I don’t really like the consistency of Vietnamese-style sup. The broth is just too gelatinous.

Not much of a che enthusiast, The Astronomer ordered a bowl of mi vit tiem from Quyen Ky Mi Gia which was located on the other side of the che shop. The noodles and greens arrived in one bowl, while the broth and duck leg came in a clay pot. The ratio of meat to noodles was insanely skewed—The Astronomer had to order an extra helping of noodles to balance it out. After enjoying the lunch lady’s version, this bowl of mi vit tiem paled in comparison, especially since it cost four times as much.

A couple weeks later, The Astronomer and I returned to the tailor to pick up our new apparel. He didn’t get everything right the first time around, but after a few refittings, we left his shop extremely happy clients. Here are my new dresses! And here’s where you should go if you’d like to get some custom made clothes in Saigon (bring a Vietnamese speaker along): Le Phuc – Tailor Extraordinaire (430/1 Phan Van Tri Street, District 5, Ho Chi Minh City. Phone: 0908006538.