Archive for the 'Sua Dau Nanh' Category

Brodard Restaurant – Garden Grove

Published by Gastronomer on September 23, 2010 in Banh Canh, Goi, Nem Nuong, Orange County, Restaurant Review, Sua Dau Nanh and Vietnamese. 16 Comments

Sometimes, when the stars are aligned just right, The Astronomer and I manage to pull off dinner in Little Saigon. We’ve attempted to dine here on our drive back from San Diego numerous times, but due to fatigue, traffic, or a combination of both, we’ve only done so successfully twice. [We ate at Vien Dong Restaurant on our first visit together.]

While Los Angeles’ Vietnamese restaurants have somewhat lost their luster for me, Little Saigon’s novelty is still intact. On our second trip to the motherland (V 2.0), we dropped into Brodard Restaurant in Garden Grove.

Brodard was unbelievably bumpin’ this Sunday night. Every seat in the house was occupied, while the wait list seemed to go on and on. Not to mention that the take-out counter was doing some brisk business. After waiting for thirty minutes, The Astronomer and I scored a table fit for four. It was finally time to taste Brodard’s famous nem nuong cuon.

Brodard’s decor strikes a balance between modern and cheesy, like only a Vietnamese-American restaurant can. I liked the modern furnishings and clean lines, but couldn’t embrace the mural of stallions galloping along the shore.

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Sữa Đậu Nành

Published by Gastronomer on August 11, 2008 in Saigon, Street Food, Sua Dau Nanh and Vietnamese. 6 Comments

Saigon’s incessant heat, pollution and traffic can really take a toll on motorcyclists and pedestrians. Roadside drink stands scattered throughout the city’s sizzling pavement provide respite from the unavoidable chaos.

These “Fast Drink” stands offer refreshing options like winter melon juice and my personal favorite, sua dau nanh—soy milk. The soy milk can be served either hot or cold, sweetened or not, and sometimes with essence of pandan leaves (if you’re lucky!).

A serving of sua dau nanh goes for 2,000 VND and can be consumed in a glass on the side of the road or on the go inside a plastic bag tightly sealed using a rubber band. The street food vendors in Saigon do incredible things with rubber bands.

Hủ Tíu Mì

Published by Astronomer on August 15, 2007 in Hu Tieu Nam Vang, Restaurant Review, Saigon, Sua Dau Nanh and Vietnamese. 0 Comments

July 30, 2007
Cuisine: Vietnamese, Noodles

62 Truong Dinh Street
District 1, Ho Chi Minh City

Phone: 8272108
Website: none

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Hu Tieu Mi (16,000 VND)

Sua Dau Nanh (2,000 VND)

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The Astronomer: As The Gastronomer noted earlier, our first few meals in Vietnam took place at pretty chain restaurants and were relatively low on the adventure scale. However, it was only our second full day in the city when hunger forced me to branch out. This is not surprising: hunger is the motivating factor behind a great many of my decisions.

My banh cuon portion at Banh Cuon La had been pitifully meager—a dish scarcely adequate as an appetizer for a growing American boy—so I wandered the streets in search of supplemental nutrients. Having already spent well over a dollar for my first course, I would settle for nothing less than a good deal.

For some reason, The Gastronomer and I were drawn to a plain-looking noodle shop located a block from our hotel. I lowered myself onto an 8-inch high stool, crouched over the foot-high table, and ordered a bowl of hu tieu mi—yellow noodles with slices of pork, ground pork, chives, and green onions in a savory pork broth. The noodles hit the spot; the broth was expertly seasoned and the pork added substance but was unspectacular. There were several ingredients in the soup that I could not identify—an experience that would be repeated often in the coming weeks.

Within 15 minutes or so, I had developed a back ache from bending over the small table. Fortunately, I have since learned to enjoy meals served on miniature furniture without experiencing discomfort. All-in-all, I found the dish quite satisfactory—future noodles would surpass the mi in terms of pure deliciousness, but my first experience was good enough to encourage me to delve further into the world of hole-in-the-wall restaurants and street food in Saigon.

The Gastronomer: As The Astronomer sweated his ahem-off eating a bowl of hot noodles on a balmy night, I sipped a cool glass of sua dau nanh—a sweetened soy milk popular in Vietnam. After soda chanh, sua dau nanh is my second favorite cooling drink.