Rio Hirashima wasn’t taken with the crepes he encountered in Los Angeles when he arrived here in 2005. Instead of the springy, stretchy, conical specimens that he was used to in Japan, he found traditional French ones that were perfectly nice, but hardly a taste of home. Rather than wait for sporadic trips back to Japan or for someone to fill the niche, Mr. Hirashima took matters into his own hands and opened Harajuku Crepe in 2009.
Banh Xeo Quan, also known as Mr. Rice, specializes in southern-style Vietnamese crepes*. Owner Phi Tran, who hails from Saigon, opened the restaurant in Rosemead some five years ago to bring this specialty to the San Gabriel Valley. This place came highly recommended to me by my lovely friend Thien. She and her family have been dining here for years, so I knew I was in for a treat.
A refreshingly succinct menu, neatly laminated and fully photographed, greeted us upon arrival. In addition to its namesake banh xeo, the restaurant also prepared rice dishes, noodle soups, and hot vit lon, fetal duck eggs. Although a banh mi hot dog and soda combo was unbeatably priced at $2.75, no one bit the bullet.
We passed on boba and beer and settled on freshly pressed nuoc mia (sugarcane juice) and minty green nuoc dau xanh la dua (mung bean milk with pandan). Both were excellent.
gas•tron•o•my is teaming up with Serve from American Express to curate a list of “10 Things to Eat Before you Die” as part of the “10,000 Pennies for Your Thoughts” campaign.
Serve is a digital prepaid account from American Express that makes paying and being paid simple. It is an alternative to debit and other prepaid cards that’s loaded with features and benefits including roadside assistance, purchase protection, and entertainment perks. It helps users easily organize money, send and receive funds, and manage payment requests—all from a single, unified online account.
“10,000 Pennies for Your Thoughts” Giveaway
I will be giving away $100 to TEN lucky gas•tron•o•my readers. To enter, please visit this dedicated Facebook page and add your suggestion to my Top 10 list.
I will be choosing the TEN most mouthwatering entries to populate a universal bucket list—if yours is one of them, you win 10,000 pennies ($100)! All entries must be received by Tuesday, October 23, 2012 at 11:59 EST. Good luck!