On the one hand, I adore Costco. And on the other, it grosses me out.
There’s a store called Metro in Saigon that’s supposed to be the Costco of Vietnam. I wonder if they have as many free samples. Maybe one of these days I’ll borrow someone’s membership card and check the place out.
December 26, 2007
Cuisine: American, Breakfast
3628 5th Avenue
San Diego, CA 92103
Phone: 619-298-4646
Website: http://www.hashhouseagogo.com/home.html
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Smores Coffee ($4.95)
The Kokomo – griddled meatloaf, roasted tomato and smoked mozzarella on old fashioned milk bread ($13.95)
Side Salad with Cucumber Dressing
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The day after Christmas, brother and I attempted to go shopping at Fashion Valley, but failed to find a parking spot and had to make new plans. Brother was feeling a little hungry, so we drove around America’s Finest City looking for a place to eat. We ended up heading to Hillcrest to try out a restaurant I had read good things about months ago—Hash House A Go Go.
As we waited for our table to be set, I glanced around the dining room to see what others were eating. I think my jaw dropped to the ground when I saw how big the restaurant’s portions were; think Maggiano’s times two (no joke). Brother accurately stated that the plates looked more like serving platters!
Intimidated and disturbed by the portions at Hash House, brother and I shared The Kokomo. Brother also ordered a smores coffee, which arrived first. Oozing with marshmallow cream and chocolate syrup and topped with a graham cracker, the coffee was excessive to say the least. Brother enjoyed scraping the the mug to get every last bit of marshmallow, but found the coffee bitter in contrast to the sweet accompaniments. He would have preferred a hot chocolate served in this fashion because the coffee did not meld well with the other flavors.
When the meatloaf sandwich was brought to the table, we were really glad we decided to share because it was ginormous. Each slice of bread was 1.5 inches thick, toasted and smeared in butter. The meatloaf was smothered in lotsa melted cheese. Somewhere in between the meat and the bread was a roasted tomato. The sandwich usually comes with either a side of fries or a side salad, but I request half and half. The half portion of salad and fries were ridiculous; I couldn’t believe they were half-size servings.
The only spectacular aspect of the sandwich was its size. Flavor-wise, brother and I have had much better. If you’re in Philadelphia, head to the Irish Pub for the Meatloaf Melt. Brother said that the cheese was tasteless and unnecessary. I had to employ lots of ketchup to the meat to boost the taste factor. Brother didn’t like the fries. I thought the cucumber salad dressing was very good, but there were too many pieces of iceberg lettuce in the mix.
Even though I’ve only dined at Hash House once, I feel confident making a broad statement regarding the establishment. Hash House is the epitome of what’s wrong with food in America—huge portions, mediocre taste and undiscerning consumers.
Oh, and they charged us a $2 split fee for sharing an entree. As if!
December 23, 2007
Cuisine: Vietnamese
9082 Bolsa Avenue
Westminster, CA 92683
Phone: 714-901-8108
Website: http://www.hanoirest.com/index.html
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Banh Tom Co Ngu ($6.50)
Bun Cha Ha Noi ($6.50)
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On our drive from LAX to San Diego, my mom and aunt insisted that we stop by Little Saigon for a little shopping and dinner. After five months of living in Vietnam, I wasn’t exactly craving Vietnamese cuisine, but I was excited to compare and contrast food from Saigon to food from Little Saigon.
Since my family is from the south, I was surprised when we pulled into an eatery specializing in northern delicacies. My aunt had heard good things about Ha Noi Restaurant, and so my mom and I left her in charge of the ordering; she stuck to the house specials—banh tom co ngu and bun cha.
The banh tom co ngu achieved the ideal deep-fried state—crispy without a trace of greasy. Wrapped in large Romaine lettuce and dipped in nuoc cham, the familiar flavors of the banh tom co ngu instantly transported me back to Saigon.
I only had a small bite of the bun cha because my appetite was sadly non-existant due to jetlag. I thought that the cha here was far leaner than the ones in Saigon. Another difference was the size of the meat patties. Whereas the cha in Vietnam are about the size of silver dollars, the ones served here were super-sized. Oh, America.
I once read that the Vietnamese food in Vietnam tastes better because of ambient factors like motorbike exhaust, stumpy stools, napkin littered floors, etc., but wasn’t sure if I agreed. After eating in sanitary Little Saigon, I must admit that I badly missed the real thing.
