Banh Mi Saigon Bakery

One of my favorite Vietnamese sandwich places.

They relocated recently I believe. The new place is a big bigger and there are more seats. There's still a jewelry shop inside though. I'm guessing they are somehow associated with each other?

Banh Mi Saigon (Pork) - $3.75

I remember eating this sandwich back when the shop used to be under the Manhattan bridge. The place was like 1/15 the size of the current place and it was always crowded. The sandwiches would also sell out really quick too. You could always count on having a good sandwich.

These days though (well, since they moved out of that little shop under the bridge), the sandwiches have been fairly inconsistent. When it's fresh, it's really good. When it's not, it tastes okay. The problem is mainly with the bread. Sometimes, their bread is hard as a rock. Ever since they moved to the new place, I've noticed that they started to make their sandwiches in bulk. I'm guessing this causes the bread to be exposed to the air more, which hardens the bread quicker? It's either that or they just have been getting crappy bread to begin with.

Anyways, I recommend going to this place when it's busy (lunch time) so the sandwiches are fresher.

Banh Mi Saigon Bakery
198 Grand St.
New York, NY 10013

Nha Trang One

So I was finally able to take some pics of my viet place in chinatown.

I've been going here for many many moons now. I have a hate/love relationship with this place. Too lazy to explain the details but long story short, my hungry self couldn't resist going back after "boycotting" this place.

Every time I go here, I order two things: The bbq pork chops over rice and fried spring rolls.

Out of all the viet restaurants I've been to, this place has the best fried spring rolls. I like it because it's crispy and the meat is pretty good tasting. Actually, I think the best part of these spring rolls is the fact that the meat actually taste cooked. It seems that every restaurant that I go to, the inside meat of a spring roll just doesn't taste like it's fully cooked. I don't know if they just put too much meat inside or they just don't cook it enough. Either way, I really like the way this meat taste.

...I've ended having to force H to eat some of these or else I end up eating all six...in addition to my main course.

BBQ Pork Chops over rice. This dish used to be one of my favs too. However, recently I've found that it's been somewhat inconsistent. Sometimes, the pork chops taste really flavorful and good and sometimes it taste pretty bland. If this is cooked right, it's pretty yummy. The pork chops are thin, which I love because I hate thick meat. It's the best when they make it well done, however, they rarely cook it well done enough for me. Ah well.

This is H's dish. He always orders this too. I'm not really sure how it taste. I always order my two dishes so I don't really eat any of his. When I crave Pho, I usually go to the viet place by my house.

And of course, an Iced Tea w. Milk for H.

Nha Trang One
87 Baxter St
(between Walker St & White St)
New York, NY 10013

Hai Duong - Falls Church, VA

Last meal of the trip...definitely wanted some pho. We got up pretty early and our first restaurant choice was still closed. So we ended up going back to Eden Center and chose this place. Btw, Eden Center is a small outdoor shopping area with a bunch of viet restaurants and shops.

Iced Coffee

Bro got this. I remembered how sweet my last iced coffee was so I opted not to get one.

Typical plate of "veggies" for our Pho.

Standard Pho - $6.95

Pho after mixing everything

I know I'm sounding like a broken record but I was disappointed once again. There wasn't anything special about this pho. The broth had some flavor but not one that I particularly liked. There was something strange about it but I can't pinpoint what it was. The noodle was also stuck together. I had to separate them with my chopsticks. The meat didn't seem fresh either. It looked a bit old. There wasn't also a lot of noodles. I ended up eating the noodles and ignoring most of the meat.

Hai Duong

6795 Wilson Blvd

Falls Church, VA 22044

Huong Viet - Falls Church, VA

Second meal (dinner) of the trip. Went to Eden Center again and I saw a group of people outside of this one so we decided to eat there.

Rainbow Drink - $3.50

Eh - not the beat rainbow ice ever. It was somewhat watery and it just didn't seem very fresh. They didn't have those big straws so I had to use my spoon to "drink" it.

TsingTao Beer

Parents and bro got this.

Salted Fried Squid With Chilli - $12.95

I guess when they name part of a dish "salted", they really mean salted. I wanted some fried squid and this was the only dish that came close. The squid wasn't too bad but it was definitely on the salty side. My mom didn't like it and I'm thinking it was because it was a big chewy. I ate a good amount of this even though I probably shouldn't have.

Drunken Noodle - $11.95

Not sure why I ordered this. I must have spent at least 5 minutes looking at the menu and nothing stood out. The waiter had already came by two times so feeling the pressure, I picked this dish. It was alright. It didn't taste anything like the thai drunken version. The sauce was a bit watery and it was also kinda salty.

  

Stir-fried Chinese Broccoli With Shitake Mushrooms - $10.95

Bro ordered this one. I liked the veggie but again, it was on the salty side. I guess the chef must really love salty dishes!

Another disappointing meal...

Huong Viet

6785 Wilson Blvd

Falls Church, VA 22044

http://www.huong-viet.com/

Viet Bistro - Falls Church, VA

When my bro asked me if I wanted to Washington, D.C with the parents, I gladly agreed. I figured it would be nice to spend time with my parents and...it would be great to eat some viet food in virginia!

We got there later than we wanted to...around 3pm. We went to the Eden Center for our first (and all) meal.

This wasn't your typical local viet place. It was a bit modern and I think they were trying to go for a semi fancy feel. The place had a few customers and the staff was somewhat attentive. 

Iced Coffee

This was really sweet. I was hoping that the melting of the ice would make it less sweet but it didn't.  

Crispy Spring Rolls - $3.95

Sadly, this was the best dish imo. It wasn't the greatest spring rolls but good enough. The meat didn't have that "uncooked" taste to it which I liked and the skin was crispy.

Chicken Wings in Fish Sauce - $9.50

  

  

When this dish came, I was pretty excited. It looked good but I was kinda disappointed. It was on the salty side and there wasn't much flavor. I ended up thinking about those korean wings while chewing on this...

Sweet and Sour Shrimp Soup - $12.50 

Don't ask me why but I was expected something that was similar to tom yum soup. This was nothing like that. It wasn't sour or spicy (which I thought it would be for some reason). The soup had some flavor but it was a little bit on the bland side.  

Beef Medium Done in Tamarind Sauce - $9.50

Blah, this was my least favorite. I hate meat that's not well done. I barely ate one piece.

  

Pork Chops

This was eh also. I like my pork chops very thin and this was on the thick side. The meat was a bit chewy, dry and tasteless. Didn't eat much of this either. 

Caramel Fish Fillet - $10.50

This was also pretty salty so I only had a piece or so. That's all I can really remember about this.

  

"Shaky" Beef - $13.50

  

The meat was cold which I didn't expected. Again, it tasted too "meaty" for me. It didn't have much favor and the meat was a bit too thick for me.

  

I liked the tea. It came in a cute pot, which was pretty hot. Good thing I kinda knew and slowly touched it.

So overall, I really didn't like my meal. My bro ordered the majority of the dishes and I think he either ordered the wrong dishes or the cooking was a bit off. In the end, everyone was a bit disappointed.

Viet Bistro

6799 Wilson Boulevard #11

Falls Church, VA 22044

Breakfast at Pho Hoai

Same friends...but new place. Not feeling IHOP, we all decided to take a trip to Brooklyn to eat some Pho. This popular Vietnamese dish is great in the winter and when you don't want to fill your tummy up with oil and fried stuff. 

Rice Noodle Beef Soup - Navel, Frank, Omosa, Tendon & Eye of Round

#3 on the menu (~$5.50)

The meat comes a tad raw but once you put them under the noodles, they will cook within a min or so. 

It was yummy. The broth was well flavored and tasty. Great way to start off a Saturday if you ask me. Too bad they ran out of basil today. I like to eat that with my meat and hoisan/hot sauce mix.

I only like two Vietnamese Restaurants. This one and the one on Baxter Street in Chinatown. This place is where I get my noodle beef soup and sliced grilled beef with rice sticks. I don't think that's the exact name of the dish but it's #39 on the menu.

Pho Hoai

1906 Avenue U
(between 19th St & Ocean Ave)
Brooklyn, NY 11229
(718) 616-1233