Van's Vietnamese

If you recently caught Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown escapades to Vietnam, you would've been introduced to Central Vietnam and a beloved special soup called bun bo hue. While pho has taken a cult-like following in the States, few have been introduced to its spicy and underrated counterpart. Bourdain even dubs it as "the greatest soup in the world." Looking back, I wish my surly sixteen year old self would have appreciated my family trip to the Hue region of Vietnam. Bourdain really put into perspective how unique and tasty the food from my culture and heritage is. The tiny plastic stools of street side cafes and honking of motorcycles as they pass by is now a distant memory but the flavors of my childhood lingers. As I grow older, I cherish those memories more and more as my mom and her cooking is 200 miles away. One soup that screams comfort food to me is bun bo hue, a spicy Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup. Of course mom makes a killer version but on a recent redemption trip to Van's Vietnamese for pho, I discovered my beloved soup on the menu.

Yes, you too can experience bun bo hue in Albany. It's not just any ole spicy soup, but rather a very rich and complex one. For reasons I don't know, bun bo literally translates to beef noodle soup but the stock highlights more of the pork flavor. It's made with a mix of pig's feet and ham hock slowly simmered with beef shank and flank steak, a touch of fermented shrimp paste, and scented with aromatic lemongrass.  Don't worry, as pungent and funky as shrimp paste can smell, it mellows out in the broth and lends another layer of flavor that sets this soup apart from pho. See that little pot on the left? It's a delightful medley of chiles, lemongrass, more shrimp paste, garlic, and spices. You're gonna want to add a few spoonfuls until the broth is bright and glowing red. 

You won't find exotic bits like blood cake here but for an authentic taste you will find pig's feet with slices of cha lua pork bologna and stewed meats. Like pho, you can add accoutrements to your liking. Instead of banana blossoms, you'll find shredded cabbage alongside fresh herbs and a wedge of lime. Personalize as you wish and get in there and slurp away this spicy noodle soup. Your soul will find so much satisfaction as you sweat away whatever toxins are in your body. 

As for the beef pho? It kind of takes a back seat to the bun bo hue noodle soup but has drastically improved in flavor since our last visit. We finally did the Capital Region pho rounds and even stopped by Pho Yum for comparison after much stubbornness. Now that Kim's Vietnamese is gone, Van's has stepped up in rank as the one of the better pho soups in the area. But what you're really going to want to order is the bun bo hue. 

Saigon Pearl

As the weather cools down, there's nothing more satisfying than a hot bowl of pho. A few weeks ago, we were dead set on satisfying a craving at Kim's but to our surprise, it was closed for renovations. One week later we saw an Instagram from Bread and Honey that they were testing banh mi bread for a restaurant called Saigon Pearl located at the very same location as the former Kim's Vietnamese. Timing was perfect this weekend as my parents were in town and Saigon Pearl was officially opened for business. 

The newly renovated space was a scene out of Restaurant Impossible, with modern furnishings and a vibrant glass water fountain upon entry. We weren't quite sure whether it was an upgrade for Kim's until we tasted the pho broth. Each Vietnamese chef has their own unique recipe and much to our dismay, the broth was not the same. Leave it to my mom to find out that it was indeed under new ownership. Seasonings and spices were weak and the soup lacked the distinctive flavors of classic pho. While there were generous cuts of eye round, brisket, and meatballs, the soup was missing that rich, beefy flavor we always look for. Granted it was only day two of a brand-new restaurant, we're chalking it up to grand opening kinks.

Even though my parents just brought down Montreal banh mi sandwiches for us, we were too curious to pass up on the $5 Saigon Pearl banh mi. As a grand opening special, sandwiches were two for $5 and we went with choices of Vietnamese meatballs and bbq pork. I suspected that the bread was not quite Bread and Honey's as it was too short for a banh mi, not crusty like the usual loaves, and the crumb too soft. It's no Montreal banh mi but the filling was spot on. Both were very flavorful and the meatball in tomato sauce (xiu mai) was a welcomed banh mi option around here. We have high hopes for bun thit nuong noodle bowls with these kinds of flavors. As for banh mi, while it's not the bread we were hoping for, it's a good enough option for Albany. At least the pork banh mi still had familiar flavors with a schmear of pate with crunchy pickled veggies. A little toasting could go a long way if they're sticking to this bread but perhaps the perfect bread is still in the works. 

Whether it was a complimentary grand opening treat or not, I liked the basket of fried shrimp chips (banh phong tom) a la chips and salsa at Mexican joints that came before our entrees. We also got complimentary fried egg rolls and these were on par in flavor to my mom's and were quite tasty. Although we're sad to see Kim's go, it's nice to see another Vietnamese option in the Capital Region. I think Albany is ready for real Vietnamese flavors without muting authentic flavors. Here's to hoping the restaurant makes some adjustments.

+ Returning Bites: Banh Mi at Saigon Pearl
+ Returning BItes: Hu Tieu Kho Noodles

Good Night Noodle 2.0

Good Night Noodle is officially open! What an exciting journey seeing Good Morning Cafe finally transformed to its Southeast Asian alter-ego. It's been many months since a sneak peak tasting in March and now everyone gets to experience Vietnamese food with a healthier twist. 

We've yet to make it up to Good Morning Cafe for breakfast but despite sharing the same space, its evening counterpart has a very intimate and inviting atmosphere, perfect for date night. The focus of Good Night Noodle is mainly on Vietnamese staples like pho noodle soup and summer rolls sprinkled with Thai favorites like pad thai and other Asian-inspired specials. While flavors are global, the ingredients echo Good Morning's mission to bring locally-sourced organic, fresh, and minimally processed ingredients to your plate. This includes farm-fresh veggies used in the summer rolls and grass-fed beef in the signature meatballs for your pho noodle soup. To boot, for each bowl of pho served, Good Night Noodle will give 25 cents toward the purchase of one pound of rice for the villagers of Poysomroung, their adopted community in Cambodia. Eat good, feel good, do good--it's that simple! 

Flavorwise, I've touched base on the pho before and Chef Linh has managed to improve on its flavor. We each got a bowl of the beef noodle pho. It's not the broth you're looking for at Kim's, Van's, or Saigon Spring but still has familiar flavor profiles. The aromatic soup has a natural beefy flavor with a clear, clean tasting broth that's elevated by the homemade meatballs.  The texture of the meatballs is unlike the ones you get elsewhere. I kind of missed the chewiness of the mass produced ones but the flavors made up for its Italian meatball-like texture. J missed the usual mix of sliced eye round and brisket but he most definitely approved this version. We both agreed that while not completely traditional, it's a welcomed version that's good and good for us. But if you need extra sodium kick like we did, ask for the premium Red Boat fish sauce. Pho is all about adding accoutrements to your liking including a dash of sriracha and Linh's homemade hoisin sauce,  which by the way tastes ten times better than the jarred stuff. 

Saigon Spring

It's no surprise that J and I are pho-natics. While Kim's Vietnamese is usually our go to for pho noodle soup, Saigon Spring excels at other classic Vietnamese dishes. My parents weren't able to come down for Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, so I wasn't able to get my share of homemade traditional foods. I had a hankering for bun thit nuong (grilled pork with rice noodles) and they make the best version of this dish up in Clifton Park. The pork is a great balance of sweet and savory with fragrant flavors of lemongrass, fish sauce, and garlic and grillled til there's a nice fatty char. Nothing is more disappointing than dry, overcooked pork but here it is juicy and mouth-watering good. But at the last minute, I had a change of heart and decided to celebrate New Year's with something more decadent. 

Another favorite dish that I use to get as a kid but haven't had in ages was mi xao don aka crispy noodles. While this dish is mostly Chinese influenced, it is a popular dish at Vietnamese restaurants and would be a special occasion dish to order. What better way to celebrate a holiday that is shared among Vietnamese and Chinese cultures alike. Saigon Spring's version is a seafood medley called do bien xao xa made with a lemongrass sauce. A bed of crispy noodles is covered in an array of giant plump shrimp, scallops, and mussels sauteed in sweet and spicy sauce with hunks of peppers and onions. It's a messy dish as you try to maneuver getting shards of crispy noodles into your mouth but the sauce softens some of the noodles creating a fun mix of textures. 

A Take on TU's Review of Kim's Vietnamese

I felt the need to write my own post on Kim's Vietnamese upon reading Bryan Fitzgerald's Times Union review. The review left me confused. Not that I don't doubt that restaurants have inconsistencies from time to time but some things about the review were off-putting enough for me to share my own thoughts. As a disclaimer, I am a first generation Vietnamese-American (nee Canadian but now a naturalized American) born and raised by immigrant parents. I live a very Americanized lifestyle and don't follow much in way of traditions but if there's one thing about my culture that I wholeheartedly appreciate, it's the food! I have a very unique perspective on Vietnamese food and you can't blame me for being so picky. Have you read what my mom packed for my school lunches? My parents are even more picky and never go out to Vietnamese restaurants unless it's for pho noodle soup. 

My parents and I have eaten pho at most of the Capital Region's Vietnamese restaurants with the exception of Pho Yum because it's a silly name and it's just not right to charge extra for meat on top of a base, and My Linh because they couldn't fathom paying $15 for canh chua soup (a peasant dish that my mom makes all the time) and a bowl of pho for two just didn't make sense. In fact, my dad made us walk out of My Linh upon being seated and seeing the menu. Told you they were picky.

You might think that I am biased towards all things Vietnamese but trust me when I say I've had mediocre Vietnamese food too. Perhaps my taste for Vietnamese food is more discerning than an American palette but I've trained my Irish-American boyfriend to love Vietnamese food and we both disagree with Fitzgerald's take on pho: "Beef broth in our pho — Pho Dac Biet ($8.95) — at Kim's Vietnamese in Albany was a bit weak, a tad sour, just underwhelming enough to fall onto the good-but-not-great side of the pho-broth spectrum." (Times Union).  At times we've had a fattier broth at Kim's but never underwhelming or weak. I don't know what Fizgerald's expectations of what a real pho broth tastes like but it's suppose to be a fine balance of aromatic spices and rich, beefy flavor that has good clarity to it and has a good depth of flavor. Perhaps Fitzgerald is use to places that use more of a bouillon-cube based broth (a taste that my mom has picked up on from other local joints). 

Vietnamese Pho Soup

During our first Christmas together, R and I went up north to meet her parents for the first time.  It seems that, like many cultures, food is synonymous with hospitality in Vietnam, as I was stuffed to the gills with homemade eggrolls, wontons, sweets, and one very special soup; pho.  It is a broth developed for hours or days, then poured in a bowl of rice noodles and, in authentic cases, with servings of raw beef over it that you can push into the broth to cook directly.  It is invariably served in massive bowls, and when any restaurant advertises a large then that bowl can probably hold a family of 4 with pets.

Finding great pho has become something of a mission, as good Vietnamese food can be hard to come by. There are only a few decent places around here, and (I'm assuming) due to health standards they can't serve raw beef on the soup so you aren't going to get the real experience.  That said, here are the 3 best Vietnamese restaurants in the area we are aware of, in no particular order:

1.  Van's Vietnamese Restaurant:  This was the first Vietnamese restaurant I'd ever been to.  It isn't bad, per se, but I feel the soup is pretty forgettable.  Again maybe this is because I'd had the real thing fairly recently, so it's possible I'm being unfair, I just don't think Van when I get an itch for good pho or, for that matter, anything.  That said, it's certainly decent and a good introduction to Vietnamese food, as the grilled pork R let me try off her plate was delicious.  If you go here, try the entrees and leave the soup for one of the next places.

2.  Saigon Spring:  Based in Clifton Park, Saigon Spring is definitely the nicest looking restaurant, with a full bar and good sized, affordable menu.  The pho here is pretty good, there's a lightness to the broth that makes it good for lunch on a cool day.  Though the broth isn't very hearty, it is flavorful and enjoyable to eat, and the portions (as with all pho) are very generous.  If you try any of the entrees, I would again suggest a pork and rice dish (Vietnamese recipes for marinating pork are amazing, just as an aside).  Service is good, which I appreciate as I used to be a waiter.

3.  Kim's Vietnamese Restaurant:  This place just opened a few weeks ago, and we finally managed to get there and try it out this past weekend.  The inside is a little dull and poorly lit, and it seems like they're still setting things up inside.  It was also almost empty on a Friday night which was disappointing, because the pho was really good.  The broth was very rich and hearty, so much so I couldn't even finish it (which has never happened), so it's definitely more of a dinner place.  The flavors they worked into it were amazing, however, and the amount was good as well.  If there was one weakness, the beef seemed pretty dry and overcooked though the beef balls were excellent.  I can't suggest any other dishes as we've only been once, but if you like soup you owe it to yourself to try it here.  Also, the servers were very attentive and courteous without being obtrusive, so in spite of the decor I was very pleasantly surprised by the experience.

Does anyone else have suggestions for good Vietnamese?  As always, leave it in the comments. -J

Pho 88

Sorry for the long hiatus! J & R just got back from a week-long vacation in Maine. We made a point of stopping by some of the best foodie spots in Portland and discovered some great gems along the way and can't wait to share them with you within the next few posts. We are still recovering and slowly detoxing with lots of veggies and salad since I'm pretty sure our cholesterol levels are up the roof. But let me tell you how helpful Yelp was on this year's trip! 

Armed with the trusty Yelp and Foodspotting phone apps, we found a great little Vietnamese place in Lowell, MA. No McDonald's rest area lunch stops for us! If you find yourself anywhere near this area, make a point to stop by Pho 88. I was craving my mom's Bun Bo Hue (a spicy vermicelli soup, with soft tendon, sliced shank, ground shrimp and pork) and was so surprised to find it on the menu that I had to have it and boy did it hit the spot. This version even came with black blood pudding, a little bit too adventurous/Andrew Zimmern Bizzare Food-esque, even for me. The broth was perfectly spicy and full of delightful aromas like lemongrass. It was just as good as mom's (just don't tell her that). 

I'm pretty sure I got J addicted to pho since we started dating. If you have yet to try Vietnamese food, start out with this noodle soup and you'll be hooked. I make an o.k. chicken pho at home (in the crock pot!) but for the beef pho, we usually go out to Van's Vietnamese Restaurant in Albany or Saigon Spring in Clifton Park for the real deal bowl of goodness. One hot steaming bowl of pho is sure to cure any illness. Pho 88's version was just as good, if not better than Albany's. To drink, J had a tra da chanh (limeade made with jasmine tea) and I had a a durian milkshake with tapioca bubbles. Durian! Yup, it's that's funky fruit that to some people smells vile, is banned in enclosed spaces in Asia, but that I find oh so delicious! 

I wish Vietnamese restaurants here in Albany had as much variety as Pho 88 in Mass. They have dishes like bun rieu (Shrimp and crab meat with vermicelli noodle in a special crab tomato soup) and bun mang vit (Duck leg and fried bamboo shoots with vermicelli noodles soup) that are quintessential Vietnamese dishes that I crave and can't get around these parts, unless I place a special

order with mom when she comes to visit. I can't even get a proper bahn mi sandwich (the real deal baguette made with rice flour and schmear of pate) and that makes me want to start up a food truck just so I can eat one. The best ones by the way, are the ones made in Montreal. The Canadian-French-Vietnamese folk make a mean baguette. But until our next road trip east, I'll settle for Albany pho. -R

Foodspotting

I'm one of THOSE people that takes pictures of their food. No shame in it, especially when it's almost like a piece of art. If it looks good and tastes even better, of course I'm going to share it! 

Have you heard of Foodspotting? It's an app on your phone that lets you snap your own foodie shots, share, and even find dishes wherever you are. The Facebook of food if you will. Followers can say "Great Find" or "Great Shot" and you get reputation points and a "Worldwide" ranking. What gets me excited is when I get elevated to Gold Level Sushi Expert and get a nifty badge for it. That badge totally makes me a legit sushi expert. Sometimes the restaurants themselves will comment too and that is even more exciting! <----major dork.  

So if you're like me and want to show off your food shots, get on Foodspotting, follow me, and we can be foodie friends! -R