9738 Westminster Ave.
Westminster, CA 92684
By no means has the NSP come to an end, but we at ACM feel that it is time to expand our evaluations of Things Delicious to other types of Asian (and come to think of it, also other types of non-Asian) fare.
He, in particular, is forcing the issue, insisting that we have discovered his new "favorite" Vietnamese place in the OC. I, on the other hand, while with great appreciation for the new place, am still quite hesitant to let go of the old place (Luc Dinh Ky, reviewed previously).
Nem Nuong Khanh Hoa specializes in nem nuong, a fresh roll originating from Central Vietnam similar in its construction to the Southern goi cuon, but nem nuong contains grilled pork cake rather than fresh shrimp and includes a crunchy fried rice paper in the middle. Khanh Hoa also serves a shrimp paste-grilled-on-sugarcane version, cha tom nuong. Both rolls are quite good and are offered in two ways: the "Made For You" form and the "Do It Yourself" form. Depending on how you're feeling that day, you can satisfactorily have it however you'd like. (T.I. would like them, perhaps.) Khanh Hoa provides an ample and wide variety of greens to incorporate into your roll and all of the ingredients they provide are fresh.
I am usually feeling lazy, and so I order them pre-made, although I'd probably be more likely to order them deconstructed if he were to roll all of mine for me, as he has impressive rolling skills and makes interesting, exceptional rolls.
Anyway, back to the rolls themselves:
- The ingredients are fresh. I can't emphasize this enough.
- The proteins are well-made and well-seasoned. They are flavorful enough to be described as "porky" or "shrimpy" but they're not overly meaty or dry and they remain crisp on the outside and tender on the inside even if you've left them to sit for a half hour while you eat other things.
- The crisp rice paper inside gives the roll a dynamic texture: soft-crunch-soft-pork. It's neither oily nor too thick and therefore doesn't distract from the roll's central focus, the meat.
- There's no hint of laziness in the preparation of these rolls. If you get them pre-made, you'll see the nem nuong is tightly rolled. There's neither too little nor too much of any ingredient, and the proteins are still hot inside of their soft white rice paper when the plate reaches your table.
How lovely.
And then there's the sauce that comes with nem nuong. It is not nuoc mam (fish sauce) or a spiced and altered hoisin sauce. I am not entirely sure what's in it, except that I know it contains fish sauce. Next time you see her, ask my Mom.
We ate other things at Khanh Hoa too, actually. Here's the run down in the order of which dishes I liked most:
1. Banh beo chen: This dish is mostly steamed rice flour with dried shrimp, dried garlic, and green onion on top served with nuoc mam. It's been one of my favorite things since I was like, 2. Khanh Hoa serves them steamed into individual small dishes. I like to add nuoc mam directly into the dish and then scoop with a spoon or slurp the banh beo directly into my mouth. They've mastered the texture issues that other places tend to have, and again the ingredients are Fresh. Words to describe good banh beo: Salty, light, onion-y, and squishy with an occasional slight crisp from the dried shrimp.
2. Bun tom thit nuong: This dish, grilled shrimp and pork over cold rice noodles, is served in many Vietnamese restaurants. They make it particularly well here, as their grilled pork is nicely seasoned, their vegetables are fresh (that word again), and their noodles are slippery, but not hard. The portions are adequate with the exception of the shrimp, in that I only had 3 in my bowl.
3. Ap chao thap cam don: He was thoroughly impressed with this one. It consists of a combination of seafood, other meats, and vegetables served over deep fried noodles (in this case, wide rice noodles) and smothered in a smooth gravy. Texturally (close your eyes), it's like biting into the unknown. Will this bite be crunchy with a piece of chewy calamari or will this bite be soft with a gravy covered tender piece of beef? Who knows?! Who cares?!
4. And lastly, there's the banh khot. Banh khot at Khanh Hoa is very similar to their banh beo except deep fried. Khanh Hoa's banh khot can be skipped. It tastes like their banh beo without any other appealing qualities. The banh is too thick and exceptionally greasy. There is little incentive for me to order their banh khot when I have the option of ordering the banh beo. I've had banh khot at other restaurants, and it was made with a slightly different "dough" which was lighter, still crispy but not tough, and it contained just a simple whole shrimp. Try your first banh khot elsewhere if you've never had it. Try Khanh Hoa's if you've already had many.
Overall, Nem Nuong Khanh Hoa is a great place. They have excellent hot tea, the service is always friendly, and the coffee is strong. Oh yeah, if you're interested, they also serve noodle soup.
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