Quanh Hy

Vietnamese food -- I love it. I grew up eating pho @ Golden Deli in San Gabriel thinking it was the best thing ever. That is, until I packed up and moved down to the OC. During the first few weeks down here, I was really at a loss for good food. That was until a family friend recommended I try this place out, and I've been back 10+ times since in the last year. Mind you, I have to drive a solid 20+ minutes to get here, so it's a sign that it's actually well worth my time.

Quanh Hy...man I've been wanting to write a review about this place for quite some time. Truthfully, this should have been my first post on this blog. The only reason it isn't is because everytime I go there I always forget to bring a camera. And even when I do, I'm too excited to get down to business that I forget the camera is there altogether. This place is located in Westminster in the heart of Little Saigon. There are a lot of great Vietnamese restaurants within a 1/2 mile radius, but this one is definitely one of the best, and certainly takes the cake in my book.

The food here isn't your typical pho/egg roll/spring roll-type joint. The majority of Vietnamese places out there serve Southern Vietnamese food, which is definitely good in its own right, and certainly makes a great name for Vietnamese food in general. Quanh Hy rolls a little differently. Here they serve up central-Vietnamese style cuisine. I like it much more than your typical bowl or pho or rice dish, because they tend to incorporate a greater variety of ingredients, as you can see from some of the pictures below. It just reminds me a lot of Thai food -- it definitely has similar characteristics, which I think is why it appeals to me that much more.

As you can see from the descriptions below, after coming here so many times, I still don't know the names of the dishes. All I can remember are the numbers. As long as you order #1, 3, 4, 6, 7, and perhaps 14 or 23 (noodle dishes) you're solid. You don't even have to ask.

#1 Banh Beo

#7 Goi Mit (Jackfruit salad)

#3 (postickers)

#4

#14 (Vermicelli noodles w/ charbroiled pork and shrimp cakes)

Whenever someone asks me what's good to eat in OC, this is the first place that ALWAYS pops into my mind. It's that good. The only complaint I have for this place (and a big complaint it is) is the complete lack of service. Keep in mind this is a Vietnamese joint. I don't want to make over-generalizations, but yo shit, it's all about the cash money at these places, and they want you in and out as quick as possible. And in that respect, the servers here are usually on point with their game.

First of all the majority of them don't speak English, which makes your dining experience slightly more difficult straight off the bat. Extra plates or more water? Good luck. My biggest peeve there is how they NEVER clear your table. It doesn't matter how much you order. The only thing that's going to change is how high up you'll have to reach to grab your food. I'm really not exaggerating. If you ain't down with the plate stacking, this place is not for you. Food -- A+. Service -- F-. But as long as they aren't spitting in my food, with an A+ I'm not really here for the service anyway right?

Quanh Hy

9727 Bolsa Ave

Westminster, CA 92683

Cheers,
Opie

Joan's on Third

Since this past weekend was rained out = no work for me, I decided to take a daytrip up to LA to visit my friend Candice. For lunch, we were both in the mood to try something new, but it seemed as though the only suggestions we could offer each other were to places that either she or myself had already been to.

Since we were on our way to LACMA (which inevitably was cancelled) we decided to cruise 3rd St. to see if we would come across anything interesting. There were the usual spots such as the 1-hour wait Toast, and my all-time favorite Doughboys, which seems to have been shut down for the time being. Fortunately we came across a little place called Joan's on Third.

Perhaps Joan's on Third is an institution in LA - I sure as hell didn't know that stepping in. But once I had a chance to walk around a little bit and had a chance to enjoy my food, I wondered why I've never been here before. Best way to describe Joan's on Third is that it's a small and quaint gourmet marketplace with a solid selection of cheese, wine, sandwiches, salads, and all those tasty-looking packaged goods that you would only find in an overseas market.

Here's a look at some of the food we had for lunch:

Beet salad w/ Walnuts and (...)cheese i forget.

VENETIAN COPPA SALAME with provolone & olive paste

PRESSED CHICKEN, BACON & BRIE with carmelized onions on French baguette

Scallion Pancake w/ Hoisin Sauce

We finished our meal with a coconut cupcake, which was good but couldn't compete with the Affogato (vanilla bean gelato w/ a shot of chilled espresso). Definitely a winner in my book.

Joan's on Third

8350 West 3rd Street

Los Angeles, CA 90048

www.joansonthird.com

Cheers,

Opie