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