My obsession with Vietnamese food part 1

I've decided to periodically pay homage to some of my favorite Vietnamese dishes simply because I'm totally addicted to this cuisine. I find that I must somehow satiate my desire at least twice or three times a week, so I might as well document my constant hunt for the next Vietnamese dish so you can also partake on some of these delicious findings.

I'm going to start with cha ca thang long -- dill turmeric fish. This dish is always served with a plateful of fresh greens including lettuce, mint, perilla leaves and cilantro -- the variation may change depending on where you go but you'll be sure to get some, if not all of the herbs. A little plate of peanuts and sesame seed cracker are also given as well as a plate of rice vermecelli and a small bowl of shrimp paste sauce.

I'm not sure if there is a correct way to eat it, but what I like to do is to layer the bottom of my bowl with some vermecelli, then drizzle some shrimp paste sauce on it before I break apart the various greens and top with the fish and wilted onions and dill. The shrimp paste sauce can be intimidating to the untrained palate as it is slightly pungent, and doesn't look very appetizing. However, if you can get over that, it is what binds the entire dish together.

Cha ca thang long is not a cheap dish -- generally it's around $13 although the highest I've come across has been $15. There are quite a few places which serve it up, and I'm sure I've only scratched the surface of what's available out there, but here are just a sampling of what I've found.

Ha Noi
(9082 Bolsa Ave, Westminster, CA 92683 Ph: 714-901-8108)
When the original owners still were in charge, this place had some of the best dill turmeric fish around. I was never partial to catfish, but somehow, the way they prepared it here was that the marinade took away any of the muddy taste which lingered on the flesh. Under new ownership, the fish no longer tastes as good, nor is it as tender. The accompanying shrimp paste sauce is also very watery tasting.

Vien Dong
(14271 Brookhurst Ave, Garden Grove, CA 92843 Ph: 714-531-8253)
One of the first places to offer up this dish, Vien Dong's version uses snapper instead of catfish. My husband really liked the version here, but I thought it was just okay. I didn't like the shrimp paste sauce here and that is essential in how the whole thing ends up tasting.

Ha Noi Avenue
(8432 Westminster Blvd, Westminster, CA 92683 Ph: 714-898-8838)
The original owners of Ha Noi restaurant recently opened Ha Noi Avenue serving up dishes using their old recipes. Catfish is used here and it's as moist and tender as I remembered when I first had it at the old location. Although it is slightly greasy, the fresh dill and sliced onions are perfectly charred and caramelized because the sizzling platter always arrives splattering from the heat. The shrimp paste sauce here is about as perfect as you'll get with the right amount of savoriness to sweetness.

Canton aka Chao Ca Cho Cu
(8550 Westminster Ave, Westminster, CA 92683 Ph: 714-892-2022)
To date, this is my favorite place for cha ca thang long. I'm not 100% sure what kind of fish they use here -- could be snapper, could be sole -- but it's damn good! The fish is moist and very tender and all the accompanying sides are fresh and flavorful. This is also the most expensive one of all topping out at $14.99 and the portion isn't any bigger than at the other restaurants. The reason why this place takes first place over Ha Noi Avenue is because I am not a huge fan of catfish. Otherwise, in terms of flavor, I'd say Ha Noi Avenue is the best all around.

Izakaya Wasa -- pricey mall fusion

Izakaya Wasa at the Spectrum
59 Fortune Drive Irvine, CA 92618
(949) 453-9500
www.izakayawasa.com

I'm very particular when it comes to eating sashimi or sushi. REALLY particular. I have one or two places I will eat raw fish at and then I stick to it. Rarely will you find me venturing to unknown restaurants to indulge in one of my favorite meals of all time.

So when a friend suggested Izakaya Wasa for lunch, I probed and questioned regarding the quality of fish, etc etc. He assured me that it was pretty good. I trust this friend when it comes to raw fish so I happily tagged along for yet another culinary adventure.

Some people may not like this look, but I like minimalist decor. It gives me a feeling of serenity. To me, nothing is worse than extremely loud music and too much going on in a restaurant when you're trying to enjoy a meal. There is a time and place for that sort of dining -- when we're out with a bunch of kids -- and Izakaya Wasa just isn't one of those places.

There are little booths which give you the feel of privacy yet remain part of the entire dining room. The modernist approach makes it perfect for a night out on the town while the wooden plaques adorning the walls creates just a touch of old school charm without being gaudy.

The menu is quite extensive so be prepared to spend some time browsing. There are appetizers, yakitori, sushi, noodles, rice bowls and much much more to choose from. On this particular visit, my friend opted for the spicy tuna don, while I had the premium sushi set. Our lunches came with a salad and a bowl of miso soup. The ginger sesame dressing on the salad was extremely overpowering in terms of ginger. You could barely taste the sesame and they overdressed the salad so by the time you've eaten the first half of the salad, the second half was swimming in the dressing. Overkill if you ask me. Miso soup was quite pleasant -- flavorful without being overly salty.

I found it strange that the server put my friend's order in before I was ready to order, hence, his food came out about 5-7 minutes before mine. The spicy tuna don arrived very beautifully presented, but atop the layer of rice was a generous sprinkling of panko bread crumbs drizzled with a dark, sweet sauce and then finished off with the spicy tuna. I am not a fan of bread crumbs or batter crumbs sprinkled on my rice or my noodles so I didn't like this dish all that much. Also, different restaurants create different versions of spicy tuna ..... here, chili sesame oil is used instead of sriracha chili sauce. It's just a personal preference, so if you like chili oil, then this will be extremely favorable to your palate.

My premium sushi set arrived on a white platter. There were 6 pieces of spicy tuna roll (alternatively, you can choose California roll) and 8 pieces of nigiri. The only piece I didn't like was the mirugai (geoduck clam). It was on the fishy side. The other fish were all very fresh with melt-in-the-mouth texture. There was also enough umami for me to deem this pretty damn good fish for a fusion-style restaurant.

Next time you're at the Spectrum, by all means check it out. It's not outstanding sushi, but it's not bad at all for its location and price.

I-naba -- A Noodling good time

I-naba
20920 Hawthorne Blvd
Torrance, CA 90510
(310) 371-6675

It was on my birthday last year that a bunch of my friends brought me here for dinner. Hence, it was ironic that a year later, I had the pleasure of meeting a dear old friend, the Ubiquitous Grammar Cop (http://lomnoir.blogspot.com) when he was visiting, at I-naba, again, on my birthday. Thirteen years separated our last meeting to this one. We ordered quickly so we could catch up on the last decade between bites of tempura and soba.

Tempura Deluxe Set lunch was agreed upon and thus started the array of food which arrived. A green salad and miso soup arrived first, followed by hijiki (seaweed) salad which had bits of carrots and roasted chestnuts interspersed with the black tasty seaweed.

The set also included some sashimi, but honestly, I-naba is not known for its sashimi or sushi. I suggest you try to avoid this at all costs. Soba and tempura is what they are known for and it is here they excel. My cold soba was perfectly al dente and from the ooos and ahhhs the Grammar Cop was giving off, it'll be safe to say he was enjoying his hot soba as well. The accompanying tempura was perfectly fried -- light without the heaviness of copious batter.

Our meal ended with a scoop of ice cream, but, as the flavor and texture of the sashimi proved before, I-naba needs to have their refrigeration system thoroughly checked out. Ice cream was dotted with chunks of icicles causing extremely discomfort while eating. Mine was slightly better, I finished my sesame ice cream, but the Grammar Cop pushed his green tea version aside.

Noodles and tempura, plus the company of a good friend -- not much else one could ask for!

Hanoi Avenue -- Vietnamese at its best

Ha Noi Avenue
8432 Westminster Ave, Westminster, CA 92683
(714) 898-8838

Ever feel like you go to a Vietnamese restaurant and only one or two items are truly fantastic? I've often felt that way whenever I go with family or friends and everyone has different taste buds. I might want pho, my husband bun, my son, com but not all of us will be satisfied when we leave.

Ha Noi Avenue has managed to be the one restaurant I've come across which excels in almost everything on the menu -- at least, everything I've tried to date. The owners used to own Ha Noi Restaurant on Bolsa and had not planned to start another business, but opportunity came calling and hence, Ha Noi Avenue came to fruition.

I've been there on my own and with my family. Either way, you can be sure you will leave satisfied and satiated if Vietnamese food is your thing. It's definitely MY thing! I love Vietnamese food. When I'm on my own, I have a bowl of noodles and the bun rieu or bun rieu oc are just fabulous. The broth is light and refreshing with a very clean finish. If you like snails or periwinkles are they are called, order the bun rieu oc. Otherwise, stick to the bun rieu. Chunks of crab roe hide under the white thin noodles. Break off the mint and basil and dunk it into your piping hot bowl of bun rieu for an added aromatic flavor. Julienned lettuce and beansprouts create a nice crunchy texture to the softness of the noodles.

Steamed chicken is also perfectly tender and moist. I wasn't very fond of the accompanying garlic sauce, but if you order pho ga, then these exact same chunks of chicken will arrive in your bowl of soupy noodles and you wouldn't need to dip it.

Bo luc lac or shaking beef arrives sizzling and splattering on a hot plate atop sliced onions which end up nicely caramelized. Apart from this dish being a tad oily, the flavor is so fulfilling you probably will overlook the greasiness.

Cha ca thang long or dill turmeric fish also arrives on a hot plate although not quite as spit splattering as the beef. Make sure you quickly move the dill under the fish so it wilts -- wilting the dill intensifies its flavor. Take a little of the noodles, put it into your bowl, drizzle a little of the shrimp paste sauce, break apart some perilla (shiso) leaves, mint, basil into the same bowl and now, take a chunk of fish with some of the dill and enjoy. It's quite addictive really!

We also tried an item not on the menu. Trung duc is an omelette similar to egg foo yung. Our's had crabmeat (real crabmeat, not krab!), wood ear fungus and glass noodles in it. We were lucky that the lady owner was on hand to give us some recommendations!

If you're adventurous, let the owner steer you in the right direction. She's extremely personable and quite the hostess. Your dining experience will be THAT much better if you just let yourself go.

Ajisen Ramen -- Hot and Brothy

Ajisen Ramen
2700 Alton Parkway Irvine, CA 92606
(949) 833-3288

Ajisen Ramen opened at Diamond Jamboree with much aplomb and it shows with the number of customers waiting patiently for a table. We arrived early to avoid the lunch rush, but by midday, the line had already formed outside. The menu is vast and varied requiring more time than usual to sift through the offerings. Staff are impatient and pounce on your as soon as you've sat down to take your order but don't let them hurry you. Take your time to decide.

Spicy Pork Ramen was not spicy at all. In fact, it was a mild tasting broth with slices of chashu similar to that at Santouka except there was less fat.

Premium Pork Ramen had the best flavor in terms of broth and they were very generous with the pork. It was silky and moist served in thin slices -- almost with the consistency of it being shaved.

Spicy Beef Ramen was again not spicy, but there was a drizzling of spicy hot oil to give it the illusion that it was spicy. The broth was hearty and flavorful and the beef looked like chunks you would get in a bowl of niu rou mien, or Taiwanese style beef noodles.

There are lunch specials which consists of 5 or 6 types of ramen to choose from plus a side of either agedashi tofu, gyoza, corn salad or cucumber with krab salad.

Bowls of ramen were around $9 which is pretty pricey for what you get. The ramen noodles itself was subpar tasting like the ones you'd get from a packet you can purchase from the grocery store. The broth is what stands out at Ajisen. It is flavorful, robust, yet not overly salty or overly greasy. Ajisen's ramen remains mediocre until they get the consistency of the noodles right.