Saigon Noodle House
1136 S Diamond Bar Blvd.
Diamond Bar, CA 91765
(909) 861-5020
So, a few things to lament my homecoming from California, my second home. Aside from leaving my ever-growing family, I will also be saying 'farewell for now' to California's abundant restaurants. My two favorites, although fast food chains, are In-N-Out Burger and Souplantation. Though one is greasy and the other super healthily delicious, and will probably never end up with a James Beard Award (imagine? Haha!!), I can't help but hope that one day they will find a niche in New York. Oh well, I did find something that can be found in NY, but only have tried for the first time during this trip to Cali... Vietnamese food!
I am always excited to eat a new cuisine and this time, it was Vietnamese. It's like experiencing a new country to me... well, maybe not as thrilling, but hey, if you can't go to Vietnam, try the food and maybe you'll get a feel for its culture. So, it's exactly what I did while visiting my family. My parents have eaten at this place a few times and thought Fiona and I would like it, being the happy-to-eat-any-food family that we are. I was actually surprised, not that they had suggested Vietnamese food, but that in all of my life, I had never tried it. Actually, I was shocked and even appalled at myself.. Haha.. yes, appalled. Oh well, no sense in dwelling what I hadn't done yet... let's eat the food!
Even though the menu offered many appetizing dishes, I really wanted to try the Pho (pronounced, 'fu' as in fun), which is essentially a beef and rice noodle soup. The one I chose, as there are several varieties, was Pho tai chin nam (pronounced, 'fu-tie-chin-nom'). This was slices of eye round, well done brisket, and flank steak. You are served a generous bowl of beef broth, noodles, and the raw meat is shaved very thin and put into the boiling broth where it cooks quickly before your eyes.
Honestly, I mostly wanted to order the soup for that very reason- I am easily amused and find it rather fascinating to watch the meat cook like that in your bowl. Also, my dad had described a similar dish he had when he went to China, and I always wanted to try something similar. Another reason I was excited to try Pho was because you can make the soup your own; it is served alongside a plate of bean sprouts, which I adore for the crunch, green hot peppers, limes, and fresh basil. All these flavors, depending on how much you add, really transform the soup into a unique creation every time. I found that the broth was subtly sweet, maybe from the rice noodles, flavorful, and tangy from the squeeze of lime. I also added a bit of Sriracha, a popular hot chili sauce, found in many Asian eateries. This made my soup perfect, well, for me, and I even found it to be a great comfort food. This picture is of my Pho with everything in it.
The soup had the right amount of textures and flavors, and while it tasted wonderfully harmonious, you could somehow still taste each ingredient individually. Another perk to this restaurant, aside from the super helpful and friendly staff, was that it is cheap, cheap, cheap! Only about five dollars for a gigantic bowl of Pho that I couldn't even finish! Below is a dish that my mom ordered. I don't completely remember what it was, but I believe it was some type of marinated chicken with a Vietnamese egg roll, and very delish.
Now that I have finally sampled a hint of Vietnamese cooking, I would love to try more, if not for the rustically yummy ingredients, but for the experience!
