The 23 Essential Vietnamese Restaurants in Little Saigon, Orange County

"Thach Che Hien Khanh is located in an outdoor shopping plaza filled with restaurants and novelties. An imperial red and gold colored arch with “T&K Food Market” emblazoned overhead indicates the right place. The small Vietnamese dessert shop sells items to go. It’s old school, which means here are no tables or chairs, and people wait in line to be served cafeteria-style. Refrigerator cases in the front have soy milk pudding cups sweetened with palm sugar syrup, and other sweets. Behind the glass partition, women serve heaping portions of sticky rice flavored with durian or pandan. There are other Vietnamese desserts such as bánh bò, chewy sponge cakes made with tapioca and rice flours; che dau trang, sticky rice with black-eyed peas sweetened with coconut milk; pounded sticky rice “turtles” filled with sweet beans, and fried sesame balls with mung bean. The dessert beverages are similar to Filipino halo-halo. Scoop up spoonfuls of sweet condensed milk layered with red beans and colorful jellies flavored with seagrass, coffee, coconut milk, and pandan. Remember, this place only accepts cash." - Jenn Tanaka