D Z.
Yelp
Mom & Pop place. Take out only. COVID restrictions have been lifted for a while and they do not have plans to resume dine in service.
Mom is the only cook and she makes everything to order. So if they are busy, you might wait a while for your food. Most patrons phone in their order so it rarely looks busy from the outside.
The easiest way to place a phone order is start with the number listed on their menu.
For example:
Beef Stew * Spicy (15 minutes)
36 ...Beef Stew w/ Rice $15.
37 ...Beef Stew w/ Rice noodle $16.
38 ...Beef Stew w/ Egg noodle $16.
39 ...Beef Stew w/ Pho noodle $16.
40 ...Beef Stew w/ Bread $16.50
"Number 40, Beef Stew w/ bread and a side order of egg noodle ($4.)"
The #40 beef stew is thicker, accompanied by one Banh mi size French bread to sop up the stew. When I finish my bread, I pour the remaining stew over my egg noodles. This order feeds two people.
If I ordered #37,#38,#39 Beef stew w/ noodles, it would be a thiner beef stew because the stew is place in soup noodles.
*Spicy - I'm a wimp when it comes to chili peppers. The beef stew spices does not have a chili burn to it but is very flavorful.
#108 SPICY Beef Noodles $13.50 has a chili pepper kick to it. (This dish is more renowned at Bac Nam but I still think Aloha Vietnam version is good.)
Other dishes I frequently order are:
#8 Fried Chicken Wings $12.
Crispy wings with onion & butter. Make sure you squeeze the lemon over it and sprinkle the salt & pepper before you take a bite.
#11 Lemon Beef Salad *Spicy $16.50
I often order one shrimp chip and heap the beef salad over it. It's like eating a Vietnamese tostada. (Shrimp chips are an off the menu item, sold by the piece, from Vietnam, not always available.)
#42 Chicken Coconut Curry with Rice noodles. $15.50
#58 -#61 Crispy Egg Noodles (15 minutes)
This takes CRISPY noodles to the next level!!! If you don't have a set of good teeth to chomp away, you might want to pass on this. All the different gravy's are yummy & hot. The take out container they provide is barely sufficient so I bring my 4 cups Pyrex container and pour the gravy all over the noodles when I get home.
The following dishes have been a hit with Kapunas & friends:
#16-#25 Pho - If you are on a cardiac diet, it is difficult to eat out. Too much salt makes your ankles and fingers swollen. Ajinomoto - heart palpation, dry mouth. Guess what? These people love the pho here. No swelling, palpations or dry mouth. I asked Mom if she adds salt & MSG, she said, "Yes but very little bit."
Hint: Pho taste better hot. When you get home, reboil broth, then pour it over the noodles. Then toss in the basal & bean sprouts.
#24 Oxtail Pho & #65 Oxtail Soup with Rice - If you're a fan of oxtail soup at Asahi Grill or Kam Bowl, you can pass on the oxtail here.
#90 Caramelized Claypot Catfish, When they had dine in service, I notice a lot of Vietnamese people ordered this dish. Now I bring a small clay pot when I order this. 25-45mins later its is all bubbling when it comes out of the kitchen and thickens as it cools. The catfish has a very distinctive flavor that you will love or hate.
If I had to subtract a star from here, it would be for ambiance but I have seen Mom & Pop cleaning in the kitchen at 2am.