Daniel L.
Yelp
LA's Chinatown is filled with hidden paths and plazas that often lead you to some of the most fashionable dead ends or pleasant surprises. Tucked away in the very back of an ultra clustered fashion plaza, I came across this Vietnamese fast food joint nestled in between stores that sell anything from luggage, shoes, purses, clothes to blankets. This cozy hole in the wall stood out among the rest with its open kitchen, small counter, a wall filled with pictures of their specializations, and a few beaten greasy benches situated by the door. Their menu is quite simple with 2 types of banh mi, three types of pho, and the rest is filled with boba drinks, refrigerated teas and sodas, and Vietnamese frozen treats. I discovered this place when I was hanging out with a group of Yelpers that included Joe L, Antho L, and Mary B, and since then I've returned twice to learn more about their culinary offerings.
Their Combination Pork Banh Mi ($2.25) came with a sizable warm baguette with mayo, pate, steamed pork and shredded ham with cucumber, pickled carrots and strands of cilantro on top. The warm baguette was crisp and soft at the right places without sharp edges, but the filling looked minimal when wedged in between the doughy interior that looked thicker than usual. The combination of sweet mayo and savory shredded ham was very good, but the absence of tangy pickled radish and fish sauce was glaring. The price was decent for what I got in return, but the sandwich was far from being the best as observed by many of the reviewers on this site.
Their Pho Ga ($4) was served in a Styrofoam cup put together with chunky steamed chicken with bones, medium wide rice noodles, and a light broth inspired burnt onions, sprouts, and green scallion. The chicken flavor had minimal influence on the broth which came rather subdued and dependent on the sprouts to give a sweet backdrop to layer with spurts of brunt onions and green scallion. The temperature of the bowl was not hot enough and the rice noodles appeared overcooked and too soft. It was a cheap bowl of pho ga on the go, but visitors should be aware of the lack of rich herbal dimensions that often distinguish a good pho ga from the rest.
Interested visitors should take note that they carry canned guanabana, also known as soursop, which is rare in the US: http://sabalolodge.com/blog/2009/09/guanabana-fruit/. Mary B was the first to tell me about this fruit, which eventually led me to try their Guanabana Smoothie ($4) with Boba (50 cents) and later fresh Jackfruit Smoothie ($3.50) with Boba (50 cents): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackfruit. Their smoothie is put together by sugar, sweet cream, ice, water, and fruit. The slushy texture had rough patches with sporadic ice cubes that were crushed but not fine enough to make it through my big boba straw. Their boba was overcooked both times, which resulted in a sticky texture that makes them more likely to clump into cohorts than to individually separate. The taste of guanabana and jackfruit was delightful and refreshing. The prices of these drinks are steep, but the taste is decent enough for me to recommend it.
Service was quick, efficient with a smile. Their tables were wiped often as people enjoyed sharing them given the transient nature of this place. A bit over-hyped on Yelp, I would only recommend it as a decent fast food place for those on the go.
