By far away, I mean somewhere that I can't reasonably get to on a weeknight for dinner, like Orange County, CA.
And more specifically, a Vietnamese restaurant named Nem Nuong, which is tucked away in the back of the lackluster Mall of Fortune in Garden Grove in Orange County. Even if you had the address right, and your GPS was spot on, you might think twice before actually getting out of your car and walking into the restaurant.
My Vietnamese friend Kim (seriously) recommended it when she heard I was going to Huntington Beach to visit friends. I have a policy about eating in ethnic restaurants, which I do as often as possible. The policy requires that in order to eat in an ethnic restaurant, most of the clientele must be of that ethnicity. Not negotiable, ever. For my Vietnamese friend to recommend this restaurant 500 miles away was a solid endorsement. Plus, she practically drooled when she told me about the spring rolls. "They famous," she said.
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| Meat Rolls (Brodard image) |
I was a little nervous about dragging my friends to this restaurant, site unseen. But when I mentioned it, they were floored! Turns out the restaurant, part of the Brodard Group (of two) Restaurants, is locally famous, and centered in the Little Saigon part of town. They'd been there before, and were happy to go back.
We ordered the Vegetarian Saigon Style Spring Rolls, oversized, stuffed with shredded tofu, mushrooms, vermicelli, sweet potato, lettuce, cucumber, carrot and mint. All wrapped in a perfect rice paper, served with a delicious dipping sauce. They lived up to their reputation, and made a meal unto themselves. I must have more, as soon as possible. We ordered a table full of dishes, some soups, some noodles, the works. The waiters patiently rearranged our condiments and sauces when we bungled the accompaniments. By meal's end, we were stuffed, and the sizable restaurant was full.
Total bill for six people for dinner: $89.00, including drinks and tip. We'll all go back for more.
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