Banh Xeo – Wong Eats

Pho & Grill 198

Vietnamese Restaurants pose quite a challenge for any blogger, especially for this reviewer. In the past, I have griped about the lack of good establishments outside of traditional Vietnamese communities, like Eden Center, Fairfax, VA, with offerings beyond the expected bowl of Pho noodles. I have also lamented about the demise of a few restaurants of this cuisine, of which one served outstanding modern and traditional dishes whose flavors were indelible in my mind. In addition, some places that I have visited have not maintained their standards after a few months of opening, and they have fallen off my must-visit list. So, when a new Vietnamese joint opened just down the road from me in Burtonsville, MD, I had mixed emotions, not knowing which course this culinary adventure would take me.

Pho & Grill 198 occupies what once used to be a Chinese restaurant in the middle of a strip mall that would escape one’s attention in a blink of the eye. I so happened to stumble upon this new establishment when I took my parents to try Ethiopian food a couple of doors down (a rare visit from Australia), and after picking up its take-out menu, I noticed some interesting dishes that went beyond my expectation. Walking in there for the first time, the well-lacquered furniture and wooden floors, perhaps leftover from its previous life, exuded a warm welcoming ambiance with lots of light streaming through the storefront windows. Well, after a few visits to this spot, here is my report.

Drinks maybe not the highlight in one’s meal, but I do enjoy some from this cuisine. I had to try the Lemonade, listed as Fresh Lemon Juice. After hearing the sound of a stirring spoon in a glass coming from the bar, I know that it was made a la minute. Fresh it was, indeed, filled with bits of tart bits of lemon, sweet enough without sending you into a diabetic shock – the perfect end-of-summer thirst quencher. Another drink that I honed in on the menu came from the smoothies section, and I had to go for my favorite flavor – Durian. My glass came filled with a thick icy creamy concoction that tasted rich and milky, with the pungent Durian sulphuric notes (some describe it as “rotting garbage”) cutting through and overshadowing the diary’s innocent mild flavors. I love the funkiness of this Southeast Asian fruit that I grew up on, and I was savoring every drop like a prized treasure – not for the uninitiated but totally up my alley. The drinks category are worth looking at, beyond the usual glass of water I usually settle for.

Well, moving on to the appetizers. This place offers a number of types of rolls, some familiar and some not. The Crispy Spring Roll was ordered on one occasion. What set them slightly apart from most that I have savored was the flavors of crab meat and shrimp that were more pronounced even though they were ground up together into the pork mixture. They were tasty, fairly light and greaseless, but I did miss the use of taro root in the traditional recipe that adds the certain soft texture to a dense filling (a rare practice these days). However, they were pretty good light bites. Since it was summer, I also had to try their Summer Roll. The rice paper wrapping was still fairly soft and moist without the chalkiness from refrigeration. The stuffing was a combination of slices of sweet shrimp (a bit overcooked and tough for me) and savory pork, mixed with lettuce, mint and Perilla leaves. The addition of the herbs in the bundle added a note of interest to this savory light combination, not commonly found in other versions, which I found refreshing with these bites. The last type of roll savored was something completely new for me – Pleiku Style Rice Paper Rolls. This Rice Paper bundle comes stuffed with grilled beef, grilled pork stick (like spam), crispy roll, fried egg, cucumber and mixed pickles. Wow, what a roll it was! I was enjoying the myriad of flavors, all tasting well-prepared and well-seasoned, and textures from the various partners who happen to get along well with each other in the cramped roll. These bites encompassed all the good things I like about this cuisine, brought together in this super roll. This has become my favorite roll which hails from the owner’s Central Vietnam hometown.

Perusing the menu for the first time, I noticed a couple of dishes in the same section that are not usually found in other Pho places. The first is Banh Xeo or Stuffed Vietnamese Crepes. A couple of yellowish crepes arrive stuffed with shrimp, beef, onion, and beansprouts. The shrimps were large and sweet, the beef well-seasoned and tasty, onions sweet, and the beansprouts added the necessary slight crunch to the mixture. But what made the dish stand out were the crepes themselves. The skins were smoky from being cooked on a smoking cast-iron to produce this crisp and slightly charred crepe (“Xeo” in the name denotes the sizzling of the mixture hitting the hot pan). The version served here may not be rich with coconut milk (a South Vietnamese trait), but the whole mixture was appealing enough for a friend considering hijacking my dish. The briny fish sauce was the obligatory and necessary accompaniment to bring saltiness to the unseasoned crepe, which is the case in the traditional approach. Another appetizer that immediately caught my attention was Roasted Quail. My order arrived with the miniature bird shiny from a good lacquering and dark from the roasting. The meat was quite firm yet moist, pulling off the bone rather easily, and exuding exotic notes from the judicious use of five-spice powder that made each bite delectable and the bones somewhat edible too. Good things come in all sizes, and this small bite is no exception. Another order that night was Stir-Fried Baby Clams. The plate arrived with a mixture of the bits of seafood mixed with herbs, topped with crispy fried shallots, along with a plate of rice crackers. One bite into the dish pointed towards mild and subtle flavors. I enjoyed this mixture with the sweet tasting baby clams, the crunchy and aromatic fried shallots, the fragrance from mint leaves and pungent Vietnamese Rau Ram herb, and hints of lemongrass and chili wafting through each mouthful. The rice crackers made the perfect vehicle for the soft seafood with their crunchy texture and for the added savoriness that they lent to each bite. The above appetizers are worth a try, and making the Banh Xeo and Baby Clams into a main course is possible due to the portion size, like my friends and I have done so on our visits.

For the main course, there are selections of dry and soup dishes. From the non-soup entrees, I ordered Shrimp Bun Noodle Salad on one occasion. The bowl arrived with a mound of rice noodles surrounded by the usual suspects of mint leaves, cucumber, lettuce, and pickled root vegetables, all topped with a heap of cooked butterflied shrimp, fried spring rolls, and a sprinkling of nutty peanuts. After pouring the obligatory fish sauce mixed with some Sriracha sauce, the dish tasted very much like how most Bun salads do. However, what sets this version apart was the shrimp that tasted a bit sweet and charred from some hot grill action, albeit a bit too long judging but its slight toughness. But, I was enjoying the mini fried spring roll bits that provided the textural contrast to the soft elements in the bowl. A friend’s order of Grilled Pork Rice dish arrived with an impressive amount of the grilled meat. One bite into his dish made a wonderful impression: well-marinated meat tasting slightly sweet and salty, and slightly smoky from its stay on the hot grill. The bits of fried green onions added the slight onion-like fragrance to these meaty bites. Another friend’s order made with Grilled Beef was equally impressive with a hit of lemongrass that exuded it citrus root fragrance to these clean tasting yet well-marinated pieces. Another friend’s order of Combination Fried Rice was skilfully made with lightly oiled yellow rice studded with pieces of meat and shrimp, onions and pieces of vegetables, all delicately seasoned – I couldn’t resist but take more than a couple of scoops from my friend’s plate.

Since it was a Pho establishment, I knew I had to try their noodle soups. Ever since I was introduced to Bun Bo Hue in a now-defunct establishment, this dish had to be ordered on one of my visits here. The bowl was brimming with some steaming reddish soup, covering some round rice noodles and bits of off-cuts like beef shank and pork knuckles, along with Vietnamese ham and some vegetables. But the star of the dish, and deservedly so, is the broth that had hints of herbal lemongrass, spicy chili kick, and a seafood pungency from the use of shrimp paste, much like anchovy paste. The side plate of sliced cabbage, banana blossom, mint, Vietnamese mint (Rau Ram), Perilla leaves (cousin of Shiso), added the additional textural interest and herbal qualities to this savory spicy dish. As if the soup was not shrimpy enough, a container of fermented shrimp paste added more sea brininess to the mix. I have to admit that this is the best version I have eaten in quite some time, and I’m glad I can just head down the road for this spicy bowl.

A bowl of the proverbial Pho noodles was calling my name on another visit, and I chose the simple Pho Tai. The bowl of hot steaming bowl came with a mound of eye-round steak sitting on rice noodles surrounded by a clear soup. After separating the paper-thin beef slices and cooking them in the broth, I could taste the mild beef flavors that were indicative of fresh quality meat. But what grabbed my attention was the broth that was perfectly seasoned without a trace of MSG, with faint hints of the spices used in its cooking, without any single spice standing out – a completely round flavor. Usually one for stronger flavors in my Pho broth (more star-anise, more cassia bark), I marveled at this “roundness” of flavor, and I don’t think anyone would find fault with this bowl.

Desserts do not feature extensively in Asians cuisine, Vietnamese included. However, I couldn’t help but order Flan Cake at the end of dinner one night, this dish obviously being a vestige of French rule. A small bowl arrived with the cooked custard surrounded by coffee, with shaved ice perching on the cake as well as pieces swimming in the caffeinated liquid. This was an interesting combination with the slightly sweet and creamy flan mixed with the slightly bitter and under sweetened coffee. I quite enjoyed this interesting pairing, but it would have been more successful if the coffee was sweeter since it was robbing some of the flan’s sugars, which made the cake a bit flat. A friend’s night-cap of Vietnamese Coffee arrived on the table in its traditional style: a filtering contraption sitting on top of a shot glass filled with thick sweet condensed milk. A sip from his glass confirmed what I like about Vietnamese coffee – sweet, strong and bitter without the acrid notes (usually found in American coffee), exuding aromatic chicory notes from its roasting.

Pho & Grill 198 is not your typical Pho noodle place. What this place offers is far beyond what one usually expects from this type of establishment, with offerings of the wonderful “super” Pleiku roll, the aromatic Roasted Quail, the subtle but tasty Baby Clams, the smoky and crispy Crepes, the rounded flavors in the Pho noodles, and the wow factor that I savored in the Bun Bo Hue spicy noodle soup. An establishment of this kind in the suburbs is a rare find, even more so in a not-so-diverse suburban town in Montgomery county. But judging by the stream of clients entering its doors, the word is out that something good is going on here. Fortunately for me, it is just a stone throw away from my house, and I will be walking through its doors with some frequency for the wide variety of its scrumptious Vietnamese offerings.

>Addendum:
Pho & Grill 198 has just started serving the quintessential Vietnamese sandwich, Banh Mi, and I had a taste of it today. Fresh crusty baguette, crispy vegetables, sweet and sour pickles, Jalapeño bite, fragrant cilantro, and marinated lemongrass grilled meat – a winning combination!! Finally this sandwich has made it to this side of the DMV.

Huong Viet

Restaurants

This must be some bad economic times that we are going through. Uncertainty seems to hover over the housing market, the stock market, the job market, a looming sequestration, and undoubtedly the restaurant business. More than a handful of restaurants that I have reviewed have folded up since I started a year ago. To make matters worse, both Vietnamese restaurants on my blog have shut their doors, one after nearly 15 years of business, and the other just a mere 8 months. As you may have read about my elusive search for a good Vietnamese eatery near me and in DC, this series of events was quite a blow.

With such daunting news in mind, I approached my trusty Vietnamese barber and asked her for a reliable recommendation. She pointed me to Eden Center, in the Seven Corners neighborhood of Fairfax, VA, where there is a confluence of Vietnamese business that populate that rather expansive plaza. This was one place that I used to visit quite often to savor some good cooking when the Four Sisters Restaurant ran their business there before moving further out to the boondocks. After their move, there was little cause to visit that area except when the occasional taste for steamed tofu with ginger syrup propelled me to drive the nearly 30 miles to terra incognito, as it seems that way to me. But with a strong reference in mind, I coraled my dinner group on the eve of the Lunar New Year, or Tết in Vietnamese, and paid a visit to Huong Viet , a small eatery that has survived all these years since my visit there nearly 20 years ago.

Walking into the establishment, the decor and the set up are not as plush or creative as most modern restaurants, and the regularly spaced long and short tables do bring to mind a nice clean cafeteria. After a short wait outside in the cold, we were shown to our long table that accommodated my party of five. Any feeling of doubt or hesitancy was immediately erased by a sense of assurance brought about by the busyness of the restaurant and the number of Vietnamese-speaking customers in the place. With that thought in mind, I plunged into the menu and quickly ordered some common appetizers. The Summer Rolls came with soft rice crepe paper wrapped around a filling of perfectly cooked moist rice vermicelli noodles, fresh sweet shrimp, mild roast pork, crisp lettuce, fragrant mint leaves, and finished with a long strand of pungent Asian chive. But what tied all these disparate elements together was the dipping sauce. This restaurant’s version had only a bare hint of hoisin unlike other versions that overwhelms the palate with its flavor. Mixed in it was a peanut sauce that made it rich and nutty, and its unique balance pointed towards it being house-made rather than store-bought. This was a good fresh bite.

We also ordered the counterpart to the above – Fried Spring Roll or CHẢ GIÒ. When it arrived at the table, I noticed a few variations from the norms commonly found in other places. First, the large bubbles on the fried skin indicated that it was made in a traditional fashion with Vietnamese rice crepe paper and not with Chinese spring roll sheets that are commonly used these days. The second was that it was cut into two before it was deep-fried, which intrigued me even further. Sheer hunger or delectable food can produce a certain suspension of analysis of thought as I honestly don’t recall much from this dish. All I remember was that the stuffing tasted very moist and savory encased by a crispy shell, and these bites disappeared quickly among my friends who snatched them up while piping hot. The side sweet and salty fish sauce was adequate but not as memorable as the expensive elixir served in the defunct Green Papaya restaurant. However, this dish was worth a moment of relapse during dinner.

Another common appetizer found in this Southeast Asian cuisine is Young Lotus Root Salad. Strands of cooked lotus roots have been mixed with pieces of pork and whole shrimp, lightly seasoned by the ubiquitous sweet and salty fish sauce. Wow, I could barely get a bite of this because it was ferociously attacked by my companions, and deservedly so. The pieces of lotus were perfectly cooked while maintaining its characteristic light crunch along with its savoriness developed from being marinated. The sweet shrimp and moist pork provided the unctuous notes to the mild root, while the crushed peanuts and fried shallot rings added the nuttiness and dark flavors to the clean mild tasting salad. The rounds of addictive shrimp crackers provided some textural interest as well as serving as the perfect scoopers for this melange. This was definitely a hit for all of us and we should have ordered another serving of it.

For our main courses, we ordered a quartet of dishes. The first was a classic Vietnamese dish found in any reputable restaurant – Bánh Xèo. This stuffed crepe dish literally means “sizzling cake” consisting of a rice flour crepe stuffed with pieces of pork, cooked shrimp and a heaping of cooked bean sprouts. The crepe had a hint of coconut milk and it was quite crispy, however, not rich or crispy enough for my taste, compared to the fabulous version in The Green Papaya. Like most versions, the crepe is underseasoned for it is the sweet and salty fish sauce that imparts the necessary seasoning to this very mild dish. Once my companions figured how to attack the dish, they were enjoying every bite of it. But I could not help but reminiscence the rich delectable version of the aforementioned closed restaurant.

While waiting outside, an acquaintance of one of my dining companions recommended that we order Shakey Beef. The name was odd enough for me and I had never come across a dish with such name. The order arrived with pieces of cubed beef along with some onion and green pepper squares, plain and assuming. The first bite revealed a personality beyond its unassuming looks. The beef was tossed and seared on high heat in the wok, judging by pieces of caramelized bits, while maintaining a tender medium-rare inside. Surprisingly, every bite tasted well seasoned and very savory from what tastes like soy sauce, bits of garlic, and a hint of sugar that brought the flavors to another level. This was a truly successful dish for all of the diners and I enjoyed every beefy bite.

To bring some balance to the meat dishes, we ordered Shrimp with Vegetables. Pieces of celery, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, and baby corn are paired with pieces of large shrimp in this dish. The sweet tender shrimp made the perfect foil to the pieces of sweet al dente pieces of vegetables, while the mushroom adds some earthiness and the baby corn some young sweetness. What brought all the elements together was the rather rich sauce packed with garlic pieces flavored with oyster sauce and thickened with corn starch. Although it was a rather light dish, the savory sauce made it seem richer, and it was worth ordering this vegetable seafood dish. Another hit among my dining group.

No visit to taste this Southeast Asian cuisine should have a lemongrass dish amiss from the dining table, and we honed on Caramelized Lemongrass Chicken. The plate arrived with chucks of chicken thigh cooked with large pieces of sweet yellow onions, swimming in a shallow pool of brown sauce. What truly made this two-ingredient dish delectable and successful was the sauce that was packed with the citrusy lemongrass paired with the seafood salty fish sauce with a tinge of sweetness from the caramel that rounded off the flavors. The pieces of chicken thigh was not the mild breast version so as to stand up to the punchy sauce while adding the necessary body along with the sweet and pungent onion. Even when the morsels were gone, I was lapping up every drop of sauce with bits of rice as I could not get enough of the sauce that transported me to Indochina. Another must order here for sure!

Despite feeling content with the above dishes, I was curious about the unique Vietnamese sweet servings. There was not much in terms of solid desserts with the exception of Caramel Flan but the menus listed a list of sweet drinks with bits of “stuff” that are commonly eaten by the locals. My glass came with a concoction of whole red beans, sweet corn, crushed peanuts, and bits of green agar-agar jelly. The sweetening agent was a syrup consisting of a mixture of brown sugar and rich coconut milk. Upon mixing the various elements, things did not look very appetizing at first, but with the first mouthful, it was a revelation of flavors and textures. Every element spoke for itself: nuttiness from the peanuts, sweetness from the corn, starchiness from the red beans, molasses sweetness from the brown sugar, and vegetal creaminess from the coconut milk. The green jelly did not add any flavor at all but a jellybean-like texture consistency to the bite, which a couple of my friends found a bit disconcerting – LOL. Before I knew it, most of my dining companions were partaking in this sweet dish, and we finished it con mucho gusto.

Coming back to Huong Viet for me was like the return of the prodigal son. When in doubt, do what the Romans do, or as in this case, what the Vietnamese do. Thanks to my barber’s infallible suggestion, I’m glad to have made the long trek to Eden Center to taste what has always been there all these years – proper delectable Vietnamese dishes that wowed my dining group even days after our visit. Never mind the inattentive service at times and the bare ambience. But what makes up for the shortcomings is the main reason to haul oneself there – the impressive dishes. Note to diner – they only accept cash but we walked out of there with barely with a dent made since it was around $20/person. With such good cooking and low prices, I would easily do the 30-mile drive.

Green Papaya

Restaurants

Note: Unfortunately, this establishment has closed down.

My undergraduate college days in Memphis must have had quite an impression on me for it was in that Mid-South city that I was introduced to many new experiences at a youthful age of 17 years old (also see last blog on Mediterranean Kabob). One of them would take place quite regularly next to a dark parking lot behind a drive-in theater screen – yes, this was the early 80’s. That was the location of one of the few Vietnamese restaurants in the city which my brother, future sister-in-law, and I would pay numerous visits in order to taste this Southeast Asian cuisine that shares similar notes with the foods we grew up on. This was also the era in which Thai restaurants were not in vogue yet, which may seem unimaginable these days. In this little dive, I was introduced to its traditional dishes and to the exquisiteness of Vietnamese cuisine. A visit there was always a soul-satisfying cheap eat, especially for us money-strapped students.

When I arrived in the DC area for my graduate school in music, there were a plethora of Vietnamese eateries in the metro area due to the high number of immigrants that established themselves in the metro area. Not far from the university that I was attending were a couple of Pho Beef Noodle shops that I frequented often, especially during the cold months. I had heard of a shopping plaza in Falls Church, VA where many good restaurants were located, and over the next few years, I would visit a couple of these restaurants and savored truly authentic and delectable dishes in which a mostly Vietnamese crowd was seen enjoying. However, a month ago, a few friends and I paid a visit to one of these eateries in Eden Center (or Little Saigon as I call it) and we had a quite disappointing experience. To make matters worse, one of our favorite joints had moved further out to the boonies, and the word on the street was that its kitchen’s cooking has been adapted to the non-Vietnamese clientele in their new locale. Another Vietnamese restaurant in the city closed down a couple of years ago which brought a collective moan among the dinner group.

I had known about Green Papaya in the Bethesda Row area for a number of years, and the reviews that I had read had been quite glowing. However, Bethesda has been a bit of a culinary terra incognito for me, since it is located on the other side of the beltway and some members of my dinner group are, hmmm, geographically challenged, thus making a trip out there close to impossible. But one Friday, a friend and I were the only ones available, and with a coupon (yes, those dreaded things again, LOL) as an incentive, we headed out to the land of the unknown. We had a challenge paying for the parking since we did not have enough change, and we had to register our credit card on the phone in order to pay the meter. When we got to the restaurant, we were slightly frazzled by the parking hurdle, but stepping into the low-light ambience, we quickly settled into the extensive menu and the luxurious yet soothing environment. Perusing it, I recognized many traditional dishes along with modern renditions of recognizable flavors. Since it was my first visit, I decided to stick with the familiar.

The meal started with a couple of traditional appetizers – Chai Tom Cuom. It is minced shrimp wrapped around fresh sugarcane strips as skewers and then grilled. The grilled shrimp paste was moist from a hint of coconut milk, smokey from the grilling, and delicate from its light seasoning. It was stuffed inside a rice wrapper along with rice vermicelli and fresh lettuce, with a delicate peanut sauce and chili sauce on the side for extra flavoring. This was one of the best fresh wraps that I have tasted, and I was constantly marvelling about the delicateness of the different textures and flavors. Chewing on the sugarcane skewers was a great accompaniment and flavor partner to the rolls which were made rather mild by the grilling. After devouring this appetizer, I knew that there were more good things to come.

The other opener was a dish that I have eaten in many places – Green Papaya Salad. Thin julienned strips of green papaya are joined by strips of chicken, fragrant basil and mint leaves, crunchy fried shallot rings, all married together by a cocktail of fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar. Pieces of delicate fish crackers surround the mound and they provide the crispy platform to serve and eat the salad. This was truly refreshing and flavorful, whose success is mainly attributed to the well-balanced and delicate salad sauce – there are no single element that is vying for attention in this concoction. Here, we see the kitchen’s masterful hand and the establishment’s use of high quality in its ingredients, especially in the fish sauce that I was straight-sipping like fine whiskey. I could not get enough of this dish but I had to make sure I had room for the rest of the meal.

Banh Xeo has always been a favorite of mine since the Memphis days. It is basically a stuffed pancake, a vestige from Vietnam’s French colonial days. This restaurant’s version had the customary crispy golden exterior, a moist interior, and a filling of shrimp, chicken, onion and bean sprouts. What makes this rendition stand out is the batter that has been enriched by coconut milk and the soufflé-like interior which was a contrast to the crunchy top. Flavor enhancers on the side were fragrant basil leaves and a heavenly elixir made with high-quality fish sauce that provided the necessary saltiness to the slightly bland pancake – this pairing is obligatory, hence the deliberately underseasoned batter. Large pieces of lettuce leaves provided the crispy and cooling element to this wonderful dish.

A familiar dish served in many Vietnamese restaurants is a Caramelized dish, and in my case, made with chicken (Ga Kho Ghung). Its sauce is made with some caramelized sugar that tempers the pungent and salty fish sauce. This restaurant’s version had the right proportion of the slightly sweet and the brininess, made successful in large part due to its high-quality fish sauce. The pieces of chicken were very moist and tender and this dish kept begging for more of my attention. I must admit that this has been probably the best caramelized dish I have ever tasted.

My dining companion’s choice was a perennial selection, Lemongrass Beef – Bun Bo Nuong. It is usually served with cold vermicelli noodles but upon request, it came with some hot steaming rice. Wow! The beef was so tender, an indication of the high-quality meat, and it was packed with the lemongrass flavor with a hint of the grill smokiness. A topping consisting of fried green onions, toasted peanuts, and crispy fried shallots added more flavor and texture to the dish. I guess I should not have complained about my friend’s order this time, judging by my effusive remarks.

Unequivocally, this is the best Vietnamese food that I have eaten in the metro area. The whole dining experience was indeed pleasant and warm, from the lush beautiful ambience to the efficient amiable service. But the true star is the kitchen’s expert hand in producing the best dishes that I have ever savored of this Southeast Asian cuisine . I cannot wait to pay it another visit to try the owner’s recommendations of the Caramelized Chilean Sea Bass and Lemongrass Rack of Lamb. Green Papaya is most definitely a restaurant worth paying a visit and dealing with the parking issues – perhaps my next visit will be on the weekend, when parking is free.