One of my obsessions since moving to Berkeley is to find good Vietnamese food in the East Bay.

I made my rounds in Downtown Berkeley with no luck whatsoever. Establishments including Pho Hoa, Saigon Express and Le Regal shamelessly use powdered broth as their soup base (at least it tastes like it) leaving my mouth filled with an MSG essence. Gross.

Last Saturday was a breakthrough. Umamimart Queen, Kayoko, visited me in the East Bay and suggested Rang Dong in Oakland’s Chinatown. Most good Vietnamese restaurant score very low on “atmosphere” points, and by the looks of Rang Dong, this place fit the profile as we walked in. Initially suspicious of the low customer population in the restaurant (it was 12:30 on Saturday), I walked in while my stomach was eating itself in hunger.

We started off with fresh spring rolls. Score! These were firm without being dried out. The ingredients inside were tightly packed with no sign of wilted greens. The pork and shrimp were ample in portion. These babies had nothing to hide.

Shortly after some “Who ordered what?” confusion by the server, we got our huge pho bowls. On first sip, the broth really popped out in flavor. After what felt like a few gallons of MSG broth during my search for great Vietnamese in the East Bay, my first sip at Rang Dong was super-satisfying.

This was my husband Washi’s raw beef pho. The meat was tender and flavorful. The broth was dark – no wishy-washy chemically enhanced flavors here.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of my seafood noodle soup, but that was equally noteworthy. The broth was light in color but carrying the depth of a slow cooked, savory concoction – most likely derived from chicken.

Each bowl was semi-pricey at $8-9, but well worth it. Their firm noodles come in generous portions. I dream of the day when I can go next and it still hasn’t even been a week! It was hard not to think of a “next time” when our neighbors on one side were eating some amazingly aromatic chicken wings with a clear sauce while the neighbors on our other side were sharing a bowl of bright red, spicy noodles – taunting us as they were transferring the rice noodles in mid-air.

By the time we left, Rang Dong was buzzing with peeps. I guess everyone had a rough Friday night…

RANG DONG
724 Webster Street
Oakland, CA 94607-4228
T: 510.835.8375‎

Let’s talk today on the subject of one of my favorite foods in the world: pho. But this is not just any kind of pho. I’m talkin’ FRIED PHO. No joke, I crave this every single day and have been dying to share this discovery with you. It’s my ideal debut post for this sparkling new site.

My dear friend Khoi has been talking about this place, Dac Phuc, forever. He and his wife Sarah live in SF, but drive down to the South Bay just for this restaurant. I received a text from him one Sunday afternoon that he would be coming down– would I want to try this place with him and Sarah? It was in the middle of a rush at work, but I literally dropped everything and left as soon as I possibly could. PRIORITIES PEOPLE!

Dac Phuc is located right smack in the middle of downtown San Jose. It has changed ownership in recent years, and has gotten a hip facelift, at least out front.

Inside is super mellow, lots of tables and booths. I hear it gets super packed for lunch.

They have this pale ale called Chau Tien that is brewed at Anderson Valley Brewing Company (of Boont Amber Ale fame). I’m not huge on pale ales but this was a damn good bottle of beer– very fruity. I’m reading that it was created by a Vietnamese-American in the 80s.

As usual, I let Khoi do all the ordering. Couldn’t have it any other way when you’ve got someone who actually speaks the language with everyone at the restaurant.

Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you: FRIED PHO.

What came out was literally a glob of brown sauce doused with beef, bok choy, onions and tomatoes. But do you see it? The white crispy strands of FRIED PHO????

In concept, it’s basically like the Hong Kong style pan-fried noodles, where you get the swampy sauce over crisp egg noodles. I’m not the biggest fan of this dish cause the noodles get all mushy. But behold, this is pho, so you get a completely different consistency. You definitely get a great crunch factor when you bite in, but it’s miraculously spongy within. It was a total and complete foodgasm.

LOOK AT THIS! UMAMIPORN ALERT!

Of course, we also got a regular bowl of pho. Duh. It was delicious– definitely the best pho I’ve had in these parts (which says a lot, since this is the Mecca of Vietnamese food). The beef came out raw just like I like it, and the noodles were more square-shaped than round.

Khoi instructed me that you know that the soup is house-made when the broth is a bit foggy and not super clear. (GASP! All pho joints don’t make their own soup??? Khoi: “Kayoko, most places just use broth from a can.” Kayoko: “Shut the fuck up!” HEARTBREAK!.)

You see the soup is a bit speckled? Yes.

You know what else? FRIED PHO is not on the menu! Khoi, I owe you, bigtime. I seriously feel like I stumbled upon the greatest Vietnamese restaurant secret in the world. And now it’s your secret too.

This post is dedicated to Midtown Lunch, who emailed asking for a San Jose Vietnamese resto suggestion earlier this week. He just moved to to LA from NYC, which is sad for Midtowners, but happy for ME. Welcome to California, Zach! Let’s tear it up!

DAC PHUC
198 West Santa Clara Street
San Jose, CA
T: 408.297.5517

Okay, I am suddenly obsessed with the goodness that is banh mi. I always read about it, seen the standard food porn, and it seemed like a good concept until I actually tried it and IT BLEW MY MIND.

I have become an utter addict, similar to the Chipotle obsession my sister had when she was in high school and she’d roll up to the nearest one and the cashier already knew what she wanted. It’s to the point where I recognize the dudes making my meals and I try and stagger my visits so I don’t run into the same people. Yes, I am ashamed.

Right across from my temporary residence is a strip of food joints that include a coffee shop, a noodle chain, a Chinese joint, a sub place, blah blah blah, and the appropriately named Bun Mi.

I had always been curious about banh mi so I decided to check it out. A tiny but brightly lit and clean dining area greeted me. The counter and food prep area were positioned in the back. Very reminiscent of a typical NYC food joint, many of which I dearly miss.

I normally get the Combunation which gets you a regular banh mi, fries, and soda for $5.99 + tax. I’ve had the lemongrass chicken, grilled beef, and classic banh mi sandwiches. I prefer them in that order, too, by the way. However, the chicken and beef tend to be greasy and saucy, although the sauce isn’t so overpowering.

Classic Vietnamese with BBQ Pork, Pork Roll and Pate (only I ordered without pate, and to be honest, picked off the pork roll).

The sandwiches come with pickled carrots and daikon, cucumber, green onions, cilantro, jalapeno, and “special mayo.” Buns are nice and fresh-tasting, with a nice hard crust and soft interior. However, I would prefer more veg and jalepeno to bread, and actually, the filling isn’t as generous as I want it to be, but that may be subjective and due to the bulk of the bread. Subway SEEMS to have this ratio down but it’s most likely because the bread is so limp and soft, giving it the quick ability to soak in all the liquid from the veg.

French fries TO DIE FOR. Perfectly fried every time, spicy seasoning, and its crazily crispy yet smooth innards make these probably the best fries I’ve ever had.

Served with seasoned mayo. OMG.

Furthermore, one afternoon, I noticed some college dude walking on the street with a salad container from Bun Mi, and I knew I also had to have it. And so the obsession continues.

The standard Salad Mi contains vermicelli noodles, lettuce, pickled carrots, cucumber, tomato, bean sprouts served with a savory dressing– the latter meaning the same sweet and sour peanut sauce with cilantro bits. It comes with the option of toppings.

I’ve had the sauteed shrimp and eggrolls (above), and I will most likely try the meatball skewers at some point. The specialty eggs sound a little scary.The salad, er actually noodle dish, since there’s actually more noodles than greens, is nice and fresh-tasting. It just tastes CLEAN and relatively healthy. The sauce does wonders with the clump of white noodles being crushed under toppings and veg.

Sauteed shrimp. Nicely sized and well-seasoned. Good when the take-out’s still warm!

Eggrolls, cut into more manageable pieces. Filled with meat, most likely pork, and veggies. Standard but crispy and you cannot go wrong with fried.

Too bad they like to burn their egg rolls. But I ate them anyway.

Mid-meal shot:

Fresh spring rolls come with choice of the BBQ pork, eggs, or chicken. I tried the BBQ pork because I like to ask the food prep people what they usually like and their recs are usually on point. The suggestion was solid. The rolls were a bit dry overall, and I would have actually preffered generic shrimp instead of BBQ pork, which I would have gotten but they didn’t offer. There was a lot of nice bite from the generous cilantro, and soaking in the sauce made the experience go a lot smoother.

Can you believe I actually used to dislike fresh spring rolls?! What was wrong with me?!

BUN MI
604 Washington Ave, SE
Minneapolis, MN
T: 612.886.3286

*Thomas D’Invilliers resides in Brooklyn and covets the Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton luggage set featured in ‘The Darjeeling Limited.’

This is dedicated to You Cannot Be Serious, aka Jenny C.

Finally, ehem, FINALLY, made it out to the famed Turtle Tower last week for a quick city pho stop. I had an interview to get to down in San Jose, so I was in a hurry, and there’s nothing quicker and deliciouser than a bowl of pho.

Turtle Tower is a San Francisco institution for pho lovers. If you ever ask a local for pho suggestions, 9 out of 10 times, they will blurt “Turtle Tower” without hesitation. Because of its seedy neighborhood in the beloved Tenderloin (and probably also because pho is considered a breakfast food in Vietnam), they close at 7:30pm, making it a tricky place to meet for dinner- hence I had never been.

After getting hollered at by the local neighborhood crazy folk, I finally made it to the little restaurant. I walked to the front and they told me to go to the other entrance, in the side alley. (Er, good thing they close early, cause I would not walk down this after dark in the Tenderloin).

As you can see from the little blue sign above, and the front of the menu, the “Tower” is their icon. Turtle Tower is an actual shrine of sorts, built on a tiny island in Hanoi. Wiki isn’t being its usual informative self, but a charming legend about a turtle and a sword is found here.

Here, they proudly serve the Hanoi-style pho aka Northern-style pho, aka Pho bac. I’ve done a bit of research, and this is the most informative article I found on the differences between Northern and Southern pho (Pho nam). Northern is: wider noodles, less accoutrements, lighter broth. The description at the top of the menu at TT describes it well too:

I got the #4, which was a combination of rare beef, tripe, well-done flank and brisket.

Note:
- No basil, no sprouts
- Lemon instead of lime
- Lots of chopped scallions and cilantro
- Beef sliced thicker, more fatty, or marbled

The pho was definitely unlike the pho I usually have, which is Southern (thin noodles, sprouts, etc.). First of all, the color of the broth was so much lighter and clearer. The beef was excellent and the wider noodles also added a new dynamic. I usually like the al denteness of the thin noodles, and this was akin to eating a hearty bowl of udon. Mmmm…

The broth was definitely the high point- it wasn’t salty at all and I didn’t have my normal MSG mouth after I literally drank all the soup. OOPS!!! According to the article, the Northern-style has less spices in it, and is considered to be pho for purists. Also, the pho originator (although this is highly disputed).

Of course I couldn’t resist ordering a few Imperial rolls- they were flakey and the pork/shrimp/mushroom/glass noodle mixture inside was just delightful. Probably the best I’ve ever had- they tasted so homemade, not frozen.

The pho here was definitely better than Tu Lan, another joint down the street offering Northern-style pho. Make sure to get here before 7:30pm cause they close early.

TURTLE TOWER
631 Larkin Street
Between Eddy & Ellis Streets
San Francisco, CA
T: 415.409.3333

*Kayoko usually orders everything on the menu when eating out, which is why she is always broke.

Written by Pellet
Photography by Kayoko

Dakao is about a block away from one corner of San Jose State University. It’s on Third and San Salvador and they have great Vietnamese sandwiches. I like to get the regular chicken sandwich, or the ham, headcheese sandwich.

Get a few of their pork/shrimp fried eggroll balls too if you can, and make sure shrewd, little old Vietnamese women don’t cut in front of you, because they will if they let you, and they’ll totally buy all the fried pork/shrimp fried eggroll ball thingies, leaving you fried pork/shrimp fried eggroll ball thingieless, which is a terrible state to be in.

Delicious, heavy avocado shakes and desserts as well.

Taro dessert soup with tapioca and taro chunks.

Che dau trang: Coconut milk pudding with black eyed peas and sticky rice.

I’ve been going here since 2000, and their quality hasn’t deteriorated a single bit. I did come here with a girl once and told her that the death of the lead singer of Sublime was a step forward for American music, which, in hindsight, was a dickish thing to say. She disagreed, and unlike Dakao’s sandwich quality, our friendship totally deteriorated.

I’ll bet she has a nautical star tattoo on her neck now.

Many thanks to Tam Ngo for her rigorous dissection of the dessert names and descriptions.

Pics courtesy of Alice’s phone cam- thank the lordylord. Shame on me for forgetting my camera! Here goes!

Peppercorn crab- this one is lightly battered and fried, and a bit spicy. The crab was so moist inside though, which was such a nice balance with the fried bits. Love it!

Roasted crab- this one was the surprise hit- it came in this sort of goupy concoction which was broth and the crab innards, I think. It was garlicky and delicious. Again, the crab was fresh, moist and meaty.

I love me some green beans, but even more so when they are actually cooked right! These were deep fried (I’m assuming) and sauteed to a crisp in a garlic sauce. It’s very difficult to cook beans- even 2 seconds too long in the wok makes them soggy. Great job PPQ!

Pasta-like, crinkly egg garlic noodles. Must get. We poured the sauce and fried bits from both crab dishes on this- so good. We also got crab fried rice which I don’t have a pic of, but was also excellent.

Nhu and Jacobo! They have bibs waiting for you at the table when you get there- somehow the meal ended up all over me anyway.

Rounding out the meal was superb service by our cute waiterboy. There’s also PPQ restaurant in the Sunset, where I will going soon for my pho fix. Thanks Nhu for introducing us to this awesome place!

PPQ Dungeness Island
2332 Clement St
Between 24th & 25th Avenues
San Francisco, CA
(415) 386-8266

Vanessa took me to Anh Hong in the Tenderloin, a popular Vietnamese restaurant boasting “7 COURSES OF BEEF” for only $18.95! Love it!!! From their website, it looks like there are restaurants located all over the Bay Area, and in LA and even Vegas.

I have a crazy obsession with Vietnamese food these days, so I was extremely excited about this (I literally crave Thai Son EVERY DAY). The place was super packed and bustling with families, lovers, and big round tables of people for a party or two.

The food was delicious- it was a great way to try out all the different ways beef is prepared in Vietnam. The table was filled with plates of the requisite wrapping materials: mint, cilantro, lettuce, pickled carrots and radish. Also, they gave us a small bowl filled with hot water, where we softened the rice paper. That was the best! I wish I got a picture of that.

There’s something so satisfying about wrapping beef in lettuce and eating with your hands.

All photos taken by Vanessa. Enjoy!
(Sorry, the names of the dishes will be sans all the accents- I am lazy)

Goi Bo- Special beef salad. Refreshing and tart- perfect for a hot day.

Bo Nhung Dam: Slices of tenderloin that comes cooking in its own cast iron pot in simmering vinegar sauce.

Here are 4 of the 7 courses on this plate. Starting left going clockwise:
- Bo Cha Dum: Meat ball mixed with nuts, mushrooms and spices.
- Bo Nuong Mo Chai: Grilled beef sausage mixed with spices and broiled over charcoal to perfection
- Bo Nuong Sa: Chopped lemon grass and green onion wrapped in slices of tenderloin. YUM!!!
- Bo Nuong La Lot: Minced beef rolled in a special aromatic leaf from Hawaii

Chao Bo: Speial beef rice soup. Probably my favorite- it was freezing out and this is exactly what I needed!

Vanessa also ordered her favorite, shrimp wrapped sugarcane. This was definitely an excellent choice.

I highly recommend this place for really excellent food for a good price- I mean it’s a friggin beefest for under $20!!! Can’t beat that.

Anh Hong
808 Geary Street
at Hyde
San Francisco, CA
T: 415.885.5180

There’s seating at the bar right when you walk in.
Tables in the back, and also upstairs.

I had texted Khoi that we were coming here and he wrote back, “Get a beer, they are $2.50.” Check.

Bi cuon- summer rolls with pork. Delicious.

A humungo dish of chicken fried rice. Flavored with curry powder- never had it like that at a Vietnamese restaurant before. Delicious.

I, of course, got the pho- but it said “Hanoi style beef noodle soup” on the menu, so I was curious. Here’s what I got- a huge bowl filled to the brim with broth, tender chunks of beef, sliced onions, scallions and noodles.

Cilantro, not basil.
The noodles were really thick and flat- I had never had pho like this before! It was awesome, the beef was juicy and not overcooked. The broth was a bit heavy, but didn’t taste overly beefy.
V got the bun with the imperial rolls. Again, super big bowl.

These rolls were the size of my fist, no joke. Not like the dainty ones I’m used to, no way. These are serious. The taro and pork- incredible combination, and is somehow more satisfying when they are this big. Fatso!
There is a caricature of JULIA CHILDS on the front of their menu!!! I’m sorry, but you just don’t get more awesome than that. Look at her! Julia’s never been happer.

The TL gets a bit shady at night- think Alphabet City in the 80s. The vibe at Tu Lan matches that perfectly, which is what I enjoyed most about it. Totally bustling, smoky, bad ventilation, dirt cheap, top notch food. And, of course, $2.50 beers!!!

Tu Lan
8 6th Street
Btwn Market & Mission Streets
San Francisco, CA
T: 415.626.0927

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Paystyle: Overall I thought Ba Xuyen was in a class of its own–no comparison. It’s one of those places where the couple of things you try are executed so well that it gives you complete confidence about everything else on their menu.

Tyson: We definitely visited the three shops in descending order of appeal, taste, etc. Ba Xuyen is the best banh mi I’ve had in New York; I’ll be visiting Sunset Park repeatedly in weekends to come.

Ayagwa: It’s true, I joined midway into the crawl, so my first banh mi was at everybody else’s second stop. However, I did end up going to the Ba Xuyen at the end of my crawl, and though that baguette was most delicious there, I enjoyed Thanh Da’s #1 the best – mostly because that jalapeno really kicked ass. I kind of needed that bite to cut through the sweet-savory overload.

Kayoko: I’m going to say that the chicken milaneza at Rico’s was the most memorable sandwich for me. It was just unlike anything I had ever tasted, flavor explosions left and right. But the highlight throughout the crawl was discovering so many different sodas, juices and shakes. From the pickled lemonade at Ba Xuyen, to the soursop shake at Tan Thanh, to the tamarindo drink at Rico’s- what a fascinating world of beverages!

Thanks everyone for coming out!!! We definitely covered a LOT of ground, and it was surely a memorable, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Bon Apetit hails the banh mi as the “Next Great Sandwich”- HOLLA! Article courtesy of Jud-san.

For a full-on sandwichgasm picture gallery of our crawl, click here.

And finally, a business proposal from Jud-san: “An Umami Mart Bahn Mi franchise? I think it can happen.”

Please join us for our next Umamiventure! Join the Umami Mart FACEBOOK group to stay updated on these monthly trips, where we burrow deep into the crevices of NYC and beyond for unique, cheap eats.

Past Umamiventures include:
Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden (Astoria) – 05/08
Dinosaur BBQ (Harlem) – 04/08
Puerto Alegre (The Mission, SF) – 03/08
Pacificana (Sunset Park) – 02/08
Jackson Diner (Jackson Heights)- 01/08
WINTERMARKET (South Street Seaport)- 12/07
Sripraphai Restaurant (Woodside) – 11/07
Taste of Jackson Heights – 10/07
Red Hook Ball Fields – 06/07
Ocean Jewel Restaurant (Flushing) – 06/07