Little Saigon

If you consider yourself a resident of Orlando and you have not found your way to Little Saigon on 50, then you might want to reevaluate your status as far as I am concerned.  If you cheer for the Orlando Magic, then you have had to have a bowl of (pho) from Little Saigon.  Which brings me to the very point of this entry.  Little Saigon does not need me telling O-town how good they are, because, well...they already know.  So here is what I am suggesting.  Little Saigon probably has the best bowl of pho or bowl of noodle in Orlando and I am open for any suggestions to lead me to believe otherwise.

Seeing as Orlando has hit record lows this winter, it only seem fitting for LBC, and well you the readers, to find the best bowl of noodle in town.  You can leave your findings in the comments to this post, hit us up on our facebook, or shoot one of us an email. We will scope out your discoveries and post them up.

Here is what you are up against:

Here is the setting.  A lady near and dear to the hearts of the LBC went to  the restaurant, got us a table and waited for her "children" to  arrive.  We were accompanied by Wendy and Angie this time around and we are all in need of a cure.  Now this post is a little late, I do have to admit, but was held back for a reason...winter. A round of beers and a pot of hot tea and we are ready to get started.  To my left, frank g, and he looks like he is in need of a cure of the night before.  To his left, Wendy L, and she is looking for something to cure her mental block of creative ideas for up and coming competition (more on that later.)  Angie, next one over, unfortunately caught, will be the "flu" of the winter season, and is looking for something hot, soulful, and rejuvenating to cure her cold.  Anu, our Chinese Grandmother, is using "lunch out with her children from work," as her cure away from her husband.  He is a meat and potatoes kind of guy and would rather stay home.  Fine by me, so we do not have to see "sweet and sour chicken," or "General Tso," at the table.  That leaves me, looking to cure my need for some fantastic food, with really good company, and another spot to tell all of you about.  Let's get on with it.

To the right: A round of summer rolls, and I had them ordered just so I can compare them to the ones Anu makes at work, arrived at the table with fish sauce as it's sidekick.  The rolls were good, refreshing, and had everything we were looking for.  Rice noodles, thinly cut raw vegetables, and little shrimp and pork and viola, summer rolls.  Eaten on their own, a little bland, and desperately in need of the condiment, and when eaten, makes all the sense in the world and you would not have it any other way.

This one was ordered by Anu for the table and I will have to ask here again what exactly was on the plate (it is hard with the language barrier to get the English translation of what some of the items are.) I do know that it was topped with hard boiled eggs, scallions, and dried shrimp....umm yum!  Following that was one of my personal favorites, Vietnamese pancakes, or more commonly know as banh xeo.  Imagine a uber crispy crepe packed with shrimp, pork, and vegetation served with, yet again, fish sauce.  Cut yourself a wedge, pack it with mint and Thai basil fold it like a New York pizza and dunk it in the bowl of fish sauce.  Which I do have to say, if you get this stuff on you, it is a wrap on your day.  You will need to go through your daily routine, including but not to exclude, changing your clothes, shaving, brushing your teeth, (twice) back to the shower, and you might want to re apply the after shave and cologne.  Ladies, your man should only wish you coming home smelling like fish sauce. Your good.

Here is what I ordered.  Since I was a few Asahi in and can not recall the actual name or the contents of this dish, yet I do remember discussing it with Anu, and she assured me it was good (but she could make it better...I love her)  I am going to give you the rundown on what your expectation of a quality pho should  be.  Being a "soup," the broth or stock has to be key.  Weather it be made from, chicken, pork, beef or vegetables, it is usually clear and gelatinous on the tongue.  The background flavors will be charred onions, ginger, and some toasted spices.

One can find a "pho spice kit," at their local Asian market but if you wanted to be true to thy self, one would toast off some, cinnamon, cardamom pods, and star anise, tie it up in some cheese cloth and let it steep until just perfect.  Once the broth is just right, you will want to add the protein of choice ( I suggest thinly slices of your meat "raw" and let your hot broth do the cooking.  Unless you are wanting chicken of course.  Cook it, and add it last minute.)  Now at our table, accompanying the bowls of noodles, was a plate of additions one could add to

enhance the flavor of your pho.  Thai basil, cilantro, lime wedges, slices of jalapeno, shaved white onions, and bean sprouts.  For me, and my soup is the one garnished with spring rolls...yesss, a heavy dose of lime, a slice of jalapeno, all the cilantro and onion I can fight off from the table and a few pieces of ripped basil.  As for the jalapeno, I suggest treating it like the worm in the tequila bottle.  Shoot it back with the last bit of broth when you bring your bowl up to your chin to seal the deal.

 To the right, a hot pot of protein, to cure any ailment one might have.  In this case, pork, shrimp, and other tid bits will do the trick. Toss it all in some spring onions and fresh vegetables and serve it all over a bowl of rice, ( in a traditional pot of course) and you have the cure for the common cold, or "Florida Flu," in this case.  I did not get to try this one personally, but it was described as, succulent, filling, and wholesome, with a touch of spice that warms you from the inside out.  But with good company, and good food, your bound to be cured of anything plaguing you.

Stuffed and ready to pop, we cannot leave this place yet.  Everything has just been good, consistently good. We decide to go for a form of dessert that should be followed with any Asian meal, if you ask me, smoothies.  From the left to right, to front:
Durian smoothie: Now I know what your thinking "they do not even allow that fruit on public transportation!" True, but in this form the smell is muted and the fruit shines.  The taste of a over ripened fruit but all the sweetness you would expect for being in that state.

Jack Fruit smoothie: Sweet, tangy, and look...I got mine with "bobas," the black tapioca balls you see at the bottom of the glass.  Love the texture for some reason.

The drink in front is something that is not on the menu.  I guess it is one of the perks of speaking the language of the people who own and operate the restaurant.  Anu had this brought to her and what she could tell me in English, was a drink composed of coconut milk, tea, and gelee pieces.  I gave it a try and I will tell you this.  I will have her order it for me next time....delicious!

So there it is Orlando, a though task at hand before the close of the winter season.  Lets see what you can come up with and we look forward to your findings.