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Quang Vy Da
9950 Bolsa Avenue
Suites A & B
Westminster, CA 92683
(714) 531-2905

Ordered:
Vy Da Combo
Bun Tom, Thit Nuong
Com Tam Bi, Cha, Thit Nuong
Thai Tea
Tofu Milk

Review:
Quang Vy Da is one of the select eateries in Little Saigon that we frequent… a lot. We come here so often that I could have sworn we posted a review on it long ago. I guess I was wrong! But this place truly deserves recognition, and hopefully you will consider stopping by once you’ve read our review.

Quang Vy Da is pretty easy to see from the street. It sits on the corner of Brookhurst and Bolsa, occupying the end of a strip mall (so it is, quite literally, right on that corner). The restaurant is not large, but is well-kept and airy. Several tables have been moved out of the way so that the owners could bring in a big koi pond. Kids love the koi pond. One time I was there, it smelled pretty funky.

Service at Quang Vy Da is what you’d find at any other Vietnamese restaurant. Your ass is hardly on the chair when they pull out their check pad and gawk at you as if to say “WELL, what do you want??” Even before your menu has been opened! There is, however, one waiter we fancy: a young, Mexican man whose name (I believe) is Robert. He is in his mid-twenties, and speaks Vietnamese well enough to put people to shame. His approach is way more polite and mild-mannered than that of ANY other waiter we’ve had in a Vietnamese restaurant ANYWHERE. And he learned all that Vietnamese just from working at the restaurant. We always say that he is way too smart to be working there. He needs to be recruited to teach immigrants or something.

But back to the food: On this particular trip, we started off with some Thai Tea and Tofu Milk. Quang Vy Da makes some of the better Thai Tea we’ve had in Little Saigon. Also, their cups aren’t ridiculously small and filled to the brim with ice.

Tofu Milk and Thai Tea:

Next, the Vy Da Combo platter. It is a plate full of different steamed rice cakes native to Vietnam’s central region.

Vy Da Combo (Beo, Nam, Loc, Uot, It):

Ordering this platter is a great (and relatively inexpensive way) to sample these cakes if you are not already familiar with them. My favorites are the Banh Beo, Banh Nam, and Banh It (“banh” just means cake). The Banh Beo are the flat, round ones you see on the right; They are covered with a really tasty mixture of crumbled, dried shrimp (and sometimes crackling pork skin or green onion-infused oil).

The Banh Nam are the flat, rectangular ones you see on the left. They are slightly green because they are wrapped and steamed in banana leaves. Banh Nam is dotted with ground pork and shrimp, and has a flavor that is laced with mung beans.

The Banh It are those two slightly deflated round mounds you see in the middle. They, too, are traditionally wrapped in banana leaves (though I don’t know if they are at Quang Vy Da). They are chewy and filled with a savory mixture of ground pork, shrimp, and yellow mung beans. At my house, we eat them with sweet coconut milk and plenty of fish sauce.

Banh Loc, I’ve never been fond of. It is really chewy and clear… almost like a jelly or pliable plastic. Usually, Banh Loc have dried shrimp inside.

The combo also claims to have Banh Uot (a slick rice noodle that looks like thick fettucini and is often served with steamed pork sausage). Of all the times we’ve ordered this platter, it has never been included.

Next: the main dishes. First, the Com Tam Bi, Cha, Thit Nuong.

Com Tam Bi, Cha, Thit Nuong:

Com Tam (broken rice) is always accompanied by a bowl of clear broth.

Broth, white onions and tarragon:

On the right side of the rice plate: Cha is the thing you see on top; It is an egg cake cooked in the oven (similar to a quiche, but sans the cream and pastry). Bi is the thing you see in the middle; It is a mixture of crackling pork meat, pork skin, toasted rice powder, and garlic. Thit Nuong is the thing you see on the bottom; It is marinated, grilled pork… and at Quang Vy Da, it is delicious! Seriously, you usually have to go to a good restaurant that specializes in broken rice to get Thit Nuong this good!

In general, Com Tam is not something you get at Quang Vy Da if you want the best impression. Other than the Thit Nuong, they kind of cheap out with their egg cake and bi. Most of the egg cake is eggs and noodles (the best kinds have lots of crab, shrimp, mushrooms, etc). Most of the bi is roasted rice powder and skin.

Some of the best things to get at Quang Vy Da are the: Banh Beo and Banh Nam, Chao Ga w/ Goi (rice porridge with chicken and cabbage slaw), Bun Bo Hue (spicy rice noodle soup with beef and aromatics), Bun Rieu Oc (spicy rice noodle soup with ground crab cake, tomatoes, and escargot).

Another excellent dish here is their Bun Tom Thit Nuong. Bun = rice noodles, Tom = shrimp, in this case grilled, Thit Nuong = marinated, grilled pork (unless otherwise noted).

Bun Tom Thit Nuong:

Bun Tom Thit Nuong is one of my favorite things to get at Quang Vy Da. The only place I know of that even comes close to this place is Com Tam Tran Quy Cap… which makes sense because Com Tam Tran Quy Cap is the best place for broken rice so they make excellent grilled shrimp and pork.

The rice noodles are always cold, but never stale or broken up. The shrimp are still tender, and the pork is charred with a good amount of fat still clinging to the meat. Quang Vy Da adds plenty of slivered cucumber, romaine lettuce, mint, and fish mint, and a sprinkling of toasted whole peanuts. Fantastic! Big enough for two to share if you’re not that hungry.

We enjoy coming here. Their food is good, consistent, and reasonably priced. Their restaurant is fairly clean (to the naked eye at least). Their Mexican waiter speaks fluent Vietnamese. Three cheers for Quang Vy Da.

Rating:
8+ out of 10 spoonfuls

Value:
$$ (with appetizers), $ (without)