Banh Xeo Quan

Allow me to profess my love for Banh Xeo Quan. My love for them began on one of my earlier trips to Vietnam. I can't remember which trip it was, but it was one that was more than 8 years ago. There, we had some delicious bahn xeo aka Vietnamese pancake at a place called Banh Xeo Quan. After returning from Vietnam, my mom and I were driving through the San Gabriel Valley and saw a restaurant with the same name. Of course, we stopped and enjoyed. Sure, the food was good but the restaurant was literally that of a ghetto Mexican taco joint. In fact, the restaurant just took over a Mexican bar. Ghetto fab indeed (not that I minded). Fast forward many years, and I remember how I hadn't been to Banh Xeo Quan in a long time. Their decor has not changed, but now there's a personal TV on each seat so you can ignore whoever you're eating with in typical Chinese style. (Chinese people don't like having conversations during dinner.) 

And here was the famous banh xeo. They have a regular one and a "special" one. The special has different types of meat inside and just sounds more awesome. So pay a few bucks more for this baby. It's good! Make sure to use fish sauce and chili sauce for the dip. 

Also, don't forget to order their banh canh. It's the traditional Vietnamese flour soup dish. I'm so-so on the typical broth that banh canh is made with, but the one from here I love. Their broth must be Northern style because it's definitely different. 

The real standout of the place is the sugarcane juice!!! I don't like plain sugarcane juice, but add some kumquat inside and I'm all yours. This is definitely the best sugarcane juice you can find in L.A. outside of Singapore. Nothing can beat Singaporean sugarcane cause they have the mini limes and other exotic fruits you can only find in Asia. But hey, for L.A. it's pretty darn good! Plus it's so healthy for you! Why wouldn't you want to come here?

If you've been keeping up with my blog, then you know I've been coming here for balut. They only serve it on weekends though. So whether you want to try some good Vietnamese food or try out balut for your inner bizarre foodie, you should definitely check this place out. Plus, I'll be there drinking up their whole sugarcane supply.

Happy Eatings!

Banh Xeo Quan

8742 E Garvey Ave

Rosemead, CA 91770

Balut, Anyone?

Surprise! Can you tell what I'm eating from this picture? Hint: It's called balut in Tagalog or Hot vit lon in Vietnamese. It's actually a fertilized duck embryo. Sold usually as street food throughout Southeast Asia, many people consider it in the bizarre foods category. 

I haven't had balut in years. I guess my bizzare foods gene kicked in when I was young. I remember  being in elementary school and asking to try balut. I question why my mother didn't stop me at such a young age. Oh, well it all makes sense now... she must have known I'd turn into an street-food-eating monster!

 This balut was from a Vietnamese place so it was eaten with salt, lemon juice, pepper, and mint leaves. 

Sometimes if you get an egg that is more developed, you'll get a peek at a pretty developed fetus. You'll see hair, bones, beak, etc. No worries though. None found here. 

So why do I eat balut aside from my bizarre food tendencies? The soup that comes from the egg is delicious. Chicken noodle has nothing on it! Such a rich, rich flavor. The duck soup is much better than chicken soup. If you are a soup lover and scared of balut, I'd recommend just cracking open the egg and sipping the soup if you are scared of eating it. The yolk inside is also delicious. It much more flavorful than any regular egg. This all depends of course, on how well your balut is cooked and how old your egg is. 

Bahn Xeo Quan
8742 E Garvey Ave
Rosemead, CA 91770


Happy Eatings! Live a little! Give it a try!