One of my favorite parts of the food culture here in LA has definitely been the food trucks. It's such a cool concept. Ever since running into Crepen' Around at a local gas station, I have been checking out the food truck scene through Twitter. Which is how I came across the guys of Los Saigon. After checking out their menu, I knew I had to try their food. Vietnamese has to be one of my favorite asian cuisines. So when they challenged me to compare their Pho to my husbands, I was there! Feeling kind of crazy on a Saturday night, I went on a Pho run at midnight.
This truck really makes its way around town, and we caught up with it in Burbank. Ordering two cups of Pho and an order of egg rolls, we were excited to take it home and enjoy. We ended up saving our Pho for lunch the next day, so I'll start with the egg rolls.
The order comes with eight pieces of egg roll, two dipping sauces, and a side of pickled veggies. How on earth do you know if its a good egg roll? Well, first off, if you like it, its good! Who cares what others say! Second way to tell? If you bite into it without any sauces or extras on it, and you like it, you know its a great egg roll. I don't use this word all the time, but these were total food-gasm. The wrapper is light and cripsy, great texture. The filling is savory and complex. And when you do add the sides it really enhances the flavors. My favorite was their creamy chili sauce. It really added a great kick to the rolls. This is a must order item if you check these guys out.
So for those of you who might not be familiar with the term, Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup usually served with paper thin slices of beef or chicken. Usually also comes with a plate of basil, limes, bean spouts, jalapeños, duck sauce and sriracha sauce that you add if you would like. I'm a chili head so I love to add a little sriracha an jalapeño, but you can't miss the basil (tear it up into little pieces before adding) and lime juice.
You can't tell from the picture, but this is the bowl that I usually serve side dishes in at the dinner table. This is not your normal soup bowl. It is a HUGE portion. So how do you know if its great Pho? The broth is the glory of Pho. It adds most of the flavor, and helps cook the meat so that it's tender. This was one of the best broths that I had had to date. It really takes time and technique to make a good Pho broth, and Los Saigon has nailed it. I would LOVE to know how they make it, but I'll leave it to the masters. It's just so complex that its hard to pull out individual spices and meats used to flavor it, but it's completely yum. I love the different textures of this soup. You get a great crunch from the jalapeño and bean sprouts. The noodles are nice and soft and the meat is perfectly cooked by the hot broth. I accidentally added a little too much sriracha sauce and my lips were tingling well after I was done, but I finished my bowl. So did the hubs.
If you have never had Vietnamese food before, you must try this! Pho is a great way to try this cuisine, because its not an intimidating dish. Lots of great flavors and amazing customer service. I see great things for the guys of Los Saigon. Check out their truck when you get a chance. I know you wont be disappointed. I can't wait to eat there again!
