Huong Vy: Tweaking Central Vietnamese Classics in Westminster

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Vietnamese Restaurant Sign Orange County

Houng Vy serves standout Central Vietnamese food in Little Saigon.

It’s probably a good thing that the sesame roasted goat shop was closed for the night. Otherwise, I may never have continued across the parking lot into our intended destination, Huong Vy. Quoc Phan owns the restaurant in a Little Saigon mini mall, featuring paintings of Vietnamese villagers and fairly rewarding central Vietnamese cuisine.


Vietnamese Food Orange County

Everybody was enamored with Oc Nhoi Huong Vy ($4.95), cylinders of firm, house special snail ham that arrived foil wrapped with ginger slabs, aromatic mint and fish sauce.

Vietnamese Food Orange County

My favorite dish of the night involved Banh Khoai Dac Biet Huong Vy ($5.95) their house special “pancake,” a crisp fried cross between a crepe and taco, filled with pork, shrimp and crunchy vegetables, served with sweet special sauce.

Vietnamese Food Orange County

Banh It Ram ($4.95) are more of a textural study, with crispy fried rice cakes on bottom, glutinous sticky rice cake and crispy onions up top, and bits of shrimp and pork within.

Vietnamese Food Orange County

Banh Beo Chen ($4.95) were slippery steamed rice cakes that supported sweet chopped shrimp and its frequent companion, sweet fried onion, plus a nice bonus, crispy fried pork rinds. I’d call them chicharrones, but this isn’t a Mexican restaurant.

Vietnamese Food Orange County

Bun Bo Hue Dac Biet ($6.75), house special rice noodle soup with beef, pig’s feet (and pork blood by request) didn’t have the hallmark spice and funk of other versions in the area.

Vietnamese Food Orange County

Bun Tom Thit Nuong ($6.75) was a mild bowl of rice noodles with pork meatball slices, char-broiled shrimp, crackers, bean sprouts, cilantro and more. Broth came on the side.

Vietnamese Food Orange County

The only dish I truly disliked was Bun Hen ($6.50), baby clam royal style rice served with powerfully pungent, grey fermented shrimp sauce, and sandy clams that ruined the dish.

Vietnamese Food Orange County

Com Ga Luoc ($6.95) reminded me vaguely of Hainanese chicken rice. Savory ginger fish sauce graced bone-in chunks of broiled, skin-on chicken that appeared with simple steamed rice.

A couple bowls disappointed me and Bun Hen called Huong Vy’s attention to detail into question, but the restaurant had a firm handle on rice flour and pleasant surroundings, so I’d still recommend visiting, but possibly saving room for some sesame roasted goat.

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Joshua Lurie

Joshua Lurie founded FoodGPS in 2005. Read about him here.

Blog Comments

co can nguoi phuc vu, hoac phu quan ko ? toi co nhieu nam lam phuc vu trong cac quan an. neu duoc thi luong bao nhieu mot thang?

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