Pho 909

I first tried this place years ago and was very impressed with their pho bo (beef noodle soup). At that time, I was thoroughly fixated on pho so I never tried the dish that this place is really famous for - which is banh xeo (Vietnamese crepe). Well, my wife and I recently decided that it was time to correct this gross omission.


For starters, we got a huge plate of lettuce and mint leaves, along with a side of fish sauce.


The main dishes quickly followed. We ordered 2 banh xeo - one pork and one chicken.


Since this was our first banh xeo experience, we didn't know the proper procedure for eating banh xeo. So we asked our waiter, who patiently instructed us to wrap the banh xeo contents in the lettuce and mint leaves and dip it in fish sauce. He was probably thinking what morons we were, but was kind enough not to show it ;-)

We actually didn't need to ask, since practically everyone who comes to this place orders banh xeo. All we really needed to do was just observe the people around us, but we just had to make sure... ;-)

Our favorite part of the banh xeo was the light, crispy, golden crust - which was a pleasure to bite into. As for the filling, we found the chicken to be rather dry and bland. The pork was about the same, although slightly more flavorful. The bean sprouts and shrimp were quite fresh, but seemed to share the same blandness as the other ingredients.


After using the leaves to wrap the ingredients, the fish sauce really helped to liven up the whole ensemble. Plus it was kinda fun eating with our hands ;-)


Although this place is quite popular and attracts a LOT of Vietnamese customers, all of whom order the banh xeo, we decided the banh xeo wasn't for us, but that maybe we'd come back for the pho.

ABC Seafood

I have no idea how this place got the name ABC, since its Chinese name translates to "Palace of the Wealthy". I guess ABC rolls off the tongue more easily (it's easier to spell, too ;-) Anyhoo, I couldn't care less if it was named ABC, 1-2-3, or Do-Re-Mi (there's actually a Chinese restaurant in Milpitas called Do-Re-Mi, but that's another blog post - and what's with all these weird Chinese restaurant names anyway? ;-) This place serves good dim sum, and that's all that matters.


And it was the dim sum that lured us to ABC for our recent visit. We started off with shark fin dumpling soup. The broth was warm and soothing, and the plump, succulent dumpling's tender meat did not disappoint. We liked the fact that there were generous quantities of shark fin strands in both the dumpling and the broth.


Next came the deep fried lobster dumplings. The crispy golden skin had a nice, satisfyingly crunchy texture. And the meat inside was fresh and sweet. A mayonnaise dipping sauce was provided that goes very well with the dumplings.


And then came the siu mai (pork dumplings). For some reason the texture and color of the meat inside had us wondering whether it was pork or chicken. Whatever it was, the end result was good as the dumplings were tender and tasty.


We also had shrimp and mango rolls. The sweetness of the mango added a nice livening touch to the shrimp and vegetable filling.


I always like to add kai lan (Chinese broccoli) to a dim sum meal because it fills me up and I feel that it makes for a more balanced, healthy meal. Besides, my Mom trained me very well to always eat my veggies (nice work, Mom! ;-) The broccoli was firm and crunchy, the way I like it.


Good stuff like this keeps me coming back to ABC, plus the name's easy to remember ;-)

Darda Seafood

A Chinese restaurant without pork? Yes, it does exist - the Darda Seafood restaurant in Milpitas offers Chinese Islamic-style cuisine. Islam has a long history in China, and there is a large Muslim community in China today (particularly in China's northwest region). From this tradition comes the cuisine showcased at Darda.


This place is super-popular, and one almost inevitably has to wait in a long line during weekends at dinnertime. That's exactly what we did, and during our wait I found myself fascinated by this sign above the door. I wondered "What language is this? Is it Arabic? What does it mean? Are these passages from the Koran?" If anyone out there knows, kindly enlighten me.


When we finally got inside, we saw that the place was just packed with people and abuzz with activity.


Another sign caught my attention. Again, if anyone out there knows what language this is and what it means, I would appreciate it if you would kindly let me know.


We started our meal with some seafood soup. The soup was very light and refreshing and featured very fresh ingredients of shrimp, crab, squid, chicken, vegetables, and more.


Next came the lamb stew. The lamb was quite tasty and chewy, with a distinctive and pleasing aroma.


We also enjoyed mushu tofu with egg topping...


...and bread topped with sesame seeds and stuffed with a green onion filling. I particularly enjoyed this bread, because of its crunchy and chewy texture, as well as its light aroma and flavor.


It may take some patience getting a table at Darda, but it's well worth the wait.

Picking Loquats

A friend of ours has loquat (known as pi pa in Chinese) trees in her back yard. When the trees recently bore fruit, she invited us to come over and pick some.


We would either snag the fruit with a hook mounted on a long pole, or climb up a ladder to grab the lower-hanging fruits by hand.


It was a lot of fun, and it also gave me an opportunity to practice using my Nikon D80 (with which these photos were taken).



Along the way, we met this tiny loquat connoisseur, jealously guarding her prize. This led us to conclude that "this particular loquat must be a very sweet one".


Afterwards, we enjoyed the fruits (literally) of our labor by feasting on the sweet loquats. It was a fun and relaxing way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Huong Lan Sandwiches

Huong Lan Sandwiches in Milpitas is my favorite place to get Vietnamese banh mi (baguette sandwiches). To me, their banh mi is a fast, cheap, convenient, and very tasty snack, which can also serve as lunch or dinner (in which case I'll eat 2 of them).


I always order the #7 sandwich, which contains pork filling. The bread is crisp on the outside, and soft and fluffy on the inside. The roasted pork comes in generous amounts, and is very tender and tasty. The accompanying ingredients of pickled carrot and radish, cilantro, and peppers combine with the meat to create a unique symphony of salty, sweet, sour, and spicy tastes - deliciously orchestrated and in perfect balance.


They also have a lot of delightful Vietnamese sweets that make for a perfect dessert after enjoying the sandwiches. Like these rice cakes flavored with green beans and banana:



My wife and I like to bring home these sandwiches and munch on them leisurely, as we snuggle closely together while watching movies from Netflix...now that's nice ;-)