A few weeks back; Calvin asked if I'd join him at Song Huong; he wanted to have some Banh Cuon for lunch. I told him I wasn't the biggest fan of the Banh Cuon at Song Huong; nor much of anything else I've tried during several visits. Still, it had been over three years since I'd last visited, so why not. Unfortunately; or perhaps fortunately, Song Huong was undergoing some renovation work at that time....so we got Menya Ultra instead.
Fast forward a month and Calvin asks if we could go and check the place out. So, why not?
There're now a couple of groups of older Vietnamese guys hanging out on the tables outside the place. Guess they've found their coffee hangout.
Other than the fresh coat of paint and some wooden tables and benches, the place looks pretty much the same. Though I heard someone saying something about ceiling damage and repairs.
Calvin had one thing on his mind; the banh cuon. I on the other hand, really wanted nothing to do with any of the noodle soups here and was kinda fascinated by the new fried food menu.
Anyway, the Banh Cuon and Banh Uot was mediocre.
The banh cuon was especially bad; the rolls too thick and chewy, the filling bland, the nuoc mam cham watery....'nuff said.
Meanwhile, after a short wait all the fried food started arriving. First the chicken gizzards ($5.99). Holy smokes, the portion size was more than I bargained for.
These were crunchy, nicely seasoned, and in my opinion the best item of the meal. A good dose of Louisiana Hot Sauce added a nice kick and acidity to cut all that fry-o-lated goodness.
The fried okra ($2.49) was again a good portion size.
While it could have been more crunchy; it was still decently crisp, with a nice, gooey interior. Not bad; though this could have used more seasoning.
And last; the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings (6 pieces - $6.99).
Unevenly battered, bitter garlic, too salty, and rather dry flesh.....this wasn't too good. a lot of the batter just flaked off as well. This one needs some work.
There was a ton of leftovers. We took it back to the office and gave it to Big Daniel from Georgia and he whacked those gizzards in minutes. Then looked sleepy for the rest of the afternoon.
As for the Banh Cuon; Phuong Nha definitely does it better. The woman working was much more friendly than I recalled. But am not sure I'll return.
bummer
Posted by: kat | Wednesday, 08 May 2019 at 10:52 PM
I'm always afraid to walk in that corner restaurant and default to something from the hallway or the 'popcorn' area...but fried gizzards!
Posted by: Cathy | Thursday, 09 May 2019 at 04:07 AM
The Banh Cuon was definitely a bummer Kat!
Not as good as the version at Crispy Fried Chicken Cathy!
Posted by: Kirk | Thursday, 09 May 2019 at 06:53 AM
The combo prices look decent too. Too bad they don't have beer.
Posted by: Junichi | Thursday, 09 May 2019 at 09:44 AM
You can get those gizzards to go Junichi! The rest of the stuff we tried...I'd take a pass on.
Posted by: Kirk | Thursday, 09 May 2019 at 09:54 AM
Doh! I have a problem with frying stuff and have the batter fall off too. :-(
Posted by: Soo | Friday, 10 May 2019 at 09:08 AM
Yeah, that's really bad technique Soo!
Posted by: Kirk | Friday, 10 May 2019 at 09:24 AM