Benley

Benley is not really suggestive of a Vietnamese restaurant.  Neither is the food strictly Vietnamese, more of a fusion type, so I guess the name is suitable.   It is located near the right corner of a strip mall in Long Beach.  I did not have a hard time finding the place, eventhough I missed the turn going into the stip mall and had to go around.  The place is small and cozy but not cramped.  I like the decor, minimal sharp and clean.  When I got there the owner got my drink and ran next door to get her cook who was playing cards next door.  I found it amusing.   The menu was interesting.  Their Pho was expensive and I was not in the mood for it.   The entrees did not really appeal to me, but the appetizers did so I just got three appetizers.

Lemongrass Charred Pork Spring Rolls  $ 6.95,  this was really good,  the pork was smoky-charred, salty-sweet with .  Wrapped in fresh crunchy greens and some vemicelli.   It holds up on it's own without the peanut dipping sauce.

Battered Salted Cuttlefish $ 7.95,  nice and crunchy,  very fresh and well salted.  Delicious calamari.

Braised Short Rib with Avocado puree $ 6.95,  I like braised short ribs, this one was really good and served in a bed of avocado puree.  The beef is so tender it almost feels like melting in your mouth with the avocado puree.  I would have preferred to have the ribs well seasoned.  This was a good though to off-set the the salty cuttlefish that preceeded.  There are no salt and pepper shakers on the table.  I know guacamole is good on my beef tacos, but I never would have thought of serving it this way.  Yummy.

Creme Brulee $ 6.95, I have said it before and I'll say it again, "If it's on the menu I'll order it." At least for the first time ;-)   This was delicious with a nice candied ginger juliennes surprise on top.  The bottom part of the creme was cold though.

Benley

8191 E Wardlow Rd

Long Beach, CA 90808

(562) 596-8130

Mien Nghia: Party in a Bowl

I never even knew this place existed, much like a lot of places in Chinatown. I pass by Mien Nghia often to get to Phoenix Inn for their Century Egg and Duck Chok. I first heard about this place from fellow blogger Eatdrinknbmerry in his Noodle Whore blog. Since then, I have been back there numerous times for their awesome Beef Stew with Egg Noodles (Hu Tieu Mi Bo Kho) $ 7.25.

This time I had to try the Seafood with Rice Noodles (Hu Tieu Hai San) $ 6.75. There is a crispy dough with a shrimp in the middle when they serve it. Nice, crunchy, and tasty, a good prelude to the dish. The soup base is light and delicious. The fish cakes, shrimp and squid balls are made in-house. The shrimps were nice and fresh.

The party really doesn't get started until you take a whole spoonful of that amazing chili sauce that they have and "Helloooo!" It takes this soup a few notches up the goodness level. Don't be afraid to put a lot of this stuff into your bowl, it's not that hot. I think they put some ground peanuts with the peppers into the sauce. I don't think I can stop myself from coming back for more for this.

Mien Nghia

304 Ord St

Los Angeles, CA, 90012

(213) 680-2411

Other Branches:

Mien Nghia

7755 Garvey Ave

Rosemead, CA, 91770

(626) 288-0177

Mien Nghia

406 W Valley Blvd

San Gabriel, CA, 91776

(626) 570-1668

Fe fi Pho Yum!

There's nothing like some steaming hot soup early in the morning. I love Pho (pronounced like "fuh" rather than "faux"), a Vietnamese rice noodle soup with meats or seafood. The delicious clear broth is made by boiling and hours of simmering beef bones. Cinnamon, star anise, almonds, and fresh ginger are all toasted then added to the broth. There are numerous variations to this, the Vietnamese God has a simple recipe for this in his blog.

There are no really good Pho joints in Koreatown, and only a few are open 24 hours. For really good Pho you have to venture out of LA and go to the SGV or Westminster. I work mostly at night and go home fairly late in the evening. So my choices are really limited. There is Pho Western and Pho LA both open 24 hours and Pho 55 open until 3 am. These are all owned and operated by Koreans and not Vietnamese. The prices are much steeper too. The place I most frequently go to is the Pho Western. I find their soup base to be more flavorful and the tendon pieces more generous. Second is Pho LA, even though it is not the best they still make decent Pho.

I usually get the Dac Biet, which is a mixture of meats rare beef, brisket, tripe, and tendons. This time I got the Pho Oxtail $8.35, which is served with the meat and some soup on the side, cilantro leaves, mung bean sprouts, thinly sliced onions, Thai basil, and some lime wedges. I like to add a lot of cilantro, bean sprouts, and Thai Basil into the soup, and some sliced onions and a little Siracha for heat. The bean sprouts adds a little crunch and freshness to the dish.

The thin rice noodles in the Pho will absorb the soup and quickly become soggy, so you really have to eat fast. And you don't want your soup to get cold either.

After I finished the big bowl, I was left with the small bowl of soup where the Oxtail meat was separated. The soup in this bowl tasted richer and meatier with a lot of the essence of the oxtail imparted into it. You can see tiny bubbles of fat floating on the surface. A good end to a Pho trip.

Pho LA
3470 W 6th St # 5
Los Angeles, CA 90020