Liên Huế 1 Food To Go

🇻🇳 VIETNAM / HISTORICAL: More than just takeout food, this can be your next event caterer or just a place to grab some excellent Central Vietnamese noodles and appetizers.

🇻🇳 VIETNAM
📍 14291 Euclid Street,
Garden Grove, Orange County
🅿️ Ample parking in plaza
🥤 No Alcohol

📸 All photos by Jared Cohee
for Eat the World Los Angeles

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📆 Original Article 11 June 2021

"Food To Go" is somewhat of an understatement, as looking over the menu will instantly prove. Most of its listings are priced for full trays of 100 pieces, whether for any of their famous rolls or catering level quantities of Huế specialties. There used to be a table or two to enjoy prepared dishes like their house special bún bò Huế, but nowadays they seem keen to keep this a takeout-only business.

They have two other locations, the second of which is near the Saigon Supermarket and does have some tables, but the staff here at the original seems to have an extra special magic that they put into everything. And that magic is constant, they may start their next project while you are perusing your options and it might be difficult to get them back.

Because of this, Liên Huế 1 is the type of place that has a majority of glowing five star reviews on the internet but also a bunch of one star slams by people who felt they were treated poorly. The reviews of these princes and princesses are easily weeded out though, and the true character of this place is in the beautiful foods.

If you order something that requires the kitchen and has not been pre-made, the wait will allow you to enjoy the waves of Garden Grove residents that constantly come through. They might take a roll of banana leaf-wrapped pork sausage or single-servings of gỏi cuốn or bánh bèo, while others grab full trays of mi quảng or bánh canh.

The foods for this order all had to wait until the next day to be enjoyed, so orders of items that are best eaten immediately were avoided. Noodle dishes are packed with care and separated so as not to get soggy, and everything always comes with a heaping pack of fresh greens as expected.

A single portion of mi quảng (below) is easily shared by two people when there are other sides involved. This rice noodle "salad" becomes a go-to order in Central Vietnam when temperatures rise to the boiling point and become too hot for steaming bowls of noodle soups. Two big fresh shrimp and plenty of grilled pork join the noodles made yellow from turmeric and bundle of fresh herbs, usually found underneath when served fresh in restaurants.

Either way, mix it all up thoroughly to get the small amount of broth and herbs evenly distributed.

For hot bowls before it gets too heated here in Southern California, you can of course order their sturdy bun bo hue, or try the bún riêu (below), a rice vermicelli soup that originally spread to the center of Vietnam from the north. The base of this soup is made from tomato and crab, and always has a sourness that is refreshing no matter what the temperature.

In addition to pig's blood and ground pork, there is plenty of tofu and a strong tamarind flavor. Fresh tomatoes further the theme of the broth, and another full assortment of mint, sliced banana flowers, and other vegetables are included.

You will probably notice them packing large bowls of mixed ingredients into all manner of containers, some wrapped in banana leaves for steaming. Buy them all, as they are a step up from the ones found in freezer cases in the area's grocery stores.

Also order a few of their tôm hỏa tiễn (sold individually, above), the deep-fried dish sometimes referred to as rocket shrimp in English. Besides magically fresh shrimp in a marinade, there is a heavenly mash of crab meat, ground pork, carrots and mushrooms all wrapped in a wonton skin and fried.

If you have tried other items at Lien Hue that deserve a mention, please let everyone know in the comments below.

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