Luc Dinh Ky Restaurant Tap 2: Vietnamese Cuisine

Located a couple doors down from Snow Monster on Bolsa Avenue between Bushard Street and Brookhurst Street, is a spot called Luc Dinh Ky Restaurant Tap 2, also known to locals as LDK2. The menu consists of a variety of Vietnamese rice, soup, noodles and porridge dishes. 

LDK2 is open from 10 a.m. to 3 a.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. the rest of the week. This makes it the perfect spot to go to after getting off work late or after a night of hitting the bars.

My friend and I went to LDK2 for lunch. The restaurant was filled with people, but the wait wasn’t too bad. Before arriving, I was told that LDK2 is known for their rice dishes. With that in mind, I ordered the com nuong bo luc lac (beef steak with grilled rice). My friend ordered the com trang ca salmon (salmon with steamed rice). Each rice dish comes with a choice of either grilled or steamed rice. The grilled rice that LDK2 serves is basically rice that is grilled until crisp on the outside and is left soft on the inside. 

The bo luc lac (beef steak), which is stir fried in

a sauce consisting of garlic and onions, was really flavorful and tender. The salmon was also very tasty. The skin was left on, but it was extra crispy and smothered with a sweet sauce. Both dishes were $8.95 each, but with every order, customers receive a free cup of nuoc mat (chrysanthemum tea)!

Vietamese-Japanese Noodles at Taiko Udon

Taiko Udon recently opened their doors to the public at their grand opening event late January. The restaurant is located in the plaza on the corner of Bolsa Avenue and Magnolia Street.

Taiko is fairly small with about six tables indoors and two outdoors. To avoid waiting, I would suggest avoiding major lunch hours during the weekdays and weekends. What I liked the most was that the menu was very short and simple. There are eight noodle dishes of which five are udon noodles and three are Vietnamese noodles. A side of me was a bit skeptical when ordering because I was at a Vietnamese restaurant ordering udon,which is a Japanese noodle dish.

My cousin ordered the pork udon for $5.95, and I ordered the tempura shrimp udon for $4.95. The pork udon is said to be one of the most popular dishes at Taiko. The pork udon comes with the noodles, green onions, cilantro, sliced pork and an egg. I tried some of the soup, and I thought that it had a more flavorful broth than the tempura shrimp udon.

The tempura shrimp udon was good, but not great. It was a bit simple for me. The broth was not bland, but it was really basic. The shrimp tempura udon also came with a bunch of other tempura vegetables that I did not care too much about. Good thing the tempura was given on the side instead of in the soup. I was able to pick out which ones I wanted in my udon.

Dim Sum in the Heart of Little Saigon at Seafood Cove #2

If you look up "dim sum" anywhere near Westminster on Yelp, you will most likely come across Seafood Cove #2. It is the place to go if you’re looking for some real deal dim sum. Seafood Cove #2 is located in the heart of Little Saigon on Bolsa Avenue between Magnolia Street and Bushard Street. It is on the second floor within the Asian Village plaza. 

Finding parking in the crowded plaza was the worst part of this experience. However, the wait for a table was not too bad, and the staff was very attentive. There are people constantly refilling drinks and taking orders. In addition to the waiters, there are more than five dim sum carts being pushed around the restaurant. Each cart has a variety of items. I tried the ribs, Chinese sausage buns, siu mai, shrimp noodles and Chinese broccoli. 

All the items I picked were some of the best that I have had in comparison to other dim sum restaurants. Seafood Cove #2 was really busy, so the dim sum items were rotating pretty quickly. The food was hot, fresh and flavorful. 

The one thing that I didn’t understand is how they priced the items I chose. Every time I picked out a dish, the ladies would put a stamp on different categories on sheet of paper that looks like a receipt. Between two people, five dishes and two drinks, the bill came out to be about $30 with tip. 

Hit Your Sweet Spot With Snow Monster

Snow Monster is a small dessert shop located on Bolsa Avenue in between Bushard Street and Brookhurst Street. They carry a variety of items that go above and beyond the norm, such as their giant macarons. The macarons they bake are the size of regular cookies, which are about four times the size of normal macarons! Not to mention they also fill your giant macaron with an ice cream flavor of your choice.

Out of the few choices they had that day, I picked out the salted caramel macaron with the Thai tea ice cream. I can honestly say that it was the best dessert I had in a while. The macaron itself was pretty good, and the ice cream was good, too. However, the combination of both the items was on point. The flavors of the macarons are usually self-explanatory, but if you're unsure of the ice cream flavors, like I was, then a staff member will
help you out and give you a sample.

My cousin wanted to try something a little different from what I got, so she chose the Belgian waffle with the cookies and cream ice cream. The waffle is made to order, so it comes out warm with the ice cream melting over the top.

The giant macaron ice cream sandwich and the Belgian waffle sundae were both around $4 each. Depending on the size and what you add to your dessert item, the prices may vary, but it shouldn't go over $10.

Brodard Restaurant: Westminster's Hidden Gem

Hidden behind a 99 Cent Store in the Mall of Fortune on Westminster Avenue and 15th Street, is an authentic Vietnamese restaurant called Brodard Restaurant or Nem Nuong Restaurant. Nem nuong is the name of their most well-known appetizer. It is a spring roll filled with grilled pork, lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, daikon and mint. The marriage of flavors is perfect and having one roll will not feel satisfying enough. The rolls come with three for $4.50 or four for $6.   

The entree dish I tried and fell in love with is called banh hoi thit nuong. It is a more hands-on item with vermicelli noodle sheets, barbecue pork and different vegetables. The noodle sheets are made of thin, angel hair noodles weaved together to make a base for the other components. This dish allows people to pick and choose what they want to eat and assemble their own roll. I thought the nem nuong was a bit pricy, but for $7.95, this dish was worth every penny.

Although I was beyond full, I could not leave without getting any dessert. As I was walking out, the french macarons in the display case caught my eyes. They carry 10 different flavors ranging from pistachio to salted caramel. My all-time favorite would have to be the salted caramel. It was just the perfect bite to end a great meal. Compared to all the other places I have been to that sold macarons, Brodard Restaurant is not bad at all. I have seen macarons go up to $1.75, but here they are only $1.25 a piece.