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nem nuong khanh hoa
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

so my friday hasn't been as productive as it could have been, but it was pretty good. mike's been overworked lately, and finally took my advice and got some staycation days, today being one of them, to have a leisurely day at home.

after my tennis class this morning, i got in some soldering before we drove to little saigon for lunch at a restaurant that may be an alternative to the popular brodard. both are known for their nem nuong (pork paste filled spring rolls). they have a variety of rolls in addition to the pork ones, including some made with shrimp paste and bbq beef. we ordered a sampler plate. each roll is generously stuffed with fragrant herbs including lettuce, mint, cilantro and a sprig of green onion. the sampler comes with two dipping sauces, a nutty turmeric-y, slightly spicy yellow sauce, and a sweet, salty, sour one similar to the fish sauce that comes with most vietnamese dishes, except this one is filled with chopped garlic bits.

the fresh herbs were nice, but without the dipping sauce, the pork & shrimp could have been spiced more to strike a more even balance of flavors. we shared a banh xeo, which is a vietnamese omelette/crepe thing filled with shrimp and bean sprouts. the flavor was very subtle here as well without the fish sauce. we had to try the banh khot as well. these fried rice cakes filled with shredded shrimp, scallions and fried onions were great if you're into fried foods (and who isn't?). i thought the fried flavoring of the rice cake overpowered the subtle shrimp flavors. i think i will get the banh beo next time. it's a similar dish, but steamed discs of rice cakes instead of fried.

after lunch, i had a much needed hair cut. when we came home, i started some freelance work, while mike fixed my fucked up car window that had gone off its track. now i have a bunch of sit ups to catch up on.