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As the above poster mentioned, Bun is excellent and Vietnamese pork chops. I like Goi Ga, which is a shredded chicken and cabbage salad with a wonderful sweet/sour dressing. Great in summertime!
That sweet/sour dressing? It's the same dipping sauce (nuoc cham) for the fried rolls and bun dishes.
I'd suggest banh cuon if you can find a place that has it. It's soft cooked rice flour with ground pork and mushrooms on the inside, served with shredded cucumber/mint/cooked bean sprouts, toasted onions and the dipping sauce. My favorite when I was a kid.
There are also many different banh mi as well ... too many to list.
i love broken rice with pork chop, a meatloaf sort of thing, a fried egg, bun bo hue (like pho with a spicy soup), ban xeo (vietnamese pancake), minced meat in vine leaves, pork bun cha (grilled pork on vermicelli), crispy chicken with tomato rice, vietnamese rice cakes.
I've loved Vietnamese food for years and I prefer that cuisine over Chinese. Unfortunately, there are very few authentic Vietnamese restaurants where we live.
There is a small little place that has a limited menu with a great chicken sandwich.
Here's a link of a great place in Chicago. If you see or know a dish you like, google the name and
you can find a recipe (from someone who is Vietnamese). Below is a link of several dishes.
Steamed rice flour cakes with crush dried shrimp(Banh Beo). It is rare for a restaurant to make good tasty ones which is why alot of Vietnamese restaurants don't either sell or boast about it being their best dish. I know of one lady who makes it out of her own home, but her success has made it difficult to get some during the holidays(i have to call like 3-4 weeks in advance) ...cash only for obvious reasons...it is excellent...add some fish sauce to it and chow down!!! It is something you want to eat the same day it is prepared. It doesn't taste very good as leftovers.
Another dish is Vietnamese Crepes(Banh Xeo)...my Aunt makes them when she has time...very time consuming dish and hard work if preparing for a bunch of people since you make each one individually ...also some people vary a bit in preparation...it is also something you want eaten the same day you prepare them. The restaurants that sell them don't do a good job. Leftovers are not as good. Here is a vid on youtube.
One of the Vietnamese restaurants near me does fabulous quail that is glazed in a teriyaki-like sauce. I usually get the quail for an appetizer and then bun with pork for the main, sometimes clay pot chicken instead.
Another dish is Vietnamese Crepes(Banh Xeo)...my Aunt makes them when she has time...very time consuming dish and hard work if preparing for a bunch of people since you make each one individually ...also some people vary a bit in preparation...it is also something you want eaten the same day you prepare them. The restaurants that sell them don't do a good job. Leftovers are not as good. Here is a vid on youtube.
I'm so glad I came back to this thread and read this. I had Banh Xeo for the first time tonight - I thought it was good, but now I'm realizing that it probably wasn't made very well, like in the video above.
I also wasn't eating it "right" but now I know what to do for next time!
I always love the grilled meat dishes at Vietnamese restaurants, such as the grilled beef, chicken or pork chops, over rice.
Of course, the Pho restaurant that I frequent has such great Pho, that I usually won't order anything else!
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I love the sauce you pour over the vermicelli.
