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Critics’ Choice: 5 Vietnamese restaurants

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Five to try: Check out these Vietnamese restaurants recently reviewed in The Find.

Huynh‘s regional specialties include its excellent bun cha ha noi, northern Vietnam’s favorite char-grilled street food — a combo of garlic-doused sliced pork topped with silver-dollar-size minced pork patties, splashed with a seasoned broth. 9500 Bolsa Ave., No. B, Westminster, (714) 531-7379.

Diners at tiny Dat Thanh come for its nem nuong cuon — spring rolls that approach brilliance: ruddy pork patties branded by the grill, cucumber spears that snap with farmers-market freshness, dipping sauces derived from equal parts recipe and alchemy. 10032 McFadden Ave., Westminster, (714) 650-0910.

The neon sign of Thien An Bo Bay Mon says it all: “bo bay mon” denotes the famous Saigon-style all-beef dinners of seven courses. Its mam nem, a dipping sauce based on aged fermented anchovies, is a world apart, customized with marinated sliced lemongrass, chile sauce and roasted minced peanuts to your liking. 8837 Valley Blvd., Rosemead, (626) 286-6665.

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Ngu Binh is constantly packed with Vietnamese locals who line up for banh it kep banh ram: glutinous rice cake, gently steamed, then stuffed halfway inside a deep-fried glutinous rice cake. 14072 Magnolia St., No. 107, Westminster. (714) 903-6000.

Early birds get the best of Uyen Thy Bistro — its breakfast: a hunk of fresh baguette, a smear of rich pâté and a slice of pale Vietnamese ham, run through the golden yolks of a pair of sunny-side-up eggs. 9039 Bolsa Ave., Suite 101, Westminster, (714) 898-9889.

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