Saigon savoir faire

AS dragons run and dance down Bolsa Avenue in Westminster during this Saturday’s Tet parade celebrating the lunar New Year, the restaurants of Little Saigon will be opening their doors to floods of revelers. Many of the thousands of Vietnamese Americans who throng to the district for the holiday carnivals, concerts and events will head for favorite places that cook the regional dishes they grew up eating. Others will follow the buzz to check out the latest developments in this lively dining scene.

And lately, those changes have been remarkable.

Fresh energy and style-savvy creativity are flowing through the Vietnamese restaurant community. The sweet-salty heat-tinged complexity of the cuisine is showing up in classier preparations than we’ve ever seen in Southern California as owners and chefs insist on higher-quality ingredients and improve their cooking standards as well as the likability of their restaurants.

Many of the Vietnamese restaurants that have opened recently in Westminster and surrounding communities seem more connected to today’s world than to the past. For example, Grand in Garden Grove, a classy boite specializing in chicken dishes, uses only free-range birds. Fountain Valley’s Aysya promises fusion food and Le V, in the same town, boasts a wall of wines that bisects its bistro-Moderne dining room.

These trend-conscious ventures resemble the old-fashioned minimalist pho shops and sandwich joints of the immigrant community’s early years about as much as Wolfgang Puck’s edgy new Red Seven resembles Musso & Frank Grill.

“People’s expectations are different now,” says Cecilia Le, a former financial analyst who owns 6-month-old Le V Cuisine. Her customers tend to be business professionals who enjoy wines with her menu of Vietnamese and fusion dishes and shareable small plates such as small spring lamb chops arranged on blue cheese-spiked potato “fondue” or salmon carpaccio sprinkled with crispy capers and chives. They’re not averse to culinary experimentation, Le says.

Contemporary chic

OTHER restaurateurs must share her perception that restaurant-goers will support ambitious, pricier places in Little Saigon. In 2006 the Dang family, which has had great success with its casual cafe, Brodard Nem Nuong, went for the big time, opening Brodard Chateau, a beautifully appointed, bi-level, 8,000-square-foot restaurant with a full bar, fireplace and Euro-Asian menu.

Several of the family’s trademark, stuffed rice-paper rolls (cuon) from the cafe are on the menu here. But there are also handsome meal-sized salads and daily specials that include rice paper-wrapped soft shell crab and braised chicken, coq au vin style.

Even more up-market, on the outskirts of Little Saigon, in a sleek contemporary wood-lined pair of dining rooms, is 2-year-old S Vietnamese Fine Dining. Chef-owner Stephanie Dinh prepares traditional Vietnamese items such as northern-style deep-fried sweet potato cake studded with shrimp, as well as dishes with a more Euro-Asian bent, for example, lemon grass-encrusted lamb chop served on broken rice.

It’s become easier, bit by bit, for Vietnamese restaurateurs to strike a balance between pleasing traditionalists and courting a growing multicultural audience.

It’s not always about getting fancier. Attempts to reach out to a crossover market can be as subtle as accepting credit cards or creating a name with a hint of familiarity: Instead of such Vietnamese appellations as Banh Mi & Che, you find Baguette Planet, Pho Republic Noodles and Grill, Pholicious or Rockin Crawfish.

What propels restaurateurs into such a challenging profession when, 30 years after the postwar wave of immigration, many other business opportunities exist? Love for the cuisine, several owners said in interviews, and an almost-missionary zeal for showing off its stunning virtues.

Former engineer Trish Doan champions the knockout flavors of her perfectionist mother’s central-style cooking at Cafe Co La. Her mi quang, a brilliant dish of wide, yellow rice noodles tossed in a curry-like sauce, topped with a host of garnishes that include two tiny quail eggs, banana flower shreds and a thatch of crisply fried shallots vaut le voyage, as the French would say -- it’s worth a drive.

“We don’t try to have one of those encyclopedic menus; we just focus on a few good things,” Doan says.

The cafe’s hipness factor comes from a smart palette of citrus colors on curvilinear walls and a lengthy list of fresh, frothy fruit smoothies, milky tea and the boba drinks to go with those good things.

At Pho Republic Noodles and Grill, owner Tina Vu aims to introduce the pleasures of traditional Vietnamese-style dining into the American mainstream with her house specialty, the Saigon wrap. The assembly includes grill-your- own shrimp, scallops, thinly sliced beef and more.

Each person individualizes the meal, enclosing grilled bits in pliable rice paper or lettuce with fresh herbs chosen from the accompanying rau son, a platter heaped with lush sprays of herbs and greenery. The ritual, Vu says, is reminiscent of how families gather together at the table “and take time sharing a meal and conversation.”

The restaurant’s location is the Anaheim Colony Historic District. Vu has designed the room and decorated it with furniture and art from her homeland to give diners the feeling they’re in a comfortable Vietnamese home.

Vu isn’t the only restaurateur settling outside Little Saigon’s center. Rents are high there, and on weekends traffic clogs the intersection of Bolsa Avenue and Brookhurst Street where the huge Asian Garden and Asian Village malls face off. So the hottest new area is south of Bolsa and along Brookhurst through Westminster and Fountain Valley all the way to the freeway.

Quan Hop is there. Its parent restaurant, Quan Hy, one of Little Saigon’s breakout restaurants, was a revelation with its professionally designed decor and attentive service. Family spokesman Bon Ton says he wanted to feel proud when introducing his mother’s refined, central-style Vietnamese dishes to American friends.

Sure enough, Quan Hop, with a similar architect-designed, vaguely earthy look, attracts a diverse crowd. The place sparkles, and the flavors of its pan-regional food create new devotees of the cuisine every day.

Also joining the neighborhood is Pholicious, a spic-and-span pho shop with lettuce-green walls on a side street a few blocks from Brookhurst. The kitchen arranges its pho garnishes like a little bouquet rather than the usual unruly heap of vegetation. It turns out crowd-pleasing shrimp pho and chicken pho as well as the familiar beef variety. Co-owners Danny Buu and Jonathan Bao Huynh say their best advertising results have come from MySpace.

“We are the crossover generation,” says Hunyh, 31, who arrived here at age 3. “We take ideas from both cultures.” Their venture may be a practice run for a franchise. Look for Pholicious No. 2 in Irvine later this year.

Amazon, with its wall of water at the entryway and its collection of flat-screen TVs nearly covering the walls of the room, is a sort of Vietnamese sports bar hidden on a narrow road off Bolsa. Its kitchen turns out food that’s way better than it needs to be.

Beer is inexpensive, and there’s an emphasis on game dishes: the crunchy, beautifully fried quail with a whiff of five-spice seasoning on a bed of romaine and the tender sauteed venison cubes garnished with Asian basil are probably the best fare you’ll ever have while watching football or a televised golf tournament.

You can barely detect the skeleton of a former Coco’s coffee shop beneath the opulently revised restaurant Aysya on Brookhurst in Fountain Valley. Low light from paper lanterns, a long hand-polished eating bar, big cherry-wood tables and intimate nooks set the stage for a menu of dishes based on many far-flung cuisines: Thai curries, Vietnamese standards, a bit of Chinese, a hint of Indonesian and French bistro favorites such as steak au poivre and frog legs in butter sauce.

A few dishes are culinary blends: The spicy, soft-shell crab has no precise traceable heritage nor does the semiripe, shredded mango salad with meaty shrimp charred from the grill. But both never fail to please.

When asked why this kind of restaurant now, co-owner Vinh Buu explained: “I love food, all kinds of food, not only Vietnamese -- and many people I know feel the same.”

Clearly, he has his finger on Little Saigon’s gustatory pulse because there has been an increasing influx of Thai and Japanese restaurants along with a quirky fad for Louisiana-style crayfish.

Crossover style

The perpetually mobbed and swankily modern Hot Pot City in Westminster is another example of Little Saigon’s growing taste for diverse cuisines. Its inexpensive menu may be in Vietnamese and English, but the cooking instrument on every table is the northern Chinese-style hot pot and grill (via Taiwan).

You select foods from a refrigerated cabinet, then grill them or swish them in hot broth. A young, spiky-coiffed waitperson carries around a huge pitcher of broth and replenishes any pots that threaten to go dry.

For Kim Ta, owner of Zon Baguettes, it was the clientele’s diversity at her former Tustin pho restaurant that inspired her to go international with a Vietnamese sandwich shop. She serves well-filled banh mi sandwiches of mixed Asian cold cuts or grilled pork on crisp-crusted house bread spread with house-made mayonnaise.

But she also gives the medium an international twist. Denver omelet-filled breakfast baguettes or carne asada smothered in pico de gallo rate high among her bright, modern shop’s many creations.

Back in Westminster’s Little Saigon we see quite a few “coming soon” restaurant signs fluttering in the breeze. It looks like the year of the rat has more gastronomic surprises in store for this deliciously endowed neighborhood.

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food@latimes.com

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Coolest spots, most creative dishes

Of the new restaurants crowding the Vietnamese restaurant scene, this dozen represents best the delicious new era in Little Saigon and beyond.

Amazon. There’s talent in the kitchen at this swankily designed lounge and hangout in an obscure location off busy Bolsa Avenue. Recommended dishes: fried quail; sauteed venison with onion on a bed of lettuces and herbs; salt and pepper calamari; green papaya salad. 14942 Bushard St. (at Bolsa), Westminster, (714) 775-1888.

Aysya. Ambitiously conceived, this luxe-looking spot turns out modestly priced, familiar pan-Asian selections, inventive Euro-Asian plates and a few international standards such as grilled rib-eye steak. Recommended dishes: soft-shell crabs in spicy tamarind butter; mango salad with charcoal grilled shrimp; sea bass in spicy Thai Panang-style curry; crispy roasted fish (comes with the works -- rice paper, herbs, lettuce and sauces). 17271 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley, (714) 593-4041, www.aysya.com.

Brodard Chateau. A radical upgrade of the popular Brodard Nem Nuong cafe offering all the expected amenities: full bar, attentive service and many dishes plated Western-style as individual servings. Recommended dishes: roasted duck salad with banana blossoms, fresh herbs and peanut-shallot vinaigrette; “moon cakes” (crunchy rice cups holding grilled shrimp with lettuce and fresh herbs served with chile dipping sauce); spring roll of grilled shrimp cake with vegetables and crispy roll; sizzling sole, prepared northern style, sprinkled with caramelized shallots, fresh herbs and crushed peanuts. 9100 Trask Ave., Garden Grove, (714) 899-8273; www.brodard.net.

Co La. Word of mouth keeps customers flowing through the door of this hip little cafe with fabulous central-style food. Recommended dishes: mi quang noodles; banh bot loc (small meat-filled tapioca dumplings with dipping sauce); bun bo Hue (central-style spicy beef, pork and noodle soup); shredded green papaya and chicken salad with mint leaves and ginger dressing; avocado smoothie. Century Garden Grove Plaza, 12111-D Brookhurst St., Garden Grove, (714) 636-1188.

Grand, Com Ga Hai Nan. Small but chic with its bas-relief wall designs and sleek, dark wood seating, this jewel concentrates on free-range chicken creations. Recommended dishes: poached chicken Hainan-style with broth-cooked rice and three dipping sauces (lightly spiced ginger, scallion puree and a deep, smoky soy); chicken salad with sliced fresh chile, spicy ginger dressing and the pungent herb, rau ram; chicken pho noodle soup; mung bean-coconut milk iced drink. 9904 Westminster Ave. (Mall of Fortune), Garden Grove, (714) 638-1310.

Hot Pot City. Lively and packed with families, this tabletop barbecue and hot-pot spot represents Little Saigon’s growing interest in various Asian cuisines. Recommended dishes: rib-eye beef plate; marinated pork plate; fresh okra; fresh mushroom plate; noodle and vegetable plate for the hot pot. 15606 Brookhurst St. (Brookhurst Town Center), Westminster (714) 531-5402, www.hotpotcity-tablebbq.com.

Le V Cuisine. Smart, spare decor with a touch of red silk and an impressive Lucite wall of wines set the tone for a change-of-pace menu that offers inventive and traditional plates, large and small. Recommended dishes: banana flower salad with baby clams in lemon dressing served with crispy rice cracker; salmon carpaccio with crispy capers; baby lamb chops appetizer with blue cheese-potato fondue; orange duck fried rice; shaken filet mignon (bo luc lac) with tomato-rice salad. 17431 Brookhurst St., Fountain Valley, (714) 593-8511.

Quan Hop. Stylishly plated, consistently delicious pan-regional dishes pair perfectly with the restaurant’s relaxed contemporary-rustic setting. Recommended dishes: pho tai filet mignon (pho noodle soup with thinly sliced raw filet mignon on the side -- it cooks when you add it to the soup); banh beo (steamed mini rice cakes topped with shrimp); banh hoi -- angel-hair-fine rice noodle mats -- served with smoky grilled pork slices and vegetables; green jackfruit salad. 15640 Brookhurst St., Westminster, (714) 689-0555.

Pholicious. This bright fresh shop on a residential side street has perfected little-seen varieties of pho and offers fresh fruit slushies and boba teas. Recommended dishes: pho tom (pho noodle soup with shrimp); pho No. 8 with well-done flank and rare steak; grilled pork and egg roll on rice vermicelli with vegetables and nuoc cham sauce (served cold); freshly made apple-orange-carrot juice. 10585 Slater Ave., No. 4A, Fountain Valley, (714) 378-9923, www.pholicious.com.

Pho Republic Noodles and Grill. Vietnamese antiques, leafy bamboo and tropical flowers set the stage for superbly cooked family-style meals at this downtown Anaheim historic district spot. Recommended dishes: Saigon wrap or lau (Vietnamese-style shabu shabu with beef and mixed seafood); eggplant and tofu in garlic basil sauce; vegetarian curry soup with tofu; lemon grass chicken saute. 30 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim, (714) 999-1200, www.pho-republic.com.

S. Vietnamese Fine Dining. Staffed with helpful servers, a beautifully wrought restaurant that gives traditional Vietnamese favorites an appealing au courant twist. Recommended dishes: Vietnamese-style ceviche (goi ca); large shrimp wrapped in fine egg noodle, fried and served with pickled vegetables (mi cuon tom); diced pork and periwinkle balls with ginger dipping sauce; Vietnamese fried rolls (cha gio) -- rice paper wrapped around minced pork, crab and shrimp accompanied with leafy green herbs. 545 Westminster Mall Drive, Westminster, (714) 898-5092, www.sfinedining.com.

Zon Baguettes. This snappily designed fast-food-style shop straddles East and West with its collection of traditional Vietnamese one-plate meals and American takes on the Vietnamese sandwich. Recommended dishes: grilled Mexican beef sandwich; grilled pork sandwich; special combo sandwich with assorted cold cuts; Denver omelet sandwich. 14081 Newport Ave., Tustin, (714) 731-1366.

-- Linda Burum