Huong Vietnamese Restaurant [2nd visit]

Not too long ago from the first visit, and here we go for the second. I came around 12:30 pm and the restaurant is still packed with people. Even thought this location is not the usual spot that I hang around, but Huong is worth the drive. This time I step away from my normal routine to tried something new. 

Com Tam Suon Bi Trung

Com Tam is Vietnamese rice dish. Pork chops, sunny side up eggs and shredded pork topped on rice. In this dish, Vietnamese would use broken rice instead of any other kinds. It is more choppier than other rice, since it's collected from the breakage rice grain during cleaning. Pork chop is super tender and I can taste that they marinate with lemongrass. Shredded pork is chewy but does perfectly blend right into the dish as you started to dig in. This dish also come with fish sauce to enhance the refreshing opponent.

Bun Bo Nuong + Tom

Bun Thit Nuong is Vietnamese rice vermicelli noodle salads. At the bottom, there are lettuce, cucumber, bean sprout and basil leave. On top, it's the noodles with grill beef and shrimp. Before you dive in, toss in the crushed peanut, then drizzle some fish sauce as dressing. I'm not a big fan of pure green salad; however, I don't mind this style of salad. 

Che 3 Mau; Che Thai

I had been a fan of Vietnamese desserts because they are creamy and extremely rich in flavors. I always want to try their durian smoothies, but due to winter season, they don't have durian. Che 3 Mau is mix with three colored beans, agar jelly, coconut milk and ice. Che Thai is similar to Che 3 Mau, except it contain jackfuit instead of three colored beans. Make sure you mix well before you enjoy this delicious goodness.

Restaurant Info:

Huong Vietnamese Restaurant

1270 Morse Rd,

Columbus, OH 43229

Huong Vietnamese Restaurant

Yesterday I talked about Buckeye Pho, which is a modern Vietnamese restaurant. Today, I will talk about a mom & pop place called Huong Vietnamese Restaurant. It looks like a rundown joint from the outside, but don't judge the book by its cover! 

Every time I go out for a food exploration, I always order something new. This time is no different, I tried Vietnamese-style iced phin coffee. I was surprised, when the owner served me a brewing metal drip filter on top of a small ceramic mug, and a cup of ice. He said let the coffee sit in the cup for about five minutes. Then, take the cover up and make sure all the coffee done dripping. After that, stir well to mix the coffee and sweetened condensed milk. Once that done, pour the coffee over the cup of ice and stir. This is a pretty interesting experience to me, since I got to brew and make myself a Vietnamese coffee. I really like the combination between coffee and condensed milk. As you sip in the coffee, you get a favor of condensed milk, along with a strong aftertaste of the coffee.

Here is the spring roll with pork patty. The pork patty gives a rich grill favor to the spring roll. Along with the lettuce and basil, it balances out the oiliness from the pork patty. When I have spring roll before, it usually come with peanut sauce. But this time, it come with fish sauce. I do think fish sauce differentiated the rolls from other restaurants.

Pho is my must have item for Vietnamese restaurants. Each restaurant have their own recipe for pho, and I would say this is one of my favorite pho by far. The broth is very savory and the ingredients are undoubtedly fresh. Like all pho-lovers, bean sprouts, lime juice, hoisin and siracha sauces cannot be missed in a bowl of pho!

Overall, I am very satisfy with the experience in this restaurant. The home style atmosphere, kindness of the owner, along with the authentic food make this one of my favorite restaurants in Columbus. 

Restaurant Info:

Huong Vietnamese Restaurant

1270 Morse Rd,

Columbus, OH 43229

Buckeye Pho

Located in the same area of CAM International Market, it is a convenience restaurant to go for a quick fulfilling meal before grocery shopping. The environment of the restaurant is very clean and bright. It has an open kitchen, and on top of it, were three big-screen TV's! Which makes it seem like bar setting.  

As a starter, I ordered the Shrimp and Pork Summer Rolls. The rolls come with a little bowl of peanut sauce. The very first bite of the spring roll, I feel the tenderness of the shrimp, combine with all the juiciness from the crunchy lettuce, cucumber and basil. However, I am not able to taste the existence of the pork, due to the overflow of flavor of other ingredients.

While I am still enjoying the rolls, the server bring out a hot bowl of pho along with the side vegetables (bean sprouts, basil, limes, jalapenos). The one I ordered, was the small size signature noodle soup. It has all kind of beef parts in it, such as meatballs, tendon, and tripe... You can't go wrong with pho by adding bean sprouts, it brings in refreshment flavors to the noodles. Squeezing a hint of lime juice can enhance the flavor of the broth as well.

Their Strawberry smoothie is really refreshing.

Overall, the atmosphere and the service is very nice. Even though they are quite busy during dinner hour, the food come out fairly quick.

Restaurant Info:

Buckeye Pho

761 Bethel Rd, Ste E195,

Columbus, OH 43214