Chow Down Atlanta

Late to the game but nevertheless… I wasn’t really planning on writing about BoBo — every single person in Atlanta has been to it and written about it. It’s still my favorite haunt for over two years now. I’ve been going a lot more lately especially for late night dining, and, before things get shaken up a bit once more, I thought I’d give you a glimpse of what I’ve been eating here when most everyone is asleep.

BoBo’s chef is one of the most pedigreed Chinese chefs in the city. He’s been around for decades and headed the kitchen of one of the first Chinese restaurants in Atlanta. His famous work was seen at Wan Lai and after leaving there, moved to take up residence at BoBo. That’s partly why I also never wrote about this place; it’s because the food was exactly the same as Wan Lai. His signature dishes remain the same, too. I absolutely love his Crispy Fried Chicken. Garlicky, crispy, tasty. The dry-fried Beef Chow Fun is smoky with a tiny hint of sweet, it’s perfect. The Three Dumpling Soup has this amazing clean, flavorful broth that spells comfort in every single way. Of course, you cannot miss the hot casseroles. They take 20 minutes to prepare but they are so worth the wait.

What I’ve really been eating lately aren’t the mainstream dishes. This isn’t the place to get slutty Chinese. This place is where Chinese elders go to get a taste of home. Just take note that such elders eat late… like around 11PM so it’s quite common to see the place packed around this time of night. A great alternative to the popular dumpling soup is the Beef and Cilantro soup. The light broth has tender pieces of beef and specks of cilantro with the cilantro lending just a slight taste of green but not enough to overpower the soup. Love it.

Beef Intestines. Warning, not for the squeamish. Why? Because for the uninitiated there’s that teeny, tiny off-putting smell and texture. Don’t worry, they’re all erased by the fantastic taste. So savory. So tender. So delicious.

Deep-fried Sea Bass. The very light coating of corn starch right before frying gives this dish the crisp. It’s topped with julienned garlic and scallions and drizzled with sesame oil-soy sauce. A very common Chinese dish. They do it here right.

Beef with Bittermelon. Another dish not for the faint of heart. Think collard greens except way more bitter. And crunchier. There is a trick to get the bitterness out of these veggies but what’s the point, right? People want to taste the real flavor of the veggies, not dumb them down! Worry not, the flavors are so balanced, you’ll welcome the hint of bitterness in the black bean sauce. Mm, really good.

Spare ribs (read: pork) are so delicious in every which way. Yum. Yum. Yum.

So you say you miss Wan Lai? Come to Bo Bo. For the exact same food you were used to.

Bo Bo Garden
5181 Buford Hwy NE
Atlanta, GA 30340
(678) 547-1881

Technorati Tags: tidal, Atlanta, Cantonese, Chinese, restaurants

I was 10 years old when I had my first bánh mi. My mom has a very good lady friend who is Vietnamese and always had us for dinner. Growing up, Sunday afternoons were spent visiting them all the way in Jonesboro, having dinner, and staying til past our bedtime. She made the best pho and bo kho (beef stew) from scratch, and of course, bánh mìs.

Bánh mìs are the Vietnamese version of subs. But a thousand times better. A heavy influence from the French, chewy, crusty French baguettes are used then filled with an assortment of tantalizing meats. Roast or grilled pork are the most popular here in the US but pork roll (meat balls), liver paté, and cold cuts are the norm in Vietnam: turkey, ham, chicken, and head cheese. Butter is normally spread on the bread but most places nowadays use mayo or a variation of butter-mayo or mayo dressing. Pickled carrots and daikon lend a hint of sweet-tangy taste plus strips of cucumbers and sprigs of cilantro all add crunch. These inexpensive sandwiches are delicious and I urge you to try one.

When Dinho grocery first opened in the late 80s, they had a sandwich shop next to it (it’s been replaced by what is now Dinho Bakery). It was the first place in Atlanta to sell bánh mi and early childhood memories always include them. All they sold were bánh mìs (slathered in butter instead of mayo) at $1.00 apiece, and these phenomenal Vietnamese cakes with the most amazing buttercream icing. The cakes were made by hand by the Vietnamese proprietress who would only make them when she felt like it, or if you happen to be good friends with her. We got a cake every month and my mom would always get bánh mìs regularly for us. They didn’t have grilled/roast pork bánh mis then so our favorite was relegated to the homemade cold cuts-luncheon meat combo. Nowadays, the bánh mì is as staple as the Big Mac. Buford Highway (and a little bit beyond) is literally peppered with bánh mì places so I thought it would be nice to showcase some of them. Call it your Atlanta Bánh Mì Guide. Here goes.

1. Quoc Huong

5150 Buford Hwy NE
Doraville, GA 30340
(770) 936-0605
Cash only
Closed Thursdays

Coming in at number one and the undisputed bánh mì king of Atlanta is none other than Quoc Huong. Did you know? The grilled/roast pork (Bánh Mì Thit Nuong) here is stellar, unrivaled, and tastes exactly the same since they’ve been open (early 90s). Seriously, don’t get anything else. The super flavorful, salty-sweet, smoky red pork is well-marinated, roasted, then grilled. Both texture and taste are phenomenal. They are the only place that uses a sweetish mayo dressing (think milder thousand island) and the perfectly-balanced sweet-tart pickled daikon/carrots are delicious additions. Sliced cucumbers and cilantro all add flavor and crunch. I love that they use a good ratio of meat to veggies that keeps the flavor of the grilled meat to stand out.

The baguettes they use have a crisp, flaky crust and a chewy inside, thanks to a super secret French bakery they employ because as Mr. Quoc Hong (as I’ve always known him) would always tell my mom: “Bánh mìs are only as good as the baguettes. No other bakers can make the best other than the French. Vietnamese-baked baguettes can never compare.” By the way, their bánh mìs heat up really well so take some home and pop them in the oven or toaster oven for a couple of minutes. P.S. Get your bánh mìs with jalapeños for punch.

2. Pho Viet

4300 Buford Hwy NE
Atlanta, GA 30341
(678) 999-9110

A good contender and the one that takes the number two spot in Atlanta is none other than Pho Viet. The bread, baked in-house, is crisp and flaky outside, and smooth and soft inside. They use the traditional butter-mayo spread that tastes buttery rather than oily. They make the best combination bánh mi in town (Bánh Mì Dac Biet) consisting of liver paté, ham, pork roll (they call it meatball), and head cheese. Each piece of deli meat is made in-house and sold in the store. They are fresh-tasting, not salty, and sliced thick. Head cheese is quite tricky because most places that don’t prepare it right cause the cold-cut to have an off-putting taste and smell. Such is not the case here. I highly suggest you try their version. It’s the best.

The grilled pork bánh mì is just as good, with the pork tasting wonderfully savory yet sweetish. The pickled daikon/carrots has the right amount of sweet-tart flavors. The good-sized baguettes plus the generous filling of meat make their bánh mis quite filling.

3. Pho Bac

4897 Buford Hwy
Chamblee, GA 30341
(770) 986-4273

Pho Bac’s grilled pork bánh mì is fantastic. The grilled pork has the perfect salty-sweet taste. They use mayo very sparingly and they don’t skimp on the meat which is nice. Go past the chewy, uncrusty baguette they use and they still take the number 3 position.

4. No. 1 Hong Kong Bakery

5494 Jimmy Carter Blvd
Norcross, GA 30093
(770) 837-0270

The combination bánh mì (Bánh Mì Dac Biet) here is quite amazing. Reminds me of the ones we got at Dinho when we were young. The meat slices are thick and plenty. Homemade cold cuts include pork, turkey, ham, and head cheese. The pickled daikon/carrots are sliced thick and chunky to provide great crunch and offset the soft meats. The grilled pork bánh mi is just as good. The pork is seasoned well and goes well with the other toppings. The baguettes that are baked in-house are so flaky. Add plenty of cilantro and these are one of the best bánh mìs $3 can buy.

5. Huy’s Sandwich

6100 Live Oak Pkwy,
Norcross, GA 30093
770-666-6762
Open Daily from 8:00AM – 8:00PM
Closed on Tuesdays

The biggest bánh mì shop and newest joint of the bunch. Did you know? They offer 16 kinds of bánh mì. Including varieties you won’t find in many places: sunny side up eggs, fish (anchovies), meat balls, and liver paté, to name a few. The French bread they use is huge: 10 inches! They use butter!!! The crust is crumbly rather than flaky and the inside is soft and chewy. The meat filling is abundant, with a perfect 4:1 ratio to veggies. The pickled daikon and carrots are balanced in sweet and tart flavors. The cilantro and cucumbers are fresh and crunchy. I ate three bánh mìs on my visit. The Grilled Pork (Number 9) is the best of the lot. The grilled pork has a tiny hint of sweet crust and undertones of lemongrass. It’s tender yet at the same time, crunchy. It’s delicious.

The Combination (Thit) bánh mì which includes paté, headcheese, and steamed pork is equally good. You get a lot of different flavors from the housemade deli meats. The paté is bold and tastes of concentrated liver. The headcheese is mild and does not have that off-putting smell and off-putting porky taste. The BBQ Pork isn’t the one you’re accustomed to see in other places. Here, it’s more a pork loin that has been roasted. I prefer the grilled pork.

6. Viet Tofu

4897 Buford Highway
Atlanta, GA 30341

Viet Tofu offers ready-made, cooked-on-premises dishes such as fried rice (Com Chien), rice cakes, pastries, noodles, snacks, sticky rice, wraps, rolls, tofu, and, of course, bánh mì. Don’t bother coming in to sit down, this is a take-out only place. They offer two types of bánh mì pork here: the red roasted-then-grilled pork and a regular grilled pork. Although, the grilled pork they use isn’t quite as good as the others, they are the next best thing. The regular grilled pork is very tender and juicy. Both are grilled on-premises and very flavorful. The bánh mìs here are humongous — about three inches longer and fatter than anywhere else. They use regular mayo but the chunky pickled daikon/carrots are more tart than their counterparts so they balance well. Other notable choices include the chicken and the meatloaf. In any case, all are equally good.

7. Lee’s Bakery

4005 Buford Hwy NE
Atlanta, GA 30345
(404) 728-1008

Did you know? My favorite here at Lee’s is their chocolate croissants. I order them in batches of 25 every so often. But let’s talk about their bánh mìs. I’m sad to say that I’ve never been a fan of Lee’s bánh mìs. And I notice that most people ITP really love this place. Is it the proximity to town? I find Lee’s the most inferior in the company of other places. Nevertheless, it’s a popular joint so I had to include it. The grilled pork they use here border on the sweeter side and the texture is just off. It seems like they grill the pork early in the day and reheat as needed. The result is wet, grilled meat with a boiled meat texture. The flavor is not as good as the other places in town. And they really skimp on the meat in their sandwiches.

The deli meats in their combination bánh mi is so thinly sliced, you can hardly taste them. Most times, the amount of pickled daikon/carrots is just so much that it makes me feel like I’m eating a salad bánh mi with specks of meat. It’s also worth noting that their pickled daikon/carrots border on the salty side, thanks to the heavy use of nước chấm (fish sauce). The baguettes, made in-premises, however, are quite good. No matter, it’s a good place to get a very inexpensive bánh mì fix especially if you live ITP opt for their daily special: half bánh mi with a bowl of pho all for $6.50. Can’t beat that.

There you have it, folks. Although I’ve been eating bánh mis regularly since I was 10, I ate so many bánh mìs lately that I’m laying off them for a while. Hope this guide helps you out. I had so much fun doing it.

~Chloe
Follow me on Twitter” @chowdownATL
Like me on Facebook: Chow Down Atlanta

Technorati Tags: bánh mi, Vietnamese, Atlanta, Buford Highway

Before anything else, today is Chow Down Atlanta’s birthday. You. Each and every one of you made this possible and I’d really like to thank you for all your support. For stopping by, reading, commenting, even hating — well, I think I only “angered” two or three of you so that’s good. You made this past four years so much fun. I’ve met so many good people, made so many new friends, and ate my weight in food (which is what I’ve been doing all my life anyway). I’m still here. And so are you. Thank you.

Did you know? There’s a Chinese tradition of eating noodles on your birthday because noodles symbolize long life. What better way to celebrate my birthday than to have a noodle post. Here’s hoping there will be more years of CDA. Cheers!

I grew up eating noodles of every kind. Noodles when you are a kid are so much fun: slurping noodles from end to end, one noodle at a time, was the ultimate child’s play for us on the dining table. Italian and Asian noodles are both comfort food to me. One particular Asian noodles that I really like is the Chinese Ja Jiang Mein: noodles in brown sauce (or black sauce as I’ve called it). There are many variations of the sauce but basically, ground meat, sweet fermented soy beans, and hoisin are used. When I was 17, I discovered the savory Korean version, Jjajangmyeon, and all I could say then was wow.  This past summer, I had a Jjajangmyeon phase. I went to all the places in the city that had it and ate my weight in Jjajangmyeon. I’m still eating it at least once a week.

Before I tell you where to find the best bowl of jajangmyeon here in Atlanta, here’s a guide to deciphering all the different types of jajangs you’ll find on the menu. The following are the prefixes you’ll see preceding the word Jajangmyeon.

Yuni (유니) – this sauce consists of finely minced meat and finely diced vegetables without starch. Almost always freshly prepared and not offered at all places
Gan (간) – doesn’t have starch, which means the sauce will be thick like gravy. Unlike the regular jajang sauce which sits in a big pot heating away, this one is usually freshly stir fried in the wok to order
Samseon (삼선) – has seafood like squid, shrimp, scallop, sea cucumber or any combination of in the sauce
Jaengban (쟁반) – means the jajang comes premixed on a platter (jaengban means a platter) and the sauce usually consists of starch
Gochu (고추) – has chili peppers in the sauce so it’s a bit spicy

In Atlanta, there are a quite a few places that make their noodles in-house. Some even hand-pull them. Here are the best places I went to over and over again.

The best: Sam Won Gak

1291 Old Peachtree Rd.,
Suite 103
Suwanee, GA 30024
(770) 622-6022

My favorite place.  The best place for Jjajangmyeon in the city, hands down, is Sam Won Gak. I was almost reluctant to feature this restaurant because I wanted to keep it for myself. But I decided to spread the love. I have been here literally countless of times. The beautiful yellow noodles here are homemade. They are chewy, stretchy, and perfectly sticky.  I eat two kinds of jajiang here.  Both are phenomenal. The Yuni Jajiang is what I mostly eat because of its intense, wake-up-your-senses, bold black bean flavor. The black bean sauce is so savory, smoky, thick, and chunky, with lots of minced pork and veggies. The sauce is served separate from the noodles and you’ll have to mix them up yourself. Don’t dump the entire bowl of sauce into the noodles. Add as appropriate so you can control the flavor and saltiness.

The regular jajangmyeon here is fantastic. It is similar in taste to the yuni above but the sauce is starchier, stickier, and thicker.

The jaengban jajaiang is equally delicious. It’s a platter of noodles with the sauce already mixed in. It’s starchy, has a teeny-tiny hint of sweet, and a very smoky flavor. The soybean paste taste is slightly muted here than in the yuni.

If you want the best jjajangmyeon in the city then don’t go anywhere else. This blows away any and all places in town.

The Rest (because the rest just don’t compare to the best):

Ching Mei

3230 Steve Reynolds Boulevard, Ste 116,
Duluth, GA 30096-8833
(678) 205-0898

Although the noodles aren’t homemade, Ching Mei, a Korean-Chinese place inside Nukoa Plaza has good jajangmyeon. Their $5.99 huge bowl of Jajangmyeon has a sauce that’s quite good and thick. A good option if you’re in the area.

The yuni jajangmyeon here is smoky but not as black beany as I want it to be. It’s still good and the sauce is concentrated enough that you can taste the black bean paste.

Kuk Poong

3525 Mall Blvd., # 1A
Duluth, GA 30096
(770) 813-8222

The regular jajangmyeon here is actually decent. The noodles are chewy and the sauce has enough flavor and smokiness to it. Avoid the gochu jaengban jajang here at all cost as it is sweet and the black bean taste is almost nonexistent.

Yeng Jing

5302 Buford Highway, #A6
Doraville, GA 30340
(770) 454-6688

This Korean-Chinese place claims to use handmade noodles. The yuni jajangmyeon here is a little on the sweet side, thanks to the dash of hoisin they use on the sauce. It’s good but not as flavorful as the other places in town. And I can’t get past the sweetish taste. The version here is more Chinese than Korean so if you prefer that then this is your place.

Their jaengban jajang uses the same sauce but it just comes premixed. Overall not my favorite place for jajangmyeon.

Man Chung Hong

5953 Buford Highway Northeast
Atlanta, GA 30340-1375
(770) 454-5640

Man Chun Hong uses homemade “well-being” noodles, which have herbs mixed in the noodles to give it a dark green color. Although their noodles are made in house and hand-pulled, the sauce has little taste and the presence of the black beans is surely missed. The jajiang sauce is okay but coupled with the forgettable noodles, it just doesn’t do it for me.

So there. If you’ve never had jajangmyeon then you must really try it. Beats the regular ho-hum Chinese and Thai noodles we’re so accustomed to. Go now!

Technorati Tags: Korean, noodles, jajangmyeon, Atlanta, Duluth, Buford Hwy, Suwanee

Got a chance to check out this new Filipino place on BuHi. It’s located inside Asian Square in the old Saigon Deli location across from Quoc Hong. My good buddy-slash-older brother G2 G1 and I went on opening day and it was a madhouse. It took over an hour for our food to arrive and even the table next to ours never got some of theirs. Odd because it’s not like they had to cook our order from scratch. They were mainly stews.

Anyway. The lunch menu is limited. It’s what they have on special that day and it’s usually about 4 or 5 items daily. The dinner menu is more extensive. We got the Adobo, Caldereta, Pancit Palabok, and Lumpia. The adobo didn’t really have that salty-sour flavor it’s well known for. I realize there are many versions but there are versions that are really good. I’ve had great ones in New York and California. It’s ok here. But it didn’t really make me go wow.

The Caldereta had fork-tender pieces of beef. It tasted like regular beef stew. Friends have told me that this is prepared with mashed liver to thicken the sauce and make it taste bolder but G2 and I agreed there wasn’t any. I did like the roasted potatoes that they added as a nice touch.

I liked the Pancit Palabok. But you have to eat it fast or the noodles get gummy. The sauce is thick and flavorful and the crushed pork rind gave it that amazing crunch.

Sadly, the eggrolls (Lumpia) that were a beautiful golden brown, were undercooked inside, a common occurrence when you deep fry with very, very hot oil. I would’ve eaten it just the same but the filling had pork in it, and, no, you don’t want to eat raw pork.

I would definitely go back to try more of the menu. But I’d wait a couple of more weeks when the kitchen has had time to accommodate an influx of people.

Menu here.
Gene Lee of the AJC has a great description of the dishes as well as pictures here.

Fil-Am Star Cafe & Bakery
5150 Buford Highway NE., Suite A-170
Doraville, GA 30340
678-580-1209.

Technorati Tags: Chamblee, BuHi, Filipino, Doraville

I used to eat here a lot back when they were still located in that trailer-type digs in the middle of Pine Tree Plaza. Now that they’ve moved to a fancier place a few steps away, complete with centralized heating, I guess you could say the food has become more consistent. Generally, food here is decent. Some, better than others. Like the famous Xiao Long Bao. Soup dumplings.

A misnomer, they’re actually steamed dumplings with soup inside. The version here has been top notch every time I visit. I don’t know, just lucky I guess. The filling is very tasty, the wrapper is soft, translucent and chewy, with lots of soup inside. Eat them fast, eat them first. They tend to get gummier if you wait too long. I like the Cantonese version the best because the wrapper is thinner. Now if you ever get the chance to go to the west coast, or Asia, there is only ONE place that serves the BEST xialongbao: Din Tai Fung. A childhood favorite, it will blow you away. No other place in New York or San Francisco, or elsewhere in the US makes them better. Joe’s you ask? Not even close.

Steamed Dumplings. Nothing more I can say except ordinary. Skip. Get the fried instead.

Cha chiang mein. These are thick noodles served with black bean sauce on the side. You mix them up. I’ve eaten this everywhere. It’s not good here. The sauce needs a stronger flavor to balance the tasteless noodles: it needs more black beans and black bean paste. Also absent? Ground pork. It’s like eating a cheeseburger but without the cheese. Why bother.

The famous leek pie. I don’t know what the fuss is about. Not a big fan. I’m not into that floury wrapper they use. But that’s just me. You go ahead. It’s got lots of chopped leeks and clear noodles. Leek pies in general are ordinary tasting, if you ask me. But they’re a good veggie accompaniment to a meal. And at $2.50? Why not.

Sesame Paste Topping Noodle. Stellar. Chewy noodles. Peanutty. Sweetish, gritty sesame paste just as it should be. Served cold.

Yang Zhou Fried Rice. Because Chinese meals are better eaten with a side of fried rice. Smoky and greasy. Love it. (This is also known in Cantonese as Young Chow fried rice.)

Shredded Tofu. Delicious. Sweetish. Chewy tofu. Served cold with lots of wood ear mushrooms, peanuts. Great appetizer or palate cleanser.

Chicken Basil Hot Pot. Not on the menu. Tender chicken pieces. A soy-based stew with lots of basil. The caramelized sauce provides a tiny hint of sweet but still savory. Delicious is an understatement.

Eggplant With Garlic Sauce. Delicious. A good play on savory and garlicky. The eggplants aren’t mushy which is nice.

If you’re craving for decent, inexpensive Chinese then you should come here. It’s clean and service is fast and cordial.

Chef Liu
5221 Buford Highway NE
Doraville, GA 30340
(770) 936-0532
Open Daily 9am-10pm

Technorati Tags: Chinese, Buford Highway, Atlanta