BRODARD CHATEAU

A Bit of History
In the mid 70’s, General Nguyen Cao Ky of the South Vietnamese army fled communist controlled Vietnam and relocated to Orange County, California. Along with a “boat” load of refugees, General Cao Ky moved to the city of Westminster, opened up a liquor store and assisted in making OC home to one of the largest and most prominent Vietnamese communities in the west. The Vietnamese boat people colonized certain areas of Westminster and Garden Grove designating their little slice of the American dream the “Little Saigon” area of Orange County.

New Food Culture Comes to the OC
The Little Saigon area is home to hundreds of Vietnamese restaurants specializing in various foods from “pho” (beef noodle soup), Banh mi (baguette & pate sandwiches) to “Ca phe da” (iced coffee) houses. With culinary influences from France, China, Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia, Vietnamese food remains very healthy, low in carbohydrates and fat, and light – all good reasons why Vietnamese food is one of my favorite foods in the world!

Brodard Chateau & Vietnamese Cuisine
In existence since 2006, Brodard Chateau, a two story restaurant owned and operated by the Dang family (Bamboo Bistro in Corona del Mar and Brodard in Westminster), offers traditional and Asian fusion cuisine from the Saigon, Hanoi and Hue regions of Vietnam. The restaurant has a well stocked bar, indoor staircase and a stylish Vietnamese setting with art deco ambiance.

I begin my repast with one of several Brodard Chateau specialty cocktails. David Xaygnavong, my gracious waiter and bartender mixed my favorite - the Lychee vodka martini. Shaken with lychee liquor, white cranberry juice, vodka and fresh lychee fruit this libation is light, sweet and crisp. Although I could have easily guzzled another, I decided one was my limit (after all, I was scheduled to host an evening soiree of ten and I thought it a grand idea to remain coherent and charming for my guests)!

My dining trips to Little Saigon eateries would not be the same without an order of Cuon Chay - freshly made Vietnamese spring rolls. Moist and chewy rice paper is filled with tender steamed shrimp, sliced avocado, bean sprouts, mint leaf, lettuce & thin strands of vermicelli. Delectable bobbins are tightly wrapped into neat rolls, sliced in half and served cold with a creamy peanut dipping sauce. I know how fresh the rolls were as I observed the kitchen staff carefully hand rolling and slicing my made to order rolls.

A common dish at many Asian fusion restaurants is the “salt and pepper” style seafood. Muc Rang Muoi are lightly breaded rings or strips of squid (similar to calamari Italian style) flash fried in a very hot wok together with sea salt, scallion slivers and fresh jalapenos. I squeezed a wedge of fresh lime on top of the calamari rings, popped a couple in my mouth and relished every morsel. The flavors of tangy lime juice, spicy fresh pepper slices and onion made a great pre-dinner appetizer!

My first course was set before me with sizzling sounds emanating through my ears alerting my brain. The precariously hot cast iron skillet full of blazing chunks of delicate sole filet and the essence of turmeric spice sautéed with caramelized onion slivers, fresh baby dill and garlic chips had me salivating. The aromas are slightly intoxicating (guys, it doesn’t take much to intoxicate me when food is involved). David delivered my plethora of accoutrements: a platter laced with fresh mint leafs, thinly sliced red onions, roasted peanuts, vermicelli noodles, slivers of fresh lemon grass stock and lemons wedges. Methodically, I make a “Vietnamese taco” with the seafood and accompanying goodies and drizzle a side of savory shrimp based dipping sauce over my taco. After one bite instantly I am in food heaven and speechless.

Pan seared Vietnamese rice flour crepes over-flow with bits of pork, chunks of shrimp, crisp bean sprouts, mushrooms and onions. Served with a bunch of crunchy Asian veggies (including lettuce and basil) and chili-lime fish sauce, these ingredients allow a diner to make a Vietnamese “lettuce wrap” according to their dietary desires.

Taro root, a starchy tuber vegetable, is often used in soups and desserts and is a very popular culinary staple in Asia. My preference is to expand my culinary horizons and step outside of the box, therefore, my food choices are diverse items not normally found on menus. Che Khoai Mon Nuoc Dua (say that fast 10x) is Brodard Chateau’s version of a sweet taro root dessert. The presentationand preparation for this confection was similar to a steamy bowl of cream of wheat (like my granny used to make). My dessert was served warm with a hefty spoonful of thin coconut sauce poured over the top. I was impressed and pleased with the simple yet creative concept for this particular dessert – it was not a typical, banal sweet course found on a menu.

I have travelled to Southeast Asia: Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand and thoroughly enjoyed the various foods from those regions (excluding the “baby frogs on a stick” at the open air market in Thailand). I delight in the knowledge that there are so many Asian restaurants to choose from - not far from the 405 freeway within 40 minutes of my home in South Orange County.

Cheers!

Open Daily 10:30)
Beer, wine & cocktails served

Oki Doki

“Oki Doki” is located in Costa Mesa in a small shopping center at the corner of Bristol and Paularino. The restaurant serves lunch and dinner and offers healthy Japanese, Vietnamese and Chinese style food.

If you do not arrive before noon, good luck my little pork dumpling…there are a handful of other restaurants in the center that cater to the busy lunch crowds - therefore, parking is very limited. I spent about 10 minutes looking for a parking spot (and yes, “patience is a virtue”!). The dining establishment is pretty small with about 18-20 tables so you may feel a little crowded.

I started with a “Thai Ice Tea” which is a mixture of Thai tea, sugar, cream and condensed milk (try not to think about the calories!). My tea was flavorful and not too strong or sweet.

The “Imperial Rolls” are rolls wrapped in rice paper and filled with vermicelli, shrimp, basil, cilantro, mint leaves, bean sprouts and julienned lettuce along with a peanut dipping sauce. Although the accompanying sauce was very good, my roll was over-stuffed with vermicelli noodles and not as much shrimp as I would have liked.

Some folks think you should not go to a Chinese style restaurant without trying Egg Drop Soup. Oki Doki makes a wonderful egg drop soup with a nice flavor, velvety texture and plenty of pieces of corn…I thoroughly enjoyed it!

My dining partner and I decided to share the “Seafood Chow Fun”, a combination of calamari, shrimp, scallops and imitation crabmeat (pounded white fish), bok choy, tomatoes, carrots and broccoli served atop chow mein noodles. Although we asked our waitress to have the chef “spice up” the dish for added intensity, the entre came to us sans the requested spice. Bummer! The combined flavors were delicate but tasty none-the-less.

We also had the “Chicken with Vegetables” and I have to admit the dish was quite dull, lacking in rich flavors. The chicken was skinless, boneless white meat but very plain in seasoning. Guys, don’t get me wrong, I understand some folks like simple food with delicate flavors! I did not take photos of the dishes since there was practically no variation in appearance compared to my Seafood Chow Fun dish. I will say that all the veggies in the dishes were very well prepared in that they were slightly crunchy and not soggy or over cooked.

The service was lacking, possibly because the restaurant was full and it was the lunch time crowd. We asked our waitress more than once for extra water and had to inquire about one dish that came to the table late.

My desire is to return for their dinner menu since it looks much more interesting with items such as “Sautéed Shrimp & Scrambled Egg”, “Burdock Salad”, “Little Neck Soup” (most likely clams), and “Seafood Pancake” to name a few.

My take on Oki Doki is that their lunch menu offers dishes that cater to folks who enjoy simple food…simple food for subtle palates! All in all, I will return and give Oki Doki another chance, albeit, not during the lunch hour so that I can avoid the traffic jam in the parking lot and try the interesting dishes that are only available on their dinner menu.

Cheers!

Open daily. No lunch on Sunday.

Little Saigon Seafood Feast

If you're craving fresh seafood and have a chance to drive to Westminster you must try "Sea Food Cove Chinese Restaurant"! The restaurant (formerly Dragon Phoenix) is adjacent to the Asian Garden Mall, located upstairs in a strip mall in the heart of the Vietnamese community and shares a parking lot with the infamous live seafood grocery store,"A Dong Market" (come now ladies, no giggling). Once you exit the 405 freeway and head towards Bolsa Avenue and Brookhurst Street, you'll feel as if you have arrived in Saigon City, Vietnam (less the hundreds of scooters on the streets). No kidding.

Entering the restaurant can be a challenge for those who try to avoid stairs since a spiral staircase greets you at the door along with a counter where a server mixes up fresh juices of coconut (succulant slices of fresh coconut meat included in your juice...and my favorite), watermelon, orange, and tasty Ca Phe Sua Da the traditional Vietnamese iced coffee. Once at the top of the stairs, a beautiful crystal chandelier beacons you into a world of exquisite smells...keep treking, the food and experience is worth the stair hike. For the cardio challenged, there is an elevator to wisk you to dinner should you have trouble with the staircase. The wait is anywhere from a couple of minutes to 20 minutes depending on the time you arrive. My party of 3 walked right in and we were seated immediately.

The smorgasbord of food included: Thai Style Hot & Sour Soup w/Coconut Milk and Shrimp; House Special Lobster; Shrimp & String Bean w/Garlic Sauce; Hot & Sour Fried Whole Fish; Sauteed Pea Sprouts w/Garlic (love the golden brown garlic!!); traditional Steamed White Rice and TsingTao Chinese Beers.

My Thai Style Hot & Sour Soup was just exquisite with flavors that teased my tongue! The soup was served steaming hot family style and had large pink succulant shrimp floating in a perfect combination of lemon grass, coconut milk, fresh jalapeno pepper slices and fresh thai basil. Very exotic and delicious! I have leftovers for my lunch today...yeah!

Should you order the House Special Lobster, you have your choice of live lobsters in a tank to pick from (small lobsters are sweeter and more tender). Once chosen, the lobster is coated with cornstarch for a light, crisp coating then hot wok fried in vegetable oil with fresh garlic, jalapeno peppers and a dash of sesame oil. I never lick my fingers but this dish had me tossing my dining manners out the door (sorry Emily Post) and I licked my fingers till I could lick no more! The lobster was fit for a king and, shall I say, finger licking good!

Flounder was the fish for our Hot & Sour Fried Whole Fish. The fresh whole fish was quick sauteed in hot oil creating a lovely, crispy skin and laddled with fresh sliced red & green jalapeno peppers then topped off with a thin red sauce. You will find that fresh sliced peppers are used in many of the dishes at Sea Food Cove so if your palette is sensitive to capsaicin and high scoville units you may want to avoid eating the peppers (oh baby...I love it HOT!). Although the fish is not described as sweet, I tasted a hint of sweetness making a perfect combination with the spicey peppers.

I don't want to keep anyone from eating sauteed pea sprouts but they kind of resemble freshly mowed grass...and, I love them!! Usually they're just steamed with a simple flavor but at Sea Food Cove they offer them lightly sauteed with garlic chips. Every tendril of beautiful bright green pea sprout is seriously scrumptious!

There's no way I can tell you how the Shrimp and String Beans dish was since the shrimp arrived at our table way too late and my dining party was stuffed to the gills (imagine) unable to eat one more bite. Based on the appearance and aromatic scent of the shrimp dish and how the other dishes tasted, I'm sure they'll be fabulous as leftovers.

For the food bon vivant challenged who don't frequent Vietnamese eateries, a typical favorite dessert is Tapioca Soup served hot (and, yes, another favorite dessert of mine). I also discovered Sea Food Cove makes their tapioca soup with tapioca, duh...obviously, fresh seaweed, sugared water and fresh green beans. And, yes, I said, "green beans" which are pulverized to create a broth for the soup base. The soup was lightly sweetened and had a nice creamy consistency...I savored every drop of my hot dessert soup while my two dining guests passed their portions to me (must kick up the fat burning mode on my cardio machine). My tapioca soup was ambrosial...more, I want more!!.

And, at times when I'm craving veggie and vegan food I can also order several of the many veggie dishes on the menu which include tofu and buckwheat noodles. I counted 9 different veggie dishes on the menu.

Please don't hesitate to try Sea Food Cove Chinese Restaurant. The costs of the live lobster was only $10.99 per lb. and everything else on the menu is very reasonably priced. They have my vote of excellence!!