Phong Dinh :: All Things Andy Gavin

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So Can Though

Sep16

Restaurant: Sáu Can Tho Vietnamese Kitchen [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Location: 8450 Garvey Ave #103, Rosemead, CA 91770. (626) 307-8868

Date: December 26, 2021 & November 20, 2022

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Rating: Excellent (and so full)!

Every November/December my Hedonist club goes to this awesome SGV Vietnamese place — which used to be named Phong Dinh and is now Sáu Can Tho. This authentic Vietnamese/Chinese continues to serve up interesting stuff — plus they’re happy to take some of Yarom’s “do it yourself” meats, like his recently shot wild boar. This is a composite post from 2021 and 2022 depicting the true belly bursting epicness.

The new logo.

Our menus for the various nights. Pretty similar actually.

Shrimp and Pork Papaya Salad. Mild but nice.

“Dressing” for salad (fish sauce).

Shredded Chicken Salad. Free-range chicken, julienne banana blossom, fresh coriander, sesame seeds. Pleasant with an interesting stringy texture. Not my favorite of the Vietnamese salads as this didn’t have the sweet/tangy/spicy thing that some do.

Grilled Squid and Mango Salad. A bit of fish sauce. Nice char on squid.

Wild boar sausage (Yarom’s boar). A bit spicy and ridiculously good. Ate way too much. We had a bit of a pacing problem where there was a lull in dishes and I kept eating these.

Spring-rolls with herbs. Delicious.

Goat ribs with beancurd marinate. Good flavor but VERY chewy. Hard to even chew through.

Coconut Snails. Barely any snail meat but the sauce was as good as its ever been. Top snails sauteed in coconut milk and topped with rice paddy herbs. The snails themselves are tiny and very hard to extract, but the creamy coconut curry flavor of the sauce is super addictive — quite sweet though and goopy with what is presumably corn starch. It’s extra good on the plain noodles, but I skipped that this time for carb avoidant reasons.

Fresh Water Prawn. Half prawns fried with garlic and butter seasoning. The huge mantis-type prawns had a somewhat mushy flesh but the crispy garlic/onion topping was super delicious.

Famous Baked Catfish. Super soft and tender this time. Delicious. Had 2 which was too much (full later). Whole catfish marinated with signature sauce and baked til golden brown. 2022’s version had very moist and tender meat but the skin was a bit soggy. Yarom had asked them to undercook as previous it was crispy but the flesh was dry. Probably better this way — too bad one can’t have both.

Condiments for the fish.

Spices and other toppings.

Sauce for the fish. garlic!

Noodles, ostensibly to go in the “fish tacos” but I like it with the curry.

Noodles with coconut curry sauce. So good, but certainly contributing to my over-stuffed state.

Lamb chops. Delicious, lots of char.

Alligator curry. The curry was amazing. Super rich and delicious.

Goat Curry Stew. Goat meat smothered in a spicy coconut curry sauce with clear noodles. Very soft “tendon-focused” goat meat in a scrumptuous super sweet and spicy curry sauce. Lots of flavor.

Crisps for the curry.

Vietnamese Rotisserie Squab. Squab braised in soy marinate and cut in quarters. Very good crispy squab with meaty dark flesh.

Garlic butter quails. Fried battered quails and dressed with aromatic garlic butter oil. These were even better than the squabs as they had more meat and the crispy garlic stuff (same as on the prawns) was again amazing. There is an ordering repetetion here which is a Yarom hallmark as we had the two birds in a row and the prep on the prawns was the same as the quail.

Salt and lime for the quail.

Wild boar curry. Again curry was delicious but the boar was too chewy to even get through.

Pepper beef. Tender.

Shaken Wild Boar. Wok stir-fried wild boar on a bed of watercress. This time the boar was fairly tender (maybe because Yarom didn’t shoot it) and this was a very tasty dish with a ton of black pepper flavor.

Lemongrass Chili Frog Legs. Stir-fried frog legs with spicy lemongrass and chilli. Great flavor, lots of meat, and without those “muddy” tones that sometimes mar frogs. Bones were pretty easy to deal with as well.

Goat Beancurd Hot Pot. Broth flavor was amazing. Too full to even try more than a taste. Lots of taro and beancurd.

Greens for the curry.

I’m sure the curry would have been great with the noodles, but I didn’t dare.

Jelly dessert. Super firm, vaguely sweet, and without much flavor.

I love this flavor — Peppermint Bark Gelato — Base is pure peppermint milk (subbed the sugar with crushed peppermint candies) and it’s laced with house-made double-sided peppermint bark, Valrhona Dark Chocolate and Ivoire White! — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — The Peppermint Bark recipe was developed by a famous pastry chef and author, the mum of a Naughty Dog Alum @nancy_baggett — this year I added the two layer thing which is awesome — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #dessertgasm #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #peppermint #bark #Valrhona #chocolate

Passion for Pistachio Gelato — Sicilian Pistacchio di Bronte DOP custard gelato base with just a touch of Grand Mariner, ribboned with bits of Valrhona Dark Chocolate Passionfruit Ganache — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #pistacchio #bronte #Sicily #Valrhona #Chocolate #Passionfruit #GrandMariner #Ganache

Chocolate Raspberry Pie Gelato – The base is made with Valrhona 62% Satilla Chocolate and then layered with Raspberry Jam, Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Raspberry Squares, and house-made Gluten Free Graham Cracker “crust” — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #Valrhona #chocolate #raspberry #Ghirardelli #GrahamCracker #GF

Overall, Sáu Can Tho is a delicious place, and most of the dishes were great — particularly the catfish, boar sausage, snails etc. This is pretty spot on California style authentic Vietnamese, similar to many places in Garden Grove / Westminster. I suspect these are mostly Saigon style places reflecting the 1970s exodus of many Vietnamese to America and are part of our great Los Angeles cultural melting pot! I didn’t pace correctly and was so full by the end — painfully full. But I really do love this kind of full service Vietnamese restaurant. A lot of places are small and specialized but for a really epic meal it’s hard to beat Sáu Can Tho!

More crazy Hedonist adventures or
LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
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Posted in: Food

Tagged as: BYOG, Gelato, hedonists, Phong Dinh, Sau can tho, vietnamese, Wine

Phong Dinh Fun

Jan02

Restaurant: Phong Dinh [1, 2, 3, 4]

Location: 107 E Valley blvd, San Gabriel, Ca, 91776. (626) 307-8868

Date: December 18, 2016

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Rating: Excellent!

My Hedonist club has hit up Phong Dinh several times before. This authentic Vietnamese/Chinese continues to serve up interesting stuff — plus they’re happy to take some of Yarom’s “do it yourself” meats, like both boar, deer, and pheasant he shot recently.

The sign brings them in.

From my cellar: 2011 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault. VM 90. The 2011 Meursault is quite beautiful, even if it shows some tightness from its recent bottling. White peach, pear and spice notes all wrap around an energetic frame. I very much like the way the 2011 opens up in the glass. The Comtes Lafon Meursault is now a blend of various parcels, mostly Clos de la Baronne, En la Barre, Luraules and Crotos.

Cold plate. A super epic cold plate with boar sausage (from a boar Yarom shot), jellyfish, shrimp and mustard/mayo, weird cold cuts, and other Chinese/Vietnamese delectables.

Fish sauce. You can’t have enough fish sauce!

There are various condiments. Mint and basil. Veggies.

And these rice paper “pancakes” that are softened in hot water. Not pictured are two kinds of fish sauce and thin rice noodles (you can see them below).

Rice noodles.

You put all this together with the fish as you like and do your best to roll into a pancake. It’s scrumptious, absolutely delicious, but messy.

2003 Emrich-Schönleber Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Spätlese. 92 points. Aromas and flavors of blueberry, blackberry and honey combine here with woodsmoke, black tea, nut oil and subtly stony nuances. The wine is rich and full, with its slight sense of heat enhancing the effect of distilled fruit concentration and smoky pungency. The finishing effect is long and noticeably sweet.

Baked catfish.
Filleted.

My attempt at a fish burrito didn’t stick together so well.

Someone else with a lot more experience rolled up this larval form.

2010 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie Brune et Blonde. VM 93. Deep ruby. Powerful aromas of dried cherry, blackberry and licorice, with a suave floral pastille nuance in the background. Densely packed bitter cherry and dark berry preserve flavors show a refreshingly bitter edge and pick up spicecake and dark chocolate qualities with air. Dusty tannins come in late and give shape to the finish, which clings with superb tenacity and a resonating floral quality. Shows the power and structure of this outstanding vintage to full effect but comes off as polished and, I daresay, approachable.

Goat chops. Amazing, tender, and tons of BBQ (char) flavor.

2014 Belle Glos Pinot Noir Dairyman. 88 points.

Snails in coconut curry. This spicy coconut curry cream sauce was amazing. You had to suck the meat out of the snails, which was cool, and there was plenty of sauce to drip over rice or noodles.

Papaya salad.

2005 La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Ardanza Reserva. VM 92. Deep ruby. Sexy, highly perfumed aromas of red fruit preserves, vanilla, mocha and fresh flowers, with a hint of pipe tobacco coming up with air. Sappy and broad on entry, then more taut in the middle, with sweet cherry-vanilla and spicecake flavors given lift by juicy acidity. Closes smooth, spicy and long, with lingering smokiness and fine-grained tannins adding grip. A touch more lively than the excellent 2004 version of this wine and of equal quality, which makes it an outstanding value in old-school Rioja.

agavin: our bottle was a little funky.

Butter on a hot skillet.

Marinated pork. Raw. From the boar Yarom shot.

This raw pork was cooked by us table-side like at Totoraku.

From my cellar: 2002 Louis Jadot Corton-Pougets Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot. VM 92. Medium-deep red. Superripe nose dominated by smoky, earthy soil tones. Silky on entry, then rich, succulent and deep, with very sweet red fruit and mineral flavors building impressively on the back half. Finishes ripely tannic and long. Like a few other Jadot ’02s, this shows terrific early sweetness but also has the structure to age. A very strong vintage for this cuvee

Roast pigeon or quail. Pigeon I think.

With crispy rice cakes.

2012 Chris Ringland Shiraz.

Ginger lobster. Very much a Southern Chinese style dish.

2011 Mollydooker Cabernet Sauvignon Gigglepot. 91 points.

Fried rice.

Overall, another epic Hedonist Asian adventure. Good food, great prices, fun wines, and a whole lot of us. What more could you ask for?

We headed over to Salju for dessert. This one was with mochi and mango.

My usual passion fruit, but this time with rainbow jelly.
And a black sesame.

More crazy Hedonist adventures or
LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (2)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: boar, hedonists, Phong Dinh, Vietnamese cuisine, Wine

Pheasant & Deer are Never Boaring

Dec12

Restaurant: Phong Dinh [1, 2, 3]

Location: 107 E Valley blvd, San Gabriel, Ca, 91776. (626) 307-8868

Date: December 9, 2014

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Rating: Excellent!

My Hedonist club has hit up Phong Dinh several times before, once in their old location and once in this newer one — albeit in a nearby San Gabriel Valley spot. This authentic Vietnamese continues to serve up interesting stuff — plus they’re happy to take some of Yarom’s “do it yourself” meats, like both boar, deer, and pheasant he shot recently.

René-Henri Coutier Champagne Brut Millésimé Clos d’Ambonnay. Champagne to start.

Chicken salad. Kinda mild.

NV Riestra Sidra.

Shrimp and pork papaya salad.

From my cellar: 2007 Simon Bize Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Vergelesses. Burghound 90. As would reasonably be expected, there is just more here in every dimension with a more complex and more elegant nose that is layered and very fresh and this refinement continues onto the nicely concentrated middle weight flavors that display evident minerality on the sappy, intense and mouth coating finish that lingers and lingers. This is a terrific Savigny blanc and recommended.

2012 Gilbert Picq & ses Fils Chablis Dessus La Carriere. Burghound 89-92. This is slightly riper, in fact sufficiently so to display hints of the exotic though they are background nuances to the mineral reduction, floral and oyster shell aromas. There is excellent richness and volume though perhaps a bit less minerality than usual, all wrapped in a punchy and appealingly complex finish. This should be excellent as it offers plenty of Chablis character and lovely balance.

Snails in coconut curry. This spicy coconut curry cream sauce was amazing. You had to suck the meat out of the snails, which was cool, and there was plenty of sauce to drip over rice or noodles.

This time, the sauce was a little thiner than the first time (and although it tasted about the same, the thicker was a little better). The snails themselves were pretty awesome.

2004 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese. IWC 92. Mesmerizing aromas of papaya, sweet herbs and spearmint. Intense but discreet cherry fruit rises from the mid-palate, accompanied by brilliant acidity. The riveting finish is animated and spicy. One of the finest spatleses of the vintage in Germany.

1990 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Heimbourg Vendange Tardive. 95 points. Wow. Intense, intense, intense. Sugar, sweet, lychee, a little cayenne. Very hard to describe. The finish goes into the next day. Great pairing with Northern Thai food. A very special, unique wine.

Roast quail. Quite tasty.

1999 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Brand. IWC 93. Knockout nose of fresh and dried fruits, honey and white flowers. Delicious fruit salad and citrus skin flavors complicated by spices and honey. Lovely ripe acidity leavens the 22 g/l residual sugar. Very rich and dense, and much easier to taste today than the Rangen. I like the balance here.

Crab in tamarind sauce. Delicious. Sweet and sour.

2011 Weingut Jäger Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Ried Klaus.

Roast boar. This scrumptious dish had a ton of flavor. The meat had this char broiled and spiced thing that was spectacular.

2012 Seven of Hearts Pinot Noir Curmudgeon Cuvée Armstrong Vineyard. IWC 92. Dark red. Delicate, focused aromas of red berries, potpourri and Asian spices, with a bright mineral nuance adding lift. Fresh and lively on the palate, offering tangy raspberry and strawberry flavors that show very good energy, lift and cut. A fresh, elegant, weightless pinot that finishes with very good energy and drive and silky tannins. This racy, balanced wine puts on weight with air but maintains a sense of elegance and restraint.

2012 MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir Estate Vineyards Russian River Valley. 89 points. Nice balance and structure, ready to drink as an infant. Some wood and spice on the nose, strawberry/raspberry palate.

Ground deer. Delicious too with a nice crunch to it.

From my cellar: 1995 Louis Jadot Echezeaux. 90 points. Impressive deep ruby-red. Perfumed, slightly candied aromas of red berries and smoky, charred oak. Supple and sweet, but a wine of only moderate intensity. Finishes with slightly dry tannins.

agavin: I bought a bunch of these because they were “cheap.” I.e. even though it’s a grand cru (although a spotty one) I bought it for my “premier crus that are drinking well now” slot. It turned out quiet decent, although there was a touch of barnyard on the nose. Several thought it was the wine of the night. I actually agree as reds go — but the competition was flaccid.

Dover Sole.

2000 Château Chauvin. Parker 92. A superb wine, this opaque purple-colored effort boasts a vividly pure nose of graphite, melted licorice, creme de cassis, espresso, and wet stones backed up by subtle, high quality, spicy, new oak. Multi-layered, full-bodied, dense, concentrated, and pure, with sweet tannin and superb length, this future classic will be at its best between 2008-2019.

Baked catfish.

A bit more filleted.

1997 Greenock Creek Cabernet Sauvignon. Parker 92. One of my weekly Cabernet Sauvignons for a number of years was Greenock Creek’s 1997. It was released at a very reasonable price, and, again, I did not know what to expect as this estate is not associated with Cabernet Sauvignon as much as Grenache and Shiraz. This 1997 is still a killer wine. Its dark plum/purple color is accompanied by aromas of spice box, cedarwood, sweet licorice, and black currants. Full-bodied, velvety-textured, and gorgeously proportioned, it is a sexy Cabernet Sauvignon that should continue to evolve for 5-10 years.

Veggies.

Fish sauce. Tasty and salty. Two kinds.

There are various condiments. Mint and basil.

Rice noodles.

And these rice paper “pancakes” that are softened in hot water. Not pictured are two kinds of fish sauce and thin rice noodles (you can see them below).

You put all this together with the fish as you like and do your best to roll into a pancake. It’s scrumptious, absolutely delicious, but messy.

2001 Oriel Priorat Alma de Llicorella. 88 points. Burnished dark garnet red. Red lifesavers candy, roses, and earth nose. Medium bodied, cranberries, sweet ‘n’ sour cherries, good acid, fully integrated tannins.

Spicy boar. Another boar dish made from Yarom’s animal. This one was flavorful with a real slow powerful heat.

2007 Nazar Spray. Not listed on CT.

Pheasant curry. Absolutely delicious, particularly with some of the noodles.

1987 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill. IWC 84. Full red. Weedy, green, vaguely chemical nose. Thick and dense but rustic. Has more density of material to stand up to its strong green component than this winery other two ’87s. The best of the trio in terms of texture and ripeness.

Snow peas.

2000 Giscours. Parker 92. Probably the finest Giscours made since the 1975, this black/purple-colored 2000 offers up terrific notes of camphor, creosote, blackberry, and cassis jam intermixed with notions of smoke and earth. Spicy, with low acidity, a big, rich, fleshy, full-bodied palate, outstanding texture, and a long, pure finish, it is, to reiterate, one of the best Giscours produced over the last 25 years. A sleeper of the vintage, it is still available for a realistic price.

agavin: my second favorite red.

Goat stew. You add in the noodles and greens below. The broth was actually very flavorful, if terribly ugly. The goat itself was kinda stewed.

2012 MontGras Carménère Reserva. 85 points. Deep purple, vegetal and slight cedar smell. Taste of leather and green pepper, dry but soft short finish.

Egg noodles for the goat.

Mysterious greens.

2000 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial. 90 points. Medium red. Moderately ripe cherry and red berry aromas are complicated by tobacco, mint and musky underbrush. Medium-bodied and a bit loose-knit, with low-key, gentle red fruit and cured meat flavors that are nicely firmed by a dusty mineral tone. Gains sweetness on the finish, picking up vanilla and floral oil notes. Understated and rather elegant Rioja but lacking real oomph; was this really deserving of the fancy Gran Reserva Especial treatment?

Crispy noodles with miscellaneous stuff. A lot like the Cantonese dish.

2008 Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee. Parker 89-91. The 2008 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee was about to be bottled at the time of my visit, and it will certainly be one of the better wines of the vintage. By the standards of Pegau, it is not a massive wine nor will it be terribly long-lived. However, this estate has an incredible track record in off years, so I would not be surprised to see this wine exceeding readers’ expectations in 10-12 years. Tasting through the three remaining lots that will be blended together, I rated them between 89 and 92. That makes it one of the better wines of the vintage. Medium to full-bodied, chewy and very evolved, the wine exhibits lots of earth, lavender and foresty/mossy notes intermixed with kirsch, peppery black currants and Christmas fruitcake spices. It should drink nicely for 10-12+ years. Laurence calls it a very “traditional” style that she believes will be as good as their 2006.

2003 Williams Selyem Gewürztraminer Late Harvest Vista Verde Vineyard. IWC 91. Deep gold. Classic gewurz bouquet of rose, peach and smoke, with an exotic overlay of baking spices. Sweet and round, with concentrated pit fruit and melon flavors showing impressive energy and focus. Finishes on a spicy note, with excellent depth but no undue weight. I like the absence of cloying notes here and would love to serve this with funky or blue cheeses.

Happy birthday!

1970 Château Guiraud. 87 points. Gorgeous fresh nose, with apricot and peaches (A-). Somewhat light palate with limited sweetness (B++).

agavin: on the internet, this wine sometimes gets wonderful reviews (95+!). Our bottle was sadly not in such great shape.

Coconut gelatin dessert (green) and coffee flavored of same (brown). Cool and refreshing.

Overall, another epic Hedonist Asian adventure. Good food, great prices, fun wines, and a whole lot of us. What more could you ask for?

More crazy Hedonist adventures or
LA dining reviews click here.

By: agavin
Comments (1)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: hedonists, Phong Dinh, san Gabriel valley, vietnamese, Wine

Coconut Curried Snails?

Jan03

Restaurant: Phong Dinh [1, 2]

Location: 107 E Valley blvd, San Gabriel, Ca, 91776. (626) 307-8868

Date: December 29, 2013

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Rating: Excellent!

My Hedonist club hit up Phong Dinh earlier in the year, but they moved to a new location — albeit in a nearby San Gabriel Valley spot. This authentic Vietnamese continues to serve up interesting stuff — plus they’re happy to take some of Yarom’s “do it yourself” meats, like both boar and deer he shot recently.

NV Taittinger Champagne Brut. 88 points. It is exactly as it is advertised and as I expected; nice, average champagne at this price range. Nothing special, but more so, nothing harsh like cheaper champagne.

Shrimp and pork papaya salad.

2011 Fritz Haag Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese. IWC 90. Elegant aromas of Bing cherry, apple blossom and roasted pine nuts. Sweet and delicate but nonetheless creamy on the palate, with sweet herbs and a touch of vanilla. Lemon curd and slate animate a compelling finish.

This was about 8 years over the hill. Undrinkable vinegar.

Baked catfish.

Fish sauce. Tasty and salty.

And these rice paper “pancakes” that are softened in hot water. Not pictured are two kinds of fish sauce and thin rice noodles (you can see them below).

There are various condiments. Mint and basil.

Veggies.

Rice noodles.

You put all this together with the fish as you like and do your best to roll into a pancake. It’s scrumptious, absolutely delicious, but messy.

1998 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Heimbourg. IWC 91-93. Reticent but perfumed aromas of cured meat and grapefruit. Pure, bright and very intensely flavored, with vibrant acidity giving the wine great snap. A hint of lichee in the mouth. Very firm and long on the finish. Very elegant, rich gewürztraminer.

Snails in coconut curry. This spicy coconut curry cream sauce was amazing. You had to suck the meat out of the snails, which was cool, and there was plenty of sauce to drip over rice or noodles.

This time, the sauce was a little thiner than last time (and although it tasted about the same, the thicker was a little better). The snails themselves were pretty awesome.

From my cellar: 1972 Domaine Drouhin-Laroze Bonnes Mares. 88 points. It’s actually surprising that this is drinkable at all, but I’ve had 4 bottles like this one. The nose is barnyard, but it tastes pretty decent, with a good amount of remaining fruit and lots of acid. Actually quite pleasant.

Roast goat. This scrumptious dish was a bit chewy, but boy did it have a ton of flavor. The goat had this char broiled and spiced thing that was spectacular.

2007 Alysian Wines (Gary Farrell) Pinot Noir Floodgate Vineyard West Block. 92 points. Still a medium ruby color. I last tasted this wine about 15 months ago. Each time I get something additional in the aroma. This time I got flowers (mostly roses), raspberry, black cherry, some blackberry, RRV cola, violets, leather and more noticeable vanillin (but not overbearing). As the wine opened, it seemed as if there was something anise-like in the background. Similar flavors, along with touches of chocolate. Rich, intense and full bodied fruit. Excellent balance and structure. A long and extended finish.

Yarom’s poor deer.

On it’s way to…

Deer sausage, Vietnamese style. Salty and tasty.

2001 Cottonwood Canyon Chardonnay. 90 points. Very Burgundian in style — nice.

Chinese broccoli.

From my cellar: 1990 Faiveley Latricières-Chambertin. 91 points. A bit of brett/funk on the nose and palate. Immediately, quite open and giving, even lush, for a Faiveley! Plenty of depth to the black fruit.

Crispy squab. Very tasty, almost sweet.

2010 Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. 86 points. Dark cherry red color; appealing, tart black cherry, violets, light blueberry, tar nose; tasty, complex, tight, tart black cherry, black raspberry, cranberry palate with integrating oak and medium acidity.

Monster prawn. These enormous, almost lobster-size, prawns were delicious. That plate is about 20 inches wide!

2012 sta rita hills pinot. One of those over oaked modern pinots. Not my taste.

BBQ pigeon. Done up more or less Peking duck style.

1998 Robert Mondavi Winery Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve. IWC 89 points. Ruby-red. Redcurrant, lead pencil, nuts and fresh herbs on the nose. Supple, ripe and sweet, with lovely texture and suave tannins for the vintage. Still, the licorice and herbal flavors are not as expressive as usual for this cuvee.

Crab in fermented sauce. This was a controversial dish. It was pretty fishy, as this very fermented (bean?) sauce had a lot of fish sauce in it. I happened to love it, as did many others. Those with more Americanized tastes, not as much.

2003 Romano Dal Forno Valpolicella Superiore. Parker 92. The 2003 Valpolicella Superiore comes across as shockingly primary for a five-year old wine. Masses of jammy dark fruit flow onto the palate in a concentrated, generous style. The firm tannins are those of the torrid 2003 vintage, yet this broad-shouldered, expansive wine has more than enough fruit to provide balance. Notes of chocolate, leather, coffee and sweet spices gradually emerge with air, yet this remains a backward, unyielding wine at the moment. As with the 2004, this wine needs serious bottle age, or eight to ten hours of air for those adventurous enough to take it for a test drive now.

2000 Bond Matriarch. Parker 89. Those lots deemed not quite up to the standards of the Melbury, Vecina, and St. Eden labels are blended together to form Bond’s second wine, The Matriarch. This is a second wine in name only. The 2000 The Matriarch exhibits notes of dried Provencal herbs, roasted espresso, truffles, tar, meat, berries, and black currants. While attractive, it has less flavor dimension and volume than its younger sibling.

Boar curry, made with Yarom’s boar. This had a cumin and turmeric thing going on and was delicious, even better than last time. The boar was a little tough, but full of flavor.

Sesame crisps to go with the goat.

2006 Hermann Donnhoff Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Auslese. Parker 99. Donnhoff’s 2006 Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Auslese introduces a caramelization of fruit and a roasted richness that represent a more obvious expression of botrytis, yet the springs of acidity are incredibly tightly-wound as well and there is absolutely no sense of heaviness. One can taste the effect of botrytis that was being constantly ventilated in the best portions of this great site, concentrating all components, including acidity, while juicy berries also still abounded. The fruitcake metaphor is overused and fails to capture the appropriate sense of levity, fluidity, and elegance. Suffice it to say that dried fruits, toasted nuts, citrus rind, honey, white raisin, baking spices, spiritous fruit essences, and singed, caramelized notes all abound, and that the less prosaic layers of this masterpiece – for lack of better words, the meat and mineral dimensions – are only revealed for now to the limited degree that time in the glass permits. The finish finds me licking my lips clean of mysteriously savory, salty residues. Voluminous and dense yet refined and elegant; baroque yet constructed like one of the great pyramids; viscously rich yet dynamic, this will stand – perhaps for half a century – as a monument to its vintner, site and vintage.

Coconut gelatin dessert (purple) and coffee flavored of same (brown). Cool and refreshing.

Overall, another epic Hedonist Asian adventure. Good food, great prices, fun wines, and a whole lot of us. What more could you ask for?

More crazy Hedonist adventures or
LA dining reviews click here.

Experimenting with the rice pancakes

By: agavin
Comments (4)

Posted in: Food

Tagged as: boar, Coconut milk, deer, goat, hedonists, Phong Dinh, Vietnamese cuisine, Wine

Phong Dinh – Hedonists go Vietnamese

May28

Restaurant: Phong Dinh [1, 2]

Location: 2643 San Gabriel Blvd Rosemead, CA 91770. (626) 307-8868

Date: May 19, 2013

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Rating: Excellent!

The parade of culinary adventures with my Hedonist club continues as we hit the San Gabriel Valley again, this time for some authentic Vietnamese.

The interior is nothing to write home about.

From my cellar: 2011 Domaine Collotte Bourgogne Rosé Marsannay. This is one of my go-to roses, as it’s all Pinot Noir from Burgundy. A wonderful sunny weather wine, it paired very nicely with the sweet and sour tones of the food. There were a few rose-haters as usual, but this really is a great wine, bright and full of strawberry flavors.

Shrimp and pork papaya salad.

1990 Poniatowski Vouvray Moelleux Aigle Blanc. Medium golden color. Rich with glyceral palate feel, pear-like fruit, not too sweet, adequate acidity, and just a touch of sherry on the finish. Holding up very well and a real bargain although it lacks the complexity and zingy acidity that the best wines of this vintage possess. Far from dull though.

Baked catfish.

There are various condiments. Mint and basil.

Veggies.

And these rice paper “pancakes” that are softened in hot water. Not pictured are two kinds of fish sauce and thin rice noodles (you can see them below).

You put this together as you like and do your best to roll into a pancake. It’s scrumptious, absolutely delicious, but messy.

Don’t eat me!

2009 Domaine de la Denante St. Véran.

Crispy squab. Very tasty, almost sweet.

From my cellar: 2005 Domaine de Montille Pommard 1er Cru Les Pèzerolles. Burghound 91-93. This is an extremely stylish wine that combines both elegance and purity with precise, supple and rich flavors underpinned by obvious minerality, all wrapped in penetrating and transparent finish. I very much like this and while it’s not overly dense, the purity and transparency are impressive.

Our leader, Yarom, shot up some pheasant the day before and brought it in for cooking.

Here they are plucked. Yuck!

But tasty enough cooked up in wine sauce almost like a coq au vin! So pheasant au vin!

Someone even found a bit of leftover buckshot!

2006 Flowers Pinot Noir Frances Thompson Vineyard. Burghound 86. An interesting nose of fresh red berry fruit with nuances of cinnamon and clove introduces rich, round, supple and attractively intense flavors that display an unusually sharp acid tang on the short finish. Perhaps this will round out but I have my doubts.

Chicken salad.

2008 Flowers Pinot Noir Andreen-Gale Cuvée Sonoma Coast. Better than the older bottle, with a bit of a bacony vibe.

Sweet and sour crab. Really first class crab. The sauce was fabulous and it was very tender.

Cabbage Chinese style. Pretty tasty too, even for a vegetable.

2003 Clouds Rest Pinot Noir. 92 points. Extremely smooth, with resolved tannins on the palate. Tart, but not too tart cherry flavors. Certainly characteristics of the Sonoma Coast, but not with a ton of minerality. That smoothness sets it apart from some of the stonier Sonoma Coast wines that I’m used to (and like). Very hearty. I also picked up brighter, lighter fruits as I drank more: strawberries and raspberries.

Snails in curry. This spicy coconut curry cream sauce was amazing. You had to suck the meat out of the snails, which was cool, and there was plenty of sauce to drip over rice.

2008 Monte Ducay Cariñena Reserva. 85 points. Ruby, medium body, balanced much better than typical Spanish red in that price range. Medium dry without a trace of the catchy sweetness which is so appealing to less sophisticated wine drinkers. Reminiscent of Cotes-du-Rhone. Goes well with any food except for very delicate fish and sea food. Will never overwhelm, but rather complement most meats.

Crispy deep fried quail. Really tasty.

Chinese broccoli.

2005 Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf du Pape. Parker 95+. The 2005 Vieux Telegraphe Chateauneuf du Pape, this estate’s strongest vintage since 1998, has put on serious weight since last year. Dense ruby/purple-colored with an exquisite perfume of black raspberries, kirsch, ground pepper, and incense, this full-bodied, powerful, concentrated wine reveals fabulous purity as well as a finish that lasts over 45 seconds. Purchasers of this beauty will need patience.

French style beef. Tender and oh so good.

2006 Glaetzer Amon Ra. Parker 94. Deep garnet, the 2006 Amon-Ra opens with a really earthy, meaty and gamey nose scented of slightly burnt toast, tar, licorice and after a few minutes a little menthol. Full and rich, the palate has dried mulberries and spice flavors alongside very crisp acid, medium levels of chewy tannins before finishing long.

Pork curry. This had a cumin and turmeric thing going on and was delicious.

Coconut gelatin dessert. Cool and refreshing.

There was also a dessert Gewürztraminer that I forgot to photo. Bummer, it was very nice.

Overall, Phong Dinh was really great. Nearly every dish was excellent and some of them (like the fish, quail, and snails) were through the roof delicious.

Afterward, some of us sobered up nearby over a cheap (but good) foot massage and this amazing “Mango Snow Drift.” It’s mango, mango ice cream, and shaved ice drenched in sweetened condensed milk! Such is the Hedonist life!

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