Day 14 - Comfort Food - Trieu Chau Restaurant

Trieu Chau Restaurant

4401 W 1st Street

Santa Ana, CA 92703

(714) 775-1536

The husband and I were regulars at this restaurant when we were living under our parents' roof. Ever since the husband and I have our own nest, we do not dine at this establishment as much because of distance but it is still one of my favorite restaurants.

It's not the cleanest restaurant around or the prettiest. The waiters are middle aged men who've been around for many years. There is always a wait of at least 10 minutes. Some of the people who dine here have no dining etiquette. (One time, I remembered waiting outside and I ended up staring at a woman, chewing with her mouth open and talking at the same time. I know you are not supposed to stare when people eat but this was one of the worst moments of my dining experience. I was completely appalled.) Yet I continue to return to this restaurant. I return time and time again because, for me, it's comfort food. The food arrives on your table within minutes after ordering. The people are not pretentious, the prices are awesome and the food is wonderful.

Also, the waiter seems to always remember my order! It's been several months since the husband and I have been back before today and yet....somehow...my favorite waiter managed to remember me and my usual order! What more can I ask for?

I always order bánh bột lọc which is similar to bánh canh except the noodles are smaller. Bánh bột lọc and bánh canh are white noodles made up of a combination of of rice and tapioca powder. These noodles are similar to the Japanese udon. Anyhoo - Trieu Chau's broth is very flavorful (probably soaked in MSG but I'm not complaining). Each bowl of soup comes with one piece of chicken or two (if you're lucky), one piece of duck, two fish balls, three or four shrimps, one slice of fried fish cake, one slice of pork liver and one slice of pork meat topped with scallions. I add blanched bean sprouts, a lime or two and then for the next 10 minutes, I joyously consume my lunch. Oh, and I never slurp up the soup. I NEVER SLURP up the broth to any noodle soups at any Asian restaurant. Why not you might ask? Well, my wise mother once told me that the broth at most Asian restaurants were full of MSG, so although I love Trieu Chau and I don't really care if I have MSG in my food or not but just because it's tasty doesn't mean it's good for you. Each bowl of soup is about $5 to $6. Between the husband and me, our bill usually comes out to be about $12 to $13 before tip.