Hu Tieu De Nhat

Hu Tieu De Nhat is one of Little Saigon’s many Vietnamese specialist restaurants, which unlike generalists (such as Brodard) exist largely to do one or a few things extremely well. Here, the specialty is a Vietnamese/Cambodian noodle bowl known as hu tieu nam vang, served one of two ways: “dry noodle” or “soup.” In each case, you get a bowl of noodles, vegetables, herbs, and soup, but in the more mind-bending dry version, the dish is deconstructed, with the soup in its own bowl to be fully, partially, or never used with the noodles.

The experience of consuming a semi-traditional hu tieu soup bowl minus the soup is a revelation, largely because of the noodles, which you can choose from clear, egg, or rice versions, or mix two of the three for roughly the same price. Definitely order with a mix of clear and egg noodles, at which point you’ll experience a maybe life-changing texture and flavor combination you’ve never had before, and maybe consider adding the rice as an extra. By the time you get to the seafood, meats, and serve-yourself sauces, this will probably be the best bowl of noodles you’ve ever eaten.