Ha&VL Sandwiches

Damn you Sauce. I just told myself I wasn't going to go there this week and almost put it out of my head. I think I'll have to go there for Banh Canh Cua breakfast tomorrow.

Ducked in today for soup (and spotted a certain local chef in the room, too). The Friday special is hu tieu Nam Vang, one of my favorites and the version here at Ha&VL is the best I've had in a while. The signature taste of this dish is the fried garlic, but the soup today had a really nice meaty quality, no doubt helped along by the slice of beef liver in the soup as well as cha lua (pork loaf). The seafood wasn't anything to write home about; the shrimp and squid were a tad overcooked for my taste, but the broth and noodles were out of this world. Of course I had some of the Ha&VL coffee to go with it.

Brought Flynn to Ha&VL yesterday, his first time. The banh canh cua crab soup is my favorite. And I'm beginning to think that Ha&VL is actually getting so popular to the point that there's multiple soups per day. I remember showing up here last week thinking that they had an extra soup just as a special, but it looks like it's a constantly recurring thing (three times being offered the same soup over a couple of months). So perhaps there's even more soup to explore here.

I still say the crab soup is the best. It's completely unlike any Vietnamese bowl of soup you've probably had. Big, thick rice noodles, a thick almost viscous tomato-tinged soup with tons of crab, julienned ham and a couple of boiled quail eggs, all topped with lots of fried garlic.

The other dish served on Thursdays is a clear soup called banh canh Saigon. It's definitely much more broth driven. Still uses the thick rice noodles, but the clear broth is so intensely flavored despite its transparency. Lots of pork slices go in this broth help contribute to the broth's meaty flavor.

Flynn and I arrived just after 9am to a packed house, almost all Viet.

If that crab soup is any indication, then all the hype is warranted. It was completely delicious, with the fried garlic adding a nice balance to the fishy crab and tomato flavor. The quail eggs are just about perfect as well.

I'll apparently be hauling my ass out here for breakfast more often.

The Monday soup is the a melange of meat in a tomato-shrimp paste broth with vermicelli noodle, bun rieu son tay

The first thing that hits you is the tomato-shrimp paste broth, topped with a fair amount of fried garlic. It benefits from a bit of lemon to help cut the richness, and with a lot of bun soups, the textural contrast of the raw bamboo shoots and lettuce is very much welcome. There are big pieces of fried tofu, pork, and a seafood ball (fish & shrimp, most likely) for protein, but this is another all around winner.

That soup looks good, but the Wed Bun Moc Ha Noi that I'm gonna eat sounds fantastico.

Bun Moc

Bun Thang

Banh Canh Cua

A very special thing is happening on SE 82nd ave.

Link to PolloElastico's blog post on Ha&VL:
http://guiltycarnivore.com/2009/03/23/ha-vl-revisited/

Just got back from my first ever visit to HA & VL. Pollo got it exactly right.

Bun Bo Hue was a great way to get the day started. One of the very best soups I've ever had.

BTW they open at 0730 not 0900

Sauce brought us some of the seafood based soup yesterday. I had what was left for dinner, reheated 12 hours later and it was still fantastico. I LOVE getting to customize my soup with noodles, herbs and veggies. My favorite is the shiso which is such a delightful contrast to the unctuous broth.

I can see myself down there first thing on a Saturday or Sunday morning for a breakfast bowl and on a regular basis.

I like the idea of grabbing one to go for later too.

OK, Ok. I finally nutted up and made the trek. Flynn and I met up at BARISTA for a quick cup, then headed out. That cup at BARISTA made for a bad comparison once we got some coffee at HA&VL. Apples to Oranges though......

wed. special of Pepper Pork Ball Noodle. The Broth was so deep and ethereal that it boggles my mind how rich and nuanced it can be. If they are making a different soup each day, it cant be much more than 12 Hours old!? unbelievable. Both piquant and briny with a great mellow porky backbone. The star in the bowl for me was the Peppercorn Meatball. Good texture, with the perfect bite of pepper, but not enough to overpower. You taste the richness of the pork, THEN the bite of the pepper. Upon my first taste of the bowl, my reflex was to grin. 'Nuf said.

Tomorrow's the crab soup, so maybe I'll head over in the morning. You can get it to go, right?

yeah you can.

Best to call ahead, they are meticulous in how they pack everything up to go so it can take awhile if you're just waiting.

Went for breakfast this morning and got the crab soup and an iced coffee. The broth was amazing as always, though there was an off-flavor I couldn't place until I tried one of the shrimp. I've encountered this once before, and this shouldn't be read as a criticism of HA&VL, but the shrimp 'corked,' as in it must have been shipped in some cardboard effected by TCA.

There is something so sweet about this place. Every time my daughter and I walk in I feel like we're stepping into a relative's living room. Sweet people making good food.

Is that shrimp thing the common problem that causes shrimp to taste polluted? *cannot stand that taste*

didn't make it in today. maybe someday.

good question. I don't know. I think cleaning the shrimp properly is probably the number one culprit, and wasn't the case here, but what I'm referring to is very definitely not that. I'm particularly sensitive to tca so your miles may vary, but this is not the first time I've had this reaction/sensation.

Two Bowls of Ha&VL soup under my belt and I am a certified fan.

Tanuki, HoldTheBeans, and myself drug our pathetic roundeye asses into Ha&VL this morning for some noodles. We all ended up ordering the same dish, the Bun Thang Thang Long. Also got an order of thePho Ga Hien Vuong To go for a person that couldnt manage to get out of bed(I will not name names, but you know who you are!). While the bowl was really good, full of shredded chicken, pork and egg all in a very clean and spicy broth, The Bun Moc Ha Noi is still the better of the two bowls I have had.

The thing that strikes me is the value. Even factoring in the drive from the 'Tron, at $30 for 4 bowls(and none of us could finish our bowls) its way worth it!

Bonus for getting to watch HoldTheBeans get offended when she was offered a fork!?

"Bonus for getting to watch HoldTheBeans get offended when she was offered a fork!?"

I tipped extra just on the merit of that bit of entertainment.
The sad eyes.. and the "why me????"
Priceless.

New development on the Bun Moc Ha Noi. Due to some no-doubt-idiotic health dept. missive, there is no more 'laced with black pepper' in this soup. Instead, chiles are used. The result is still good, but more spicy and less distinctive.

http://guiltycarnivore.com/2009/04/25/breakfast-havl/

Note to those who have to travel a ways to get to HaVL- past couple times I've gone past they've been closed at noon on Sunday due to running out of food (good for them). If you plan on heading there at 11 or later I suggest calling first.

Seems like my favorite bowl of soup at HA&VL is always the last bowl I ate there. The crab soup was my favorite, until I had an amazing bowl of bun thang there a couple Sunday's ago.

But this morning's crab soup was even better than the last time I had it and declared it my favorite. Seriously good batch today - if you are close by, I suggest you call them right now and reserve a bowl.

Yeah, that banh canh cua is my pick for Dish of the Year 2009. Oh what now CKR boudin noir? Whatchu got?

I've got a couple of food blogger friends from LA up here in Portland on a long weekend visit. They're visiting the town the right way -- renting bicycles and riding to all the restaurants far and wide like Pok Pok and Toro Bravo and Tanuki. They seem to be having a great time all around, but it wasn't until we sat down at Ha&VL on a Sunday morning, with the room filled with the chatter of Viet Sunday "brunch" that they said, "Okay, now I feel we can move here."

Like the hu tieu soups you can find at many spots around Portland, the primary flavor going on in the bun thang broth is fried shallots. Incredibly aromatic, but the difference is that rather than balancing it out with slightly bitter leafy elements, the bun thang (a Hanoi style noodle soup) uses meaty elements. Juliennes of Vietnamese ham as well as scrambled egg contribute to the "shredded" soup, providing a well rounded flavor. Also present are ground up bits of dried shrimp, which give the broth even more complexity. I found myself having to stir the broth often as it quickly settles, but you'll be richly rewarded for such minimal effort. The bun thang is another winner here at Ha&VL.

This place is great. Once I passed by Portland, OR. I have my chance to discover the cullinaries of Ha & VL sandwiches. The soups are delicious as well as the sandwiches and can't help forgetting the ice coffees. 5 stars!

Finally made it in on Monday. I called and asked what kind of soup today, and she said shrimpcake, so I guess it was the usual Monday soup. I got 2 to go. When we pulled up, there was a crowd of Viet dudes sitting outside with iced coffees. Boy did they stare as I went in. The Visa machine was down, so after finding an ATM, went back in to get the soup. The nice lady said she made it 'extra special' for us 'cause she was sorry about the Visa machine.

Got home and unpacked the soup. I love soup noodles in any form, but haven't really ventured past pho and bun bo hue. This was an eye opener. The broth was funky, a little fishy and spicy. The noodles were a tad overcooked for my taste, but I don't know if that's how they are supposed to be. The shrimp balls disintegrated and added some texture to the tomatoey broth. I loved the fried tofu and the fatty pork. The garnishes were bean sprouts, cilantro, mint, fried garlic, lettuce, and a little container of snipped pickled hot chilis. I stole Brian's chilis and added both to my bowl. Could have added another one, too.

Verdict: Very good soup. Wasn't sure what to expect, but we were really pleased with the complex flavors. Can't wait to try different kinds, but we can only go on Sun-Mon

LC, last time I was in I bemoaned the fact that the Wed-Fri soups were hard for me to enjoy because of my schedule. Mom told me to call ahead, the day before by I think four o'clock and she would custom make me some for the next day.

Damn, is that awesomely nice or what? It's the sort of genuine friendliness that just makes terrific food even better. I love this place.

Anyway, I haven't tried to take her up on it. I think I'd want to try and get a six-top together at least, and I don't know if it's her regular policy to generally extend the offer all the time. But it may be worth a shot. All the soup I've had so far has been amazing.

Whippy, if you could get her to make the Thurs. Crab soup on say a weekend, I would be all over that like MJ at a grade school(too soon?)!!

Heyy, that's a good thought. I would love to try the crab soup.

Guys, I'm SUPER LAME about organizing stuff like that. But go say you heard she might do it. I really bet she will since she kicks so much ass.

Finally got around to going to HaVL on a Wednesday to try the bún mọc, a soup featuring a flavorful clear broth, beef meatballs, chunks of roast pork as well as thin slices of chả lụa, the Vietnamese ham/mortadella.

One of the signature features of this dish is cracked black pepper, and as you can see going back from CO's pics to this one, it doesn't appear to be quite as plentiful, but the beef meatball still has quite a nice peppercorn flavor. However, this was my first time trying the bowl, so I'm not sure how it changed or what happened in the interim.

I arrived at 7:55am and wasn't the only one patiently waiting for HaVL to open at 8am; a group of early morning coffee and nicotine enthusiasts huddled around a table in the center island, shaded by the giant tree.

One new development: on Sundays they're replacing the phở gà chicken soup and are now featuring one of my favorite Viet soups of all, mì Quảng. The best in town so far has been from Yen Ha, so this will be cool to see how it compares.

Ducked in today to try out the latest addition to the HaVL rotation: on Sundays they now do mì Quảng in addition to the shredded egg and chicken soup.

The primary indicator for me is the rice cracker, so let's start there. HaVL uses a different one than most, leading me to believe that it was homemade, but alas it was not. It held up to the hot broth, though, and there was a cool snap-crackle-pop as it submerged into the soup.

The wide yellow noodles, too, was quite different in that it was actually cooked quite al dente like a good fettucine. I spent each bite trying to work through the noodle, cooked through but still had a pleasant amount of chew. The effect is that the flavor of the soup lingers in your mouth.

There's a great aromatic quality to all of the soups at HaVL, with each daily soup imparting its own character to the garlic that helps form the base of all the broths. In the case of the mì Quảng, there's a great toasted peanut aroma that wafts through, adding depth to a soup that already features a pork meatball, big hunks of a pork chop, flecks of ground pork and a couple pieces of shrimp.

At 10am on a Sunday, it was a packed house, all Vietnamese except for me and a table with Chef Andy from Pok Pok and his friends. The owner had come out to tell me that there would a small delay because she had just finished off one batch of the soup and had to start another. That's okay, I said, as I sipped on my iced coffee. Moments later the soup arrived, and I had to smile at the thought that with even the slightest hint of inconvenience (which didn't trouble me in the least), she had come out to let me know that she was taking care of things. "You're not going to find this anywhere else," she said, checking in on me later. "This is home style cooking, not restaurant cooking." And that's precisely why I keep coming back.

Called in an order for the first time today. The food was as good as always, but what makes me comment was the customer service once again. When I asked if she wanted my name the owner simply said "I know your voice, it's okay." It's that sort of ownership that sets this place apart. It didn't hurt that when I got there the soups were standing by and they helped me and the girl to the car.

Had my first Ha&VL experience yesterday. It was Sunday, so I got in JUST early enough (11ish) to get in on the chicken shredded noodle soup. Absolutely fan-f-ing-tastic! Glad I saw the CASH ONLY sign(s) before they came to collect my bowl, because I was prepared to get a Deluxe Mixed Fruit smoothie, sardine Bahn Mi and bbq pork Bahn Mi for the BF. But I would have been embarrassed as I didn't have that much cash on me.
So for $9 for soup, water, and 20% tip, I feel I have found the most perfect soup in town yet, for my experience.

And yeah, that owner lady is SUPER NICE. Like, crazy nice. I was inhaling the broth with the spoon first, and planning to attack the goodies with chopsticks after the broth level was lower (a trick I learned after throwing away a bunch of stained shirts from slopping noodles around). And she came over and bowed into my personal space to ask me sweetly if I'd like more broth. What a sweetheart!

Starting next week, HaVL will no longer be open on Tuesdays.

http://reviewsrecipesrantsraves.blogspot.com/2009/11/review-ha-vl-sandwi...

But alas, there I was, in my car, driving out to SE 82nd Ave for a bowl of what was rumored to be the best Vietnamese soup in town. I pulled into the strip mall parking lot located next to Fubonn market and had to look around to find HA & VL Sandwiches. My attention was quickly drawn to a group of Vietnamese men standing against the wall of a building, trying to stay dry as they smoked butts and chatted away. I knew I was in the right place.

http://guiltycarnivore.com/2009/11/29/crabflake-soup-havl/

Likewise, it’s impossible to overestimate how two perfectly cooked quail eggs transports this meal to an astral plane beyond Shirley MacLaine levels of deliciousness. The broth is not so much a liquid as it is a viscous, primordial, sludge with a 10W-40 grade. A distillation of briny crab and seafood essences, imparting a thick umami translucence like liquid gold.

Yeah, the Tuesday close is a pisser. This Tuesday, it's Chicaaago cold and windy and the PERFECT day for PERFECT pho. Dang. But glad the is giving herself at least ONE day off a week.