Hai Nam Saigon — Restaurant in Alhambra

A lot of people complain about the filling to rice flour ratio here but I actually really enjoyed it for what it was ! I always order their special here which comes with the banh cuon topped with the meat, bean sprouts, and two kinds of tempura (the mung bean and the one with sweet potato and shrimp?). The rice flour is so soft and lovely here, it's perfectly made and tastes wonderful with a healthy serving of fish sauce. I think a whole plate will definitely keep you full - it's quite large for one person.

I also ordered their banh xeo here! The color is definitely Less yellow compared to other places but it seems more natural and tastes really delicious. It's crunch on the outside and filled with bean sprouts, onions, pork, and shrimp insides. I think the amount of filled is pretty good for the price (some places charge up to $10 with less filling). I really enjoyed how fresh their vegetables were too.

They also give you a mug of fish sauce so you can drench it with as much as you want ! Yum.

It's a little small and cramped inside but definitely nothing to complain about if you're used to this Asian area. The service is also good as well- they were attentive and even though I didn't speak Vietnamese, they understood me. They also had someone working that spoke English so don't be afraid to come in if you don't speak the language! The place isn't exactly the newest or cleanest but... to be honest, I'm used to Asian restaurants and the food is delicious.

Definitely will be coming back - love their items for a quick...

What I Ordered Banh Cuon Dat Biet Hai Nam

This is translated to three type (shrimp powder, ground pork and mushrooms) flour sheet combination with two type of shrimp tempura (1. fried mung bean and shrimp ball, 2. fried sweet potato and shrimp) and pork cake (cha). The ratio between flour and filling was so bad!!! Just sprinkle of shrimp powder (not even ground shrimp like the menu stated) and basically no ground pork or mushroom. The filling is my favorite part of banh cuon! You would get way more filling in the banh cuon at Banh Mi Che Cali. This is a pathetic version. The mung bean and shrimp ball was basically all mung bean and 1 small shrimp. The sweet potato and shrimp tempura was good. The fish sauce here tastes like vinegar and sugar. Even if you dumb a bunch of chili paste, it doesn't hide that sweet taste. My dad asked for lemon and received only 1 slice. Not sure how this place is still in business when they skimp on everything. Will never, ever come...

The picture worths a thousand words. My wife and I went to this place after shopping at 168 market. We ordered an egg noodle soup and a plate of banh cuon. When the lady(the mom) brought me the banh cuon, I asked her twice if she really gave the right order because it did not look like banh cuon(see the picture). I am not sure if they know how to make banh cuon or they just scam their customer with an old piece of rice paper wrap around grounded meat. Our bowl of egg noodle soup had pink meat and a lot msg. Also the service is bad. We ordered two cups of cold water but they never served. Please stay away from this place. I just give an 1 for the location...