Tran Co Nuong Kitchen — Restaurant in Garden Grove

A small but nice, clean, cozy place on Westminster at corner of Euclid with 12 tables, nicely decorated with bamboo wall and ceiling. It has a very large menu with staple rice and noodle dishes and lots of traditional snacks $12 to $15 to drink with beers ($2.50) or wines ($20 bottles).

We ordered a bun rieu cua dong and a cha ca la vong. Both come with generous servings of various vegetables and herbs.

Bun rieu was served in a hot ceramic bowl with separate bun noodle, lots of crab, shrimp, blood cubes, fried tofu. The broth was very tasty crab broth, very authentic, one of the best in SoCal, no excessive sugar or MSG.

Cha ca has probably 1 pound of catfish chunks deep fried in too much batter, not cool, served with fried onion rings and fresh dill on a hot skillet. A generous serving of fried fish with a large plate of noodle and herbs, this $15 dish is tasty, very good value and the most authentic cha ca in SoCal.

The original Cha Ca La Vong, in a cramped, rickety, smoky 2nd-floor room on Pho La Vong in Hanoi, serves catfish chunks, marinaded in shrimp paste, rice yogurt, tumeric and galangan, deep fried in a pot half full of lard on a very hot, smoky charcoal stove on the small table. The fish tastes fattier, tastier burning hot from the pot, but lard splatter, fat and charcoal smoke are not conducive for polite companies. Girls and ladies all turn down invites to Cha Ca La Vong in Hanoi!

This place had only 4 other parties for lunch on Friday so it was not busy. Parking was easy. Service was quick and polite by 2 nice young girls, student type.

So far this chef nails 2 Northern dishes just right. Will definitely come back to try other dishes...

Tran Co Nuong Kitchen is a cozy restaurant that serves authentic tasting Vietnamese food. The atmosphere inside is cute, it has a “tropical” vibe with the brightly colored lamps and bamboo walls. We ordered the cha ca la vong (Vietnamese grilled fish) and the bun cha hanoi (grilled pork vermicelli). Hands down the best part is the amount of herbs and lettuce given with each meal- other Vietnamese restaurants I’ve gone to give nowhere near the amount this place does. I think this really adds to the food appeal, since you’re able to freely adjust the flavor profile of your meal depending on your tastes and preferences. The Vietnamese grilled fish was the perfect amount of crispy, and I was really able to taste the infusion of dill into the fish. The meat in the bun cha hanoi was tender, and the broth was flavorful and was balanced out very well by the side of pickled vegetables. Would recommend to anyone in the area looking for a light and authentic...

Saturday 11/9/24 Lunch at Tran Co Nuong Kitchen in Garden Grove with my mother and sister. First time trying out this Vietnamese restaurant. Ordered BBH, Bun Rieu, Nanh Xeo, and rice cake with eggs. The restaurant provided lots of fresh vegetables with the meals. Delicious!

I recommend trying out this restaurant.

David...