Phong Dinh Restaurant

I will go back to Phong Dinh for the delicious long-baked cat fish wrap with basil, pickled carrots and radishes, and drizzled with the special sauce. I enjoyed the wrap making process though dunking the stiff rice paper in hot water was a little tricky. I would give this dish 4+ stars. I would also go back for the funny/quirky friendly service we received from the waiter and the owner.

I was very excited to be invited to try a variety of dishes that comprised of alligator, venison, boar, snake, kangaroo, plus other more familiar dishes. I haven’t had many of the more exotic meats before so I can’t compare the taste to other places but I enjoyed every new dish for its newness no matter if I liked the dish or not.

It was also surprising that many of the dishes tasted more Chinese than Vietnamese in some of its sauces. But all in all it was a meal that I really enjoyed for its variety and for the chance to try dishes that I normally wouldn’t eat.

In no particular order:
The ground snake looked like dolmas when it came out stuffed in black Lot leaves. The taste was unusual and hard to describe. It had a harsh gamey and oily but dry flavor that lay beneath the smokey taste of the leaf wrap that was not very appetizing for me.

People said the alligator with lemon grass, wood ears and water chestnut served with whole sesame rice cracker tasted like frog’s legs and they were tender and rather tasty.

The boar had a strong taste like lamb or other stronger meats in a yellow Thai style curry sauce. Not bad.

The kangaroo came to the table in a fiery blaze that made it very very festive. The taste however wasn’t very appealing to me which could be due to my unfamiliarity with this meat or to the rather sour wine marinade. But it had the nice look and texture of beef.

The slightly spicy venison was delicious and not gamey at all. It was one of my favorite dishes of the whole meal.

The manila clams were of course delicious in what tasted like lobster sauce.

The water spinach and bok choy were cooked to perfection and just right for the meat heavy meal.

The shrimp and pig ear salad would have been better for me without the pig’s ear. But otherwise very good with carrots, peanuts, bean sprouts, cabbage, and jelly fish.

The Agar agar hard gelatine dessert with coconut milk and pandan leaf was very refreshing after the heavy dishes.

We went with a large group and a huge appetite. Although they are best known for Baked Catfish, we celebrated our foodie banquet with a large variety of dishes. Snake, Alligator, Kangaroo. None of them blew me away as much as the Catfish, Manilla Clams, and Garlic Bok Choy. I would recommend this restaurant for the adventurous diner who really wants to know they have tried EVEYTHING! But honestly I will return in a snap just to experience this fabulous catfish again. It’s perfectly seasoned, crispy on the outside and moist in the middle. Served with rice paper wrappers, so you bundle it up, Vietnamese-style with some sprouts, thai basil and cilantro, then you dip it in a sweet, clear, flavorful ginger sauce. Even writing about this makes me want to go back! The waiter was so skillful in deboning the fish right in front of us, displaying the spine, all in one piece. I give this restaurnant 4 stars for the catfish. All the rest is icing on the cake.

On the Eve of the Lunar New Year, I was invited to a free hosted event at Phong Dinh, a Vietnamese restaurant known for its exotic meat dishes. So when the opportunity came up to to try out a 12 course meal at the place free of charge, I jumped at the opportunity.

The 1st dish they served us was the Vietnamese fresh spring rolls. Its very similar to Filipino fresh lumpia. But here you have to assemble it yourself. They give you a plate of mixed herbs. Another plate with diced carrots, slices of cucumber, bean sprouts. Then a bowl of a sweet sauce that might have tamarind and fish sauce in it. Last but not least you get a bowl of warm water and a stack of rice paper shaped like tortillas.

It requires a dexterity test where you spin the rice paper quickly around the water to moisten it. Then use it to wrap around the veggies and sauce. Personally, I found having to dip the rice paper into the water to be a bit of a chore. I am so not into the self wrap thing. Overall, the fresh spring roll to me tasted like fresh lumpia – which I’m not really fond of. I prefer the fried version better. There was a lot of leftover rice paper when everything was said and done.

The 2nd dish that arrived was Quail Eggs Wrapped in Shrimp Paste and Battered with Sweet Rice Flake. Now this dish, I liked, and so did the rest of the people in my group. The shrimp paste was not at all strong like bagoong. It was more like a small egg covered in crab cake batter. The texture of the egg along with the batter complimented each other perfectly. This dish was completely eaten.

The 3rd dish to arrive was the house specialty baked catfish. This one requires an advance order because it takes at least 30 minutes to bake the fish. You can order it it 3 sizes – small, medium and large. I believe we were served one medium sized catfish and and one slightly smaller ones. When I say medium – this fish was at least 10 lbs. Catfish can get very large. You could definitely taste the earthy taste of catfish which is off putting to some people, but I grew up eating catfish. The best part of the catfish dish was the bottom half that soaked up the sauce it was served on. The top half was moist, but rather bland in taste. The group finished off both catfish.

The 4th dish was Shrimp & Pork with Lotus Root Sour Salad. This one I took a bite and nearly spit out. It has cilantro and some other foul herb that didn’t agree with most of the people at my table. It also had jellyfish. Maybe only 2 or 3 people in my group (out of 12) liked the dish. Needless to say the dish was not finished off.

The 5th dish was Charbroiled Ground Snake in Rolled “Lot Leaves”. Visually, it reminded me of sushi, but most sushi I can tolerate – this one was just gross. Again, there was some type of herb or seasoning that most of the people in my group didn’t like.

The 6th dish was Manila Clams with Bell Pepper, Garlic and Chili. How can you go wrong with manila clams? The group liked this dish – it was almost like eating clams in lobster sauce.

The 7th dish was Sauteed Boar in Curry Sauce. It was accompanied by Whole black Sesame Rice Crackers. I guess the meat and sauce were meant to be eaten with the crackers. The crackers looked gorgeous, but their taste was very bland. It really needed the sauce to give it flavor. The wild boar had a very gamy taste to it – almost like lamb or goat. The curry was mild, very similar to Thai curry.

The 8th dish was Diced Venison Sauteed with Onions. Do you know what kung pao beef tastes like? Okay, now imagine it with venison and that’s basically what it is – kung pao venison. We liked it, but didn’t find the preparation to be exotic. The venison was moist and tender.

Before they served us the 9th dish, they gave us a break and cleansed our palates with two veggie dishes – water spinach and bok choy with garlic. The bok choy was good, but not distinctive. But the water spinach, also known as kang kong – it was served perfectly. Not overcooked and seasoned just right – which is a rarity at most Chinese restaurants that serve water spinach.

I had to visit the restroom and missed the fiery presentation of the 10th dish, Kangaroo Sauteed with Wine Flame. Basically, they put wine on the kangaroo dish on a hot plate that results in a fiery volcano spectacle. I still got back in time to see the dish sizzling.

The 11th dish was Alligator with Lemon Grass. Ever had frog legs or event rabbit? Alligator reminded me of those meats. The flavor of the dish was okay but the meat didn’t do anything for me.

The 12th dish was Chicken with Lemon Grass and Chili. The chicken was better than the alligator.

Overall, the best I liked best were the meats that were most familiar with. I would recommend that if you do give this place a try, call in advance to order the baked catfish in advance. They have a small private lot for parking. Otherwise, its street parking.

A tasting dinner of 12 dishes? At a restaurant known for its wide variety of dishes and exotic meats? How could I refuse?
Yes, I live in Santa Monica, so the drive to Rosemead was daunting, but I braved it for the promise of Quail Eggs, Alligator, and Kangaroo. YES, Kangaroo! After the arduous journey from the westside, I was grateful for the convenience of the parking lot behind the restaurant. I had saved up my appetite all day, I was starving, and I was ready for The Zoo.
Upon entering Phong Dinh, it looked like a typical family-style asian restaurant. Large round tables with lazy susans in the center, restaurant/hotel surplus chairs, T.V.s on the wall showing America’s Next Top Vietnamese Model. Since I do not travel to San Gabriel or Alhambra regularly for asian cuisine, to me it was reminiscent of an average Chinatown restaurant. One quirk that particularly tickled me: at the back wall near the bathrooms, there was a Street Fighter II arcade relic, and a whoopie cushion vending machine. I was sold.
On to the food:

First impression, looks like the typical Chinese/Asian style restaurant with round tables and lazy susan trays, but of course Phong Dinh is advertised as a Vietnamese venue.

The menu boasts of exotic and your common everyday meats as well as the accustomed seafood items, catfish, lobster etc… If only Banh Mi was part of their menu, then I will eat here once a week – imagine charbroiled barbecued alligator in Viet style french bread….ooohhh.

Perhaps on my next visit, I will gently recommend that option.

Please read my reviews on each dish, yes it was a 13 course dinner and thankfully shared with 12 others.

What’s so special about baked catfish, you say? Put it together with the fixins’ and it’s everything in one — and then some. With our waiter’s swift flick of a sharp knife and spoon to the first catfish, we began our group feasting at Phong Dinh. Even eating with a large group, one can only sample an inkling of what this restaurant has to offer. From the 350 or so dishes offered, we tried about 12 lovely dishes, finished off with the firm slight sweet crunch of a vietnamese agar dessert. From the fun of assembling a fish spring roll from a wet rice wrapper holding perfectly baked whole catfish, pickled carrots/radish, cucumber, mint, rauram, green lettuce, to a pyro show of the cubed “flaming” sizzling kangaroo in a dark, full bodied sauce, we had an amazingly surreal meal encompassing land (quail eggs, chicken, snake, venison, kangaroo, boar, alligator), sea (shrimp, catfish, manila clams) and inbetween (water spinach and bok choy). My tastebuds were mostly singing praises of “More” (of course, that is assuming I had any room left in my stomach from having so many dishes in one sitting…!). However, the few surprising meats weren’t as surprising as I had expected. The flaming kangaroo was a sight, but after awhile, I had difficulty in distinguishing some flavors from others — perhaps the spices of one dish were so similar in another, that I could pick out the tinge of lemongrass in the alligator and chicken, making me think the sauces were almost the same (or was it the kangaroo?). Both were really tasty, but I think I just needed time to let one dish rise above on each visit. Although some were a bit on the oily side, all were quite well presented and flavorful, to have 12 different dishes all during one visit was a bit overwhelming for my tastebuds. But I would definitely return again, at least for the catfish…mmm

Here is a place to sneak off to if mother sends you to bed without supper. Phong Dinh is the “King of all Wild Things”. Everything is cooked to order so make sure if you want the catfish that you call one hour prior to arriving. All manners go out the window as it’s nice to just dig in with your hands. I went with a group of people which made for a nice experience. Each dish came in its own sauce.

We were greeted immediately upon arrival and seated right away as the staff was friendly. You could tell by the atmosphere that people were here for the experience as much as the food

I’ve been hearing about Phong Ding off and on for years now, primarily for the “famous baked catfish”, but also due to their extensive menu featuring more unusual meats. When I posted a dinner outing to check Phong Ding out, I jokingly mentioned that while I don’t necessarily want to eat the entire zoo, I’m open to trying some new things.

Upon being seated and given the menu, we were overwhelmed with all the choices. There were various dishes that featured everything from boar to kangaroo, from ostrich to quail, from snake to frog legs and so much more. It was amazing that we were even able to settle on the 10 dishes we finally ended up ordering.

Of course, I had already called and pre-ordered the baked catfish and wow, what a feast that was. We could have easily just had the catfish for dinner without anything else. First, came out all the fixin’s which included all sorts of veggies as well as vermicelli noodles and the wrapper. Soon after, the catfish arrived in all its glory and in what seemed like moments, was stripped clean.

The fish was delicate, moist and tender and I really enjoyed the group’s interactive eating. There’s just something about eating with your fingers and hands that seems so liberating.

We were all getting kind of full with the catfish, but there were still 9 dishes to go. Of the other 9 dishes, two really stood out for me.

First, there was the charbroiled goat spare ribs glazed with spicy bean curd marinade. I’ve never had goat spare ribs before and my thought that the ribs probably wouldn’t have much meat to it, but surprisingly, the ribs weren’t as lean as I thought they would be.

The marinade for this dish was amazing. There was a little bit of heat, but it was a sweet heat. It also had a subtle smoky flavor to it that made it even more appealing. Other than the catfish, this was one of my favorite dishes.

Second, there were the quail eggs wrapped in shrimp paste and battered with crispy sweet rice flakes and served with ginger plum sauce. Once you get over the surprise of seeing green eggs appear before you, this is a really tasty dish.

Quail eggs to me, generally have a gamier taste to them than regular chicken eggs, but the combo of the strongly flavored shrimp paste and sweet rice really cut a lot of that gamey flavor out and just left an egg with really interesting flavor profile.

Another dish that I liked included the kangaroo sauteed with black and pepper and prepared flambe style with wine. This was my first time having kangaroo and it reminded me of goat or lamb just because it had a strong taste to it. I would have preferred less wine but overall, I thought the meat was tender and cooked well.

Overall, we didn’t stray too much into the real exotic meats, except maybe for the Kangaroo, but still this was an enjoyable meal and I know that if I ever want to host more of a “Fear Factor” kind of dinner, Phong Ding is the place to go.

What’s defined as food is relative, so for the most part, I am, or at least, I try to be a tabula rasa as I submit to the first taste of a food that’s considered to be exotic in the mainstream American culture.

If you’re wary of trying the meats not typically consumed here in the States, PHONG DINH is the place to sample them, as there is little to no gameyness, at least to my taste buds…then again, I have an affinity for pungent foods, though that doesn’t really extend over to animal proteins. People who were raised on American mainstream cuisine may find some of the meats to have a gamey aftertaste, though I personally didn’t find them to be offensive.

Apparently, my brain resorts to a seemingly simplistic mechanism when assessing the taste of a species of animal that I’ve never before consumed. In my inadvertently primitive need to relate them to something, I seem inclined to compare their tastes and textures to: (1) chicken, (2) beef, or (3) pork. For the diners who might prefer a more familiar-tasting meat in their dishes, I’d recommend the ones that I sampled throughout the night during my 12-course meal. I was so proud of the relative restraint that I practiced, as one dish after the other crowded onto the lazy Susan (this invention needs a new name…) before us at the round table.

When it comes to rating the tastiness of a meal, I first place the dishes and dining establishment into their proper context. There are certain exceptional meals that I describe as “last-meal worthy,” where I make yum sounds w/ each bite, and that I passionately share about with others with all the sentimentality of a love that I will recall w/ great fondness for the remainder of my existence. I may not classify this meal into this category, but I would definitely commend PHONG DINH for how they consistently procured dishes with balanced flavors, cooking the meats and veggies to the perfect doneness level, and the sauces that accompanied the dishes were multi-dimensional and tasty when drizzled over rice.

I would describe this restaurant as being more Chinese-Vietnamese, as the dishes I consumed were mainly stir-fried, and at least a couple tasted like they were in a kung pao sauce.

The meats were very tender, their protein fibers probably broken down with a marinade that contained some kind of cooking wine, and their gameyness was either cooked out or mitigated because of the alcohol.

Dined on the following:

(1) BAKED CATFISH (their specialty)
Moist flesh, browned skin, though still a bit flabby. Would have preferred that the fish was seasoned w/ some salt, but accompanying tamarind garlic sauce was a perfect compliment.

(2) QUAIL EGGS WRAPPED IN SHRIMP PASTE AND BATTERED IN SWEET RICE FLAKE
There was a quail egg in here? I like fried foods, and I’m also a fan of shrimp paste, but my taste buds failed to register the presence of the quail egg. Nonetheless, if you like fried shrimp paste, you’ll probably like this.

(3) SHRIMP & PORK w/ LOTUS ROOT SOUR SALAD
To me, this dish is more about texture, because I’m simply not a fan of cartilage. There was some form of pig cartilage in this salad, and the presentation of the dish was beautiful, but alas, I opted to pass on sampling this dish.

(4) CHARBROILED GROUND SNAKE IN ROLLED “LOT LEAVES”
Pretty much everyone described this dish as gamey, but I didn’t have a problem with the dish, from that standpoint. These bite-sized morsels of snake wrapped in leaves were on the dry and bland side, so that would be the primary reason why I’d pass on this dish for the next time.

(5) DICED VENISON SAUTEED w/ ONIONS
I think this was the dish that tasted like pork. Sauce was well-balanced.

(6) KANGAROO SAUTEED w/ WINE FLAME
As with everything else, it was seasoned well, and the meat was tender…tasted like beef. For you pyromaniacs, you have the added excitement of a flambe show prior to consuming this dish.

(7) SAUTEED BOAR IN CURRY SAUCE
This curry sauce was delicious. Interestingly, this curry wasn’t very herby, and it was slightly sweeter than the usual, so it may be friendly for children’s taste buds. The boar was very tender, and I believe its flavor resembled beef.

(8) MINCED ALLIGATOR w/ LEMON GRASS, WOOD EARS AND WATER CHESTNUT SERVED w/ WHOLE SESAME RICE CRACKERS
This dish had many varied textures, providing a revolving mouth feel. The alligator meat resembled chicken.

(9) MANILA CLAMS w/ BELL PEPPER, GARLIC, AND CHILI
The sauce that the manila clams were sauteed in was very well-rounded and incredibly tasty…I think this sauce was my favorite of the bunch. The clams themselves were cooked just right, where they were perfectly tender, and not rubbery.

(10) WATER SPINACH
Flavor was mild and served as a perfect palate cleanser after being served one meat after another. Water spinach is on the stringy side and tougher in texture, so chew carefully before swallowing.

(11) BOK CHOY AND GARLIC
Quartered, stirfried bok choy were infused in garlicky oil, retaining just the right amount of crunch.

(12) COCONUT AGAR AGAR
I’m personally not too keen on the slightly cartilagenous bite of agar agar, but this was a refreshing end to the meal. Coconut milk was stirred in, and lent its mild sweetness to this dessert.

[ ambience ]

Typical of most Vietnamese joints, PHONG DINH had a family restaurant atmosphere with standard Vietnamese restaurant furniture. The wallpaper of the waterfalls was probably inherited from the building’s previous tenant, but the interior of the establishment was well-lit, and the venue would be well-suited towards larger groups. If the parking is full for the restaurant, there’s plenty of parking in the adjacent shopping center, containing a 99 Ranch Market.

[ OVERALL IMPRESSION ]

PHONG DINH is worth going to for its food, service, and relatively convenient location. I haven’t found myself daydreaming about anything I ate there, but nothing disappointed, and I would describe their dishes as being “reliable.” You can count on having a great meal, as long as you’re not expecting one that is necessarily memorable.

Am I glad that I ate at Phong Dinh? Yes
Would I recommend that you give Phong Dinh a try? Perhaps

If you like Chinese food and have ever wondered what your favorite dishes would be like with exotic proteins than Phong Dinh should be in your crosshairs. To be fair, Phong Dinh as a Chinese restaurant is pretty good. Unfortunately being “pretty good” and being located in the San Gabriel Valley doesn’t help set this restaurant apart from the myriad of Chinese food emporiums. Exotic game to the rescue.

Our meal started off in a mainstream direction with their specialty, the Baked Catfish. This dish is very well prepared and flavorful. The waiter skillfully debones the whole fish carcass at your table, very nice. What you are left with are moist and tasty fillets of catfish.

When it comes to Ground Ostrich, Diced Venison, Kangaroo, Boar and Alligator, I think these exotic meats may just distract you from some pretty well prepared food. But if trying these meats appeals to you and you like Chinese cooking, what better way to celebrate this unique combination.