As I we entered the parking lot to Brodard Restaurant, my cousin asked me "Uhh, why am I driving over parking spaces?" Exactly.

Why is the drive to the entrance lined with faded paint and crumbled concrete?
Why is this restaurant lodged behind the 99 Cents Only store, hidden from view from the main streets?
And why are there dumpsters and dead plants there?

Who cares. We came for nem nuong cuon (pork spring rolls) so none of that mattered. Nem nuong rolls here are amazing and completely make up for any physical appearances.

These people agree :

This destination isn't just for nem nuong rolls though. With over 100 items on the menu, Brodard Restaurant serves enough rice dishes, noodles, soup, grilled meats, and desserts to ensure a hall full of happy campers.

I must say I was slightly disappointed with the construction of the rolls this visit. As simple as rolls really are, when they bring the order to our table there's usually a wow factor (from me anyways!) from the simple and subtle work of art. You can tell looking through the rice paper how well it was rolled.

I'm just nitpicking, really and it was still delicious . Brodard sells nem nuong rolls in sets of three or four at $1.50 per roll. Two are big enough for a filling meal though.

Each order comes with a generous amount of a secret dipping sauce. It's a fairly thick sauce with just the right amount of salty, and sweet that brings each bite to a new level of good eats.

Slicing this open with a serrated steak knife was less than elegant, but here's what's inside:

The wrapper is rice paper--the same as the type used in my Spring Roll recipe. Inside, there's nem nuong (grilled pork), lettuce, shredded carrot, thinly sliced cucumber, and a fried eggroll wrapper with scallion inside. What a great way to sneak something fried! They also sell another version of this with ground and grilled shrimp instead of pork which rings in at $2.00 per roll.

I've only had the chance to try a few other dishes at Brodard Restaurant. The bo luc lac dish here is the best I've had in Little Saigon too. As much as horn-tooting can leave a bad taste in my mouth, this self-proclaimed "hidden treasure of Little Saigon" has yet to disappoint.

*photo: Nov. 9*

Food: A
Value: B
Service: B
Ambience: B+

Brodard Restaurant
9892 Westminster Ave
Garden Grove, CA 92844
(714) 530-1744
www.brodard.net

Sunday - Monday 8:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Wednesday - Saturday 8:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Closed Tuesday

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 24th, 2009 at 9:31 pm and is filed under Dining Out. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.