RESTAURANT REVIEW I bit into a Spring Roll, I immediately knew it was the best I’d ever eaten! The fresh, crunchiness of the lettuce and the wonderful flavor of the pork and spices was excellent! And not surprisingly, my guest loved the spring rolls as well— especially the peanut sauce! Our next sample was a steaming plate of Garlic Noodles. Although these did not appear as a separate appetizer or entrée on the menu, there is an option to substitute Garlic Noodles for rice with entrees for a $2 upcharge. Shelly explained that they use Chow Mein noodles in the preparation of this dish, although for other dishes, such as the Vermicelli Bowls and Pho Noodle Soups, Anh’s uses the thinner, rice noodles. The Garlic Noodles were topped with fresh Parmesan Cheese, which was surprising to me, since I usually associate this with Italian food and restaurants. The garlic flavor of the noodles was pronounced and very delicious, and had similar consistency to thicker spaghetti noodles. Very yummy! While we were still enjoying the 32 MARKETPLACECONTRACOSTA.COM JULY 2017 Garlic Noodles, Cindy brought out a beautifully arranged sampler plate of three of their popular entrées--three different meats served with a side of salad, and of course, fish sauce. Shelly told us that fish sauce is “the mother of all sauces” for Vietnamese cuisine and is it served with many different items to enhance the flavors. The fish sauce, and all sauces served at Anh’s Kitchen, are made in-house with fresh ingredients, herbs and spices. Our entrée sampler included Bone-in Pork Chops, Five Spice Chicken, and BBQ Short Ribs. All three of the entrees were delicious and are all items I would absolutely consider ordering when I return to Anh’s Kitchen. I believe my favorite of the three, however, was the pork chops. The flavor of these and the short ribs were rather similar, but I found the pork chops to be a bit meatier and more flavorful and appealing. I really enjoy the combination of spices used in Vietnamese cooking and these really were highlighted in all of the entrees we sampled. Although the fish sauce was good, I chose not to use much of it on the items I sampled, simply because I liked the flavors of the meats without it. The Five Spice Chicken, which is first baked and then fried before serving, had a distinctly different flavor from the pork chops and short ribs. The “five spice” seasoning is a combination of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, anise, and Szechuan peppercorns. The chicken was very tender and delicious, and although the “five spice” flavor is one that I don’t believe I’ve experienced before, I did enjoy it. My guest, who was delighting in all the many wonderful flavors of the new foods she was experiencing, couldn’t offer a favorite entrée selection, as she said that she “loved them all!” Informationally, when ordering entrees from the menu, they are served over rice, accompanied by a fried egg and a side salad—a very hearty meal for a nominal cost ranging between $9 and $13. The last two menu items to which we were treated were the fresh Mango Salad, and Bo Luc Lac, which is also known as Shaking or Shaken Beef. The Mango Salad was beautifully presented, consisting of thin slivers of pickled carrots, red onions, celery, herbs and crispy shallots, topped with crushed peanuts, and served with three large shrimp chips. I cannot say enough about how fresh and wonderful this salad tasted! The ingredients were crunchy and we enjoyed eating the salad together with the shrimp chips. The blend of flavors was perfect, and this was one of the only plates that was totally clean when we completed our samplings! The Shaken Beef is made with Filet Mignon, and is served on a bed of lettuce with stir fried bell peppers and red onions. I asked Shelly why the dish is called Shaken Beef, and she explained that it is because when the meat is being cooked, it is literally shaken vigorously back and forth in the pan. The Shaken Beef is Mango Salad & Shrimp Chips 844 Willow Avenue, Suite A3, Hercules | (510) 948-8189 | anhskitchen.com
Contra Costa Marketplace - July 2017
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