General:
I have been a patron here for 12+
years. There are two reasons why I come here: the BEST WONTON and SOUP.
The soup has a combination of depth and lightness that is the enigma of
Chiu Chow food. I colloquially refer the wonton as 'the wonton of gods"
to my family and friends. It is that good. Five minus stars for any
noodle soup with wonton. However, soup could get thinned out when I come
at almost closing time.
The soup is light in oiliness but has a tremendously deep yet light flavor from pork bone. White pepper overtone adds to a sense of lightness. Short-cut green onion garnish. Add bean sprout if you like it.
You can try any kind of possible combination and even order your noodle dry with soup on the side but do make sure that you get it with wontons.
Their spicing here is lighter than the other Trieu Chau place. So, if you want your noodle dry here, it is better to go with the small yellow one or big white one as their textures fit the flavor profile better. I personally prefer the big white one. So this is my rule: for any rating that I have with dry big white noodle, deduct 1/4 stars for dry small yellow and another 1/4 stars for dry big yellow.
There is also another type of noodle that I suggest for soup only: bahn loc. It is a mini and thin spaetzle-like rice noodle. Choose this if you like the "rice-ness" in your noodle more pronounced
The soup is light in oiliness but has a tremendously deep yet light flavor from pork bone. White pepper overtone adds to a sense of lightness. Short-cut green onion garnish. Add bean sprout if you like it.
You can try any kind of possible combination and even order your noodle dry with soup on the side but do make sure that you get it with wontons.
Their spicing here is lighter than the other Trieu Chau place. So, if you want your noodle dry here, it is better to go with the small yellow one or big white one as their textures fit the flavor profile better. I personally prefer the big white one. So this is my rule: for any rating that I have with dry big white noodle, deduct 1/4 stars for dry small yellow and another 1/4 stars for dry big yellow.
There is also another type of noodle that I suggest for soup only: bahn loc. It is a mini and thin spaetzle-like rice noodle. Choose this if you like the "rice-ness" in your noodle more pronounced
Unless I want to eat yellow noodle or dry big white noodle with roast duck and shrimp fritters, this is still my favorite place in OC for Chiu Chow Noodle House. Now you know why I have come here for more than a decade.
The elephant in the room: why do I prefer this than the "old" Trieu Chau? Using only food as argument, nobody beats the wonton here, the best on this side of the Pacific. The soup is lighter, too, which I prefer. However, the main consideration is: this place is on the cleaner side. The other place has a perennial problem with roaches (check OC health dept.'s inspection).
Here are my favorites here (details):
Wonton Soup/House Wonton Soup with or without noodle (hoan than/ hoan than thap Cham, hoac hu tieu/mi, nuoc): the divine wonton is minced pork and shrimp with a strong white pepper overtone. Wonton soup is just wonton (about 20 of them) while House Wonton is wonton and assorted meats like what usually goes as House Special "dac biet" elsewhere: minced pork, minced chicken, sliced pork liver, shrimp, pork ball, heewan fish ball, five-spice soy pork, roast duck. My absolute perennial favorite. 5 stars.
Assorted Beef Big White Noodle Soup (hu tieu thap cam bo, nuoc): herbs andred oil are infused to the base soup. Predominantly sweet with very mild hint of saltiness and spiciness, unlike what the color suggest. Beef parts include tripe,tendon, skirt steak, and beef ball. I like it but wife doesn't. 4+ stars.
The Sate Big White Noodle Soup is a more intense version of the above with more pronounced oiliness, saltines, and herbaceousness. That's the easy explanation although they are technically different.
Fish and Wonton Big White Noodle, dry (hu tieu ca hoan thanh, kho): white fish fillet and wonton toppings. Fish fillet is my preferred topping for dry big white noodle as they are both delicate and go together well. Green onion, fried garlic, and fried shallot garnish. Seasoning is on the bottom of the noodle and includes fried garlic oil and mild soy sauce. The dry noodle here is very light and delicate as oiliness is one of the lightest among the competitions. This dish is simple, light, yet delicious. Even Noodle Cafe is oilier. I honestly like the big white noodle by itself better at Mi La Cay. However, the soup and the toppings are better here. Thus, an overall better experience and a preferred place for me. 4.5 stars.
Some other dishes:
Rice dishes, fried noodle dishes, and gravy noodle dishes are so so at three stars. The wrong place for these dishes so I don't include them in the average rating. The pork and crab roll is quite good and deserves at least a 4 stars rating. Shiaomai is basically skinless wonton filling with some added starchiness but the big concentration of the minced pork could prove heavy and overwhelming. 4 stars as well
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| Fish and Wonton Big White Noodle, dry |
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| Assorted Beef Big White Noodle Soup |
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| House Wonton Soup |
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| House Wonton Big White Noodle, dry |
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| Wonton (only) Big White noodle, dry |
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| Pork Bone Soup |
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