Trieu Chau

4401 W 1st St
Santa Ana, CA 92703
(714) 775-1536

General:

Finally, I write a detailed note for this place after years of visit.

This place is best for their dry stirred noodles (Mi or Hu Tieu Nam Vang) although everything can be ordered in soup.  There are four noodles that you can choose: big flat yellow (egg), small yellow (egg), big white (ho fun), small white (pho-like consistency).

Overall conclusion: four and a half stars for the dish, minus a half star deduction for VERY dubious hygiene.  However, this place is still the real deal: the True Chow.

True Chow is the best dry noodle place in OC, and the second in LA/OC to Noodle Cafe in Monterey Park.

Although all of their toppings are home made, fish ball here is a stand out item.  Usually restaurants buy them frozen but Trieu Chau makes it in house.  It is delicious, chewy, with a hint of fishiness.

Notes:
-Price has gone up a bit.
-The place is quite hardcore for unsuspecting first timers: quite rundown and dirty and you might need to share your table with strangers.
-As much as I like this place, I always question the hygiene.  Both my wife and I always get a mild indigestion every time with eat here.
-Parking could be problematic during peak hours (later morning mid afternoon) as they are always full and there is a popular restaurant Tan Cang Newport Seafood right next door.
-They open until the soup runs out.  Sometime they close as early as 2-3pm.  Check first.

 
Details:

For tour de cuisine to get the whole she-bang of toppings of House Special. I suggest you to go dry with big yellow as it takes the flavors well.

House Special Big Yellow Noodle, dry: stirred flat egg noodle with fried garlic, fish sauce, oil, green onion. An array of toppings include roast duck, boiled chicken, fish balls, pork balls, beef balls, fried fish cake, pork, boiled shrimps, five spice soy chicken,pork liver. Oiling and spicing here ares on the heavy side. Add cooked bean sprouts, white pepper, and vinegar juice from pickled chili to elevate the flavors even more.  If you order dry, it comes with a soup on the side. 4.5 stars.

Frequent patrons know what they like and don't and can customize the toppings.

Feeling carnivorous? Order the pork bone soup: purely pork shoulder bone soup with a little salt and pepper seasoning.  This is the soup base that they use for everything. Delicious. 4 stars.

House Special Big Yellow Noodle, dry