Sup Noodle Bar - Buena Park, CA

Exterior

Sup Noodle Bar recently opened in the city of Buena Park.  Unlike most Vietnamese Pho places, this one is different.  A little more upscale with some unusual menu items for a Vietnamese restaurant such as truffle fries, crab cakes, Brussels sprouts and crème brulee.  They also have Northern and Southern style pho.  Before coming here, I didn’t know such a thing existed.

Open Kitchen

The kitchen is also run a little different than most pho places.  There is an open kitchen, and orders are called like a fine dining establishment.

Signage

Chef and owner Viet Nguyen has had some tutelage from Gordon Ramsay, but how much and to what extent is unknown to me.  This helps to explain the precision in which the kitchen is run.

Manu

The menu is diverse and eclectic, but does focus on the pho.

House Truffle Fries

The House Truffle Fries ($6) comes with many accolades.  Sprinkled with crushed garlic, truffle oil, parmesan cheese and tarragon the fries came out extra crispy as ordered.  The garlic was both pungent and added a little kick, but the parmesan and tarragon were rather miniscule and couldn’t be identified.  Although nice and crispy, I would pass on them the next time.

Bacon Brussels Sprouts

The Bacon Brussels Sprouts ($6) are sauteed small and tender little “baby cabbages” with crispy bits of maple pork belly topped with a souse vide egg.  There is a bit of funk to the dish with the addition of fish sauce.  I was expecting the yolk from the egg to be runny and add an extra layer of sauce, but sadly this was not to be.  This is a very good dish and I wouldn’t hesitate to order this again.

Sous Vide Egg

The Sous Vide Egg with Pho Broth ($2.50) again is a little bit of a disappointment since I was expecting the yolk to run out like a little river of lava.  At 142° the egg white will remain firm but the yolk will remain runny.  Obviously their eggs are cooked at a slightly higher temperature.  Although the egg is nice and velvety the lack of a runny yolk doesn’t meet expectations.

Pho Cu'u

Accompaniments

The Pho Cu’u (Lamb Pho $10) comes with the familiar thin, al dente rice noodles.  There are pieces of julienned ginger to add a bit of spice.  The broth is very flavorful with a deep, meaty flavor.  The soup comes with 4 oz. of lamb shoulder.

Lamb Shoulder

An additional order of 4 oz. of lamb shoulder is $4.

Bone Marrow

Ad order of bone marrow ($.50) comes with green onions and adds some flavor and extra fat and richness to the soup.

Pho Bac with Shaken Filet

Wider Northern Style Noodles

The Pho Bac with Shaken Filet ($10) pairs seared filet mignon and melted bone marrow with a deep, beefy pho soup.  This is a northern style pho, so the noodles are wider and softer than the traditional noodles.

Australian Wagyu Style Top Eye Round

An order of Australian Wagyu Style Top Eye Round ($3) is very lean and has a deep beefy, flavor.

Thin Sliced Chuck

The kitchen sent out a complimentary sample of Thin Sliced Chuck ($4) which is rather fatty, and therefore more flavorful.  After all, fat means flavor.

Green Tea Creme Brulee

The kitchen also sent out a complimentary large Green Tea Crème Brulee ($5), which is just heavenly.  This version is not too sweet, and the green tea adds just a hint of bitterness.  What made it even better was that the crème brulee was creamy rather than firm and eggy.  This was so good we decided to order another large one.

Although the prices at Sup Noodle Bar are just a bit higher than normal, for the quality of ingredients, friendliness of staff and food quality and execution, the minimally higher prices are well worth it.