Before I begin today's episode, my previous article (The #1 Tapas Restaurant in All of Socal) garnered a lot of attention and received an @curie nomination so I just wanted to give a quick shout out to everyone who helped me up to this point by resteeming, engaging, and interacting with my content.

Promo-Mentors (@curie, @andywong31, @jazzhero, @dante31)
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I'm sorry if I missed anybody but thanks again everyone for all the support. Onto today's episode!

Restaraunt:
Brodard Chateau
9100 Trask Ave
Garden Grove, CA 92844

Hello and Welcome to another episode of Restaurant Reviews!
Today, we're taking a look at a local upscale restaurant serving some of the best Vietnamese in all of Southern California.

ABOUT THE RESTAURANT

^Source
Brodard Chateau is a restaurant located in the city of Garden Grove (near Little Saigon) serving authentic Vietnamese Food in a uniquely upscale setting. This is one of three restaurants owned by the Dang family (the other two being Brodard Restaurant and Bamboo Bistro) but is the only one out of the three that's designed with a luxurious interior and ambience.

Compared to the other two restaurants, Brodard Chateau seems to have a more diverse crowd and this is only supplemented by the full fledged bar in the front that attracts more non-Asian patrons. It's a versatile location that's great for date nights, dinners with family, or even those looking for a casual and trendy bar. Onto the review!

THE DRINKS

1. Chi Chi in a Coconut Shell ($11.50)

Description:

Coco Lopez, Bacardi Pineapple Rum, Kaffir Lime, and Pineapple Juice served in a Coconut Shell.

Review:

I never imagined a Vietnamese restaurant would have such a great bar but the drinks here (especially their cocktails) are pretty darn good.

My girlfriend and I are both big fans of young coconut so when we saw that this cocktail was served in a whole coconut shell, we had to try it.

The coconut liqueur was probably the most prevalent flavor in this drink but it was well balanced in sweetness from the pineapple juice and Bacardi rum. I really liked how they made the cocktail into sort of like a slush as it made the drink more refreshing without watering it down too much. Overall, pretty good.

Result:

Well balanced and there's even coconut meat inside to eat as a second dessert after you finish your drink! 9/10.

APPETIZERS

1. Grilled Pork Spring Rolls ($4.50)

Description:

Grilled Pork wrapped in Rice Paper filled with a Crispy Roll, Lettuce, Mint, Carrots and Cucumber served with House Special Sauce.

Review:

These spring rolls are what Brodard is most well known for and they are AMAZING.

The pork inside is minced, seasoned and then reshaped before put on the grill so the meat is soft but also packed with that porky flavor. The veggies used are fresh and crisp but my favorite thing about these spring rolls is the crispy roll of fried rice paper that they put inside that's just like the crispy exterior of a deep fried egg roll. Other spring rolls are usually just kind of soft and squishy but Brodard adds that crunchy element to bring these springs rolls to a whole other level.

The highlight of this dish though, and the element that really brought these spring rolls to fame, is their special sauce. Their sauce is sort of like a meaty sweet and sour sauce with a slightly gelatinous texture. The minced pork mixed in with the sauce really brings out a deep and hearty flavor and it's absolutely amazing with the spring rolls. You just gotta try it.

Result:

Hands down the best spring rolls in the world. 10/10.

2. Roasted Duck Salad ($12.95)

Description:

Tender Roasted Duck over Shredded Cabbage, Carrots, Onions, Banana Blossoms, and "Rau Ram" Herbs in a Lime Chili Vinaigrette topped with Peanuts and Shallots.

Review:

I almost never order salads at restaurants because they're usually pretty standard anywhere you go but my girlfriend insisted we try this.

To my surprise, this was the best and most interesting salad I have probably ever tried. Just like the description suggests, the roast duck was tender and flavorful and there was actually a substantial amount of meat all throughout the salad. The lime chili vinaigrette was like a flavored fish sauce and was savoury and vinegary and really helped cut the fatty rich flavor from the duck.

The reason I say this was the most interesting salad I've ever tried was because the only greens I recognized in this dish was the chopped cabbage. I've never had banana blossoms and "rau ram" herbs before but they all had such unique fragrances and textures that the salad never got boring to eat. They even serve the salad with these rice crisp crackers that I've also never seen before but was a fun and tasty compliment to the rich duck and bright herbs (especially when eaten all together). This is the only salad I have ever deeply craved and I'll probably continue to order this as an appetizer whenever I eat at this restaurant.

Result:

Tasty, meaty, and the most interesting salad I've ever tried. 10/10.

ENTREES

1. Sole Noodle Soup ($11.95)

Description:

Sole Filet and Cherry Tomatoes over Rice Noodles with Fish Cakes in a Delicately Spiced Fish Based Broth served with Asian Greens.

Review:

This is one of my favorite dishes here and if you're looking to try a Vietnamese Noodle Soup that isn't Pho, definitely try this one.

Even though there's a lot of fish elements in this soup (i.e. fish based broth, fish filets, and fish cakes), everything is super fresh so there's none of that 'fishy' taste you get from low quality seafood.

The broth is light and hearty and has a pleasant fish/shallot flavor with a bit of sweet and sourness from the cherry tomatoes. They definitely don't skimp out on the meat here because the soup is absolutely filled with fish filets and fish cakes. The sole filets are extremely soft and tender and, because of the thicker cuts, have a wonderfully meaty texture to them. The noodles used in this dish are thicker rice noodles, which have a really good al dente consistency to them, and are the perfect type of noodles to compliment this type of fish-based soup.

Result:

Really flavorful and the kind of soup that warms the soul. 10/10.

2. Broken Rice with Pork Chop & Shrimp Paste ($12.95)

Description:

Steamed Broken Rice served with Grilled Pork Chop, Fried Tofu Wrapped Shrimp Paste, Pickled Vegetables, and a side of Flavored Fish Sauce.

Review:

Because we ordered a soupy noodle dish, we decided to order a more traditional Vietnamese rice dish for our second entree.

First of all, I know it's just rice but there's something about broken rice that makes it so much more special than traditional steamed rice. The broken grains create a softer texture of the rice and more easily soaks up different flavors, in which this case was from the pork chop and fish sauce served with the dish.

The pork chop had a nice charred flavor to the meat and was super soft and tender. It had the flavor and texture similar to marinaded pork ribs and were cooked exceptionally well.

The fried shrimp paste was something I've never tried before but was really tasty. The fried tofu wrap on the outside was nice and crispy and the shrimp paste inside was extremely meaty. They seem to mince the shrimp and pack it together like a meatball to condense the flavors and create this soft and flavor jam packed concoction that works really well with the vinegary fish sauce.

Result:

Really great all around entree that's well executed and has a little bit of everything. 9/10.

DESSERTS

1. Hennessy Cognac Flan ($3.95)

Description:

Caramelized Egg Custard perfumed with Navan Vanilla Cognac and topped with Shaved Ice and Caramel Drizzle.

Review:

Alcohol with dessert? That's like two of the best things all in one package (I swear I'm not an alcoholic). Jokes aside, I never fail to order this dessert when I come to Brodard because it's just that good.

The flan is soft and sweet and they add some ice shavings over the top to add some crunch to the silky flan. You can actually really taste the cognac that they perfume over the dessert and because the sweetness dilutes most of the alcohol taste, all you're left with is just the pure vanilla and caramel flavor of the cognac. It's such a simple touch but it really elevates this dessert from being just your standard flan to a dessert that's both intriguing and absolutely delicious.

Result:

Simple, Creative, and Very Tasty. Absolutely love it. 9.5/10.

2. House Special Apple Tart w/Caramel Ice Cream ($6.90)

Description:

Fresh Green Apples in a Thin Crusted Sweet Pastry filled with a Layer of Custard and served with a side of Caramel Ice Cream

Review:

You can never go wrong with a fresh hot pastry with a side of ice cream and that's exactly what this dessert is.

The pastry was thin and flaky and was almost like a sweet croissant. The apples on top were slightly baked and were a bit sweet and tart but retained that fresh natural crisp and taste of the green apples.

They normally serve this with a side of cinnamon ice cream, which is what we were really looking forward to, but they only had vanilla and caramel ice cream on this particular night. I don't think they make the ice cream in house (because one of the chocolate chips was shaped like a bunny) but it was actually pretty good and was amazing with the fresh apple tart.

Result:

I wouldn't say it's the best thing ever but it was pretty good overall. 8/10.

OVERALL RATING

Brodard Chateau is one of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants and is another one of those spots that really hits those 3 important qualities of delicious food, good ambience, and great value for your money. The prices are only marginally more expensive than their other locations but for an upscale restaurant, it's extremely affordable with really great food. If you're feeling ready to try different types of Vietnamese cuisine, this would be a great spot to check out because almost all of their dishes are absolutely top notch.

Food: 9.5/10
Service: 9.5/10
Value: 10/10

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