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    MJ & Hungryman » Uncategorized

    Recent Vietnamese Eats - Pho Dan & Dang Banh Mi

    By Min On March 25, 2015, Updated April 4, 2020

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy for more details.

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    Hey, gang! Hungryman here with a two-for-one review! Overcome by a strong craving for Vietnamese food, MJ and I visit Pho Dan and Dang Banh Mi to get our grub on.

    Pho Dan Round Rock

    Growing up in Houston, finding good Vietnamese food never really required much effort. You could drive down Bellaire and pretty much run into a different pho place at every stop light. Here in Austin, though...not quite as easy. Either that or I'm just not looking in the right places. In either case, MJ and I are scouring Round Rock/North Austin for our three favorite dishes - pho, banh mi, and com bo luc lac.

    Pho Dan Round Rock

    A couple months back while catching up on old mail, I discovered that Pho Dan had opened up in the La Frontera area of Round Rock. I had heard good things about the location on N. Lamar, so I looked forward to trying out the younger establishment.

    Pho Dan Round Rock

    MJ went with Com Bo Nuong Cha Gio (rice with grilled beef and fried egg roll). The beef (as you can see above) had gorgeous grill marks and had beautiful flavor to match. The bed of steamed jasmine rice helped balance the saltiness of the marinade and the nuoc cham dipping sauce. The only qualm I had with the dish was the egg roll filling. It was a little too loose/soft for my liking, but the egg roll itself was fried to a perfect crispness.

     

    Before I get ahead of myself, though, let's rewind to the appetizer - spring rolls. But instead of going with the classic shrimp and boiled pork combo, we opted for the marinated grilled chicken. This was truly the unexpected delight of the meal. We both loved how well the classic Vietnamese BBQ marinade paired with the fresh mint. Sometimes I think MJ eats spring rolls just for the peanut sauce, so you can only imagine how dejected she was when the accompanying dipping sauce turned out to be nuoc cham. No worries...I quickly requested 2 bowls of her beloved sauce and our waitress was more than happy to oblige.

    Pho Dan Round Rock

    For me, a big bowl of pho is one of the most comforting dishes out there. I swear there's something magical when the broth is done right. The potpourri of spices in the meat broth gets my taste buds lathered up whenever the steam from the bowl hits the nasal passages.

    Pho Dan Round Rock

    I ordered my usual - Pho Tai Chin (beef noodle soup with eye round steak and lean brisket). There's a Korean saying (literally translated): "it's 2% lacking." And that's kind of how the broth at Pho Dan measured up for me. Good, but not great.

    Dang Banh Mi

    Located in North Austin on Research Blvd, Dang Banh Mi created quite the buzz when it opened back in July of 2014. Opened by the folks of the Austin icon, Pluckers, DBM put some serious work into their menu with time spent in Vietnam mastering 100-year-old recipes.

    Dang Banh Mi

    Again we started with spring rolls - one tofu spring roll (lemongrass tofu, vermicelli noodles, cucumber, lettuce, pickled papaya and carrots, cilantro, fresh mint and Thai basil) and one pork & shrimp spring roll. Sadly, both rolls left much to be desired. MJ found the lemongrass flavor of the tofu overwhelming, almost to the point of being off-putting. She tried to mask it with peanut sauce, but their thin, watered-down version had issues of its own. Both rolls were unevenly filled and the rice paper wrappers were not moist enough resulting in tough, chewy ends.

    Dang Banh Mi

    We kept our hopes up, though, as their specialty was still to come. I wanted to try the Oxtail (12 hours braised oxtail from homemade pho stock), but thought it more appropriate to try The Dang Original (Char Siu pork belly, pork tenderloin, ground pork, homemade pâté, mint, cilantro, green onion, cucumber, Char Siu sauce, saté, Japanese mayo, and pickled papaya and carrots). And if that wasn't enough ingredients, I chose to add a fried egg. Right off the bat, I noticed the bread was different from the banh mi I was used to. The crust didn't have quite the crunch, and the bread itself was more dense, which resulted in a rather large sandwich. There was no lack of flavor in the banh mi, but the sheer number of ingredients made for a muddled experience. The fresh veg got completely lost in the barrage of pork and sauces.

    Dang Banh Mi

    MJ, enamored by its description, chose the Egg Mi - 2 fried eggs, cheese, green onion, white onion, cilantro, cucumber, Char Siu sauce, saté, Japanese mayo, and pickled papaya and carrots. Not nearly as heavy as The Dang Original, it was like a play on an egg salad sandwich. In place of mayo, the Laughing Cow cheese provided a creamy, sour component. I think I appreciate banh mi, in general, for its simplicity and well-balanced flavors. Unfortunately, Dang Banh Mi missed the mark on both points.

    Pho Dan is located at 2711 La Frontera Blvd, Round Rock TX 78681

    Dang Banh Mi is located at 9070 Research Blvd #303, Austin TX 78758

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    About Min

    Thank you so much for stopping by! I am Min, a Registered Dietitian, a Christ follower, a wife, and a mom to our two miracle babies! Currently, I’m having a ton of fun feeding their tummies and sharing our baby led weaning journey! Follow me on Instagram if interested in seeing daily menu as well as tips and tricks.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jimmy says

      March 26, 2015 at 11:33 am

      Try Ng BMT for banh mi. I love Pho Dan. I judge Vietnamese restaurants on their com dia. If they can master grilled pork chop, shredded pork, and egg quiche/omelet in one dish, the rest of the menu should be rock solid.

      Reply
      • Hungryman says

        March 26, 2015 at 10:19 pm

        Thanks for the tips! Com dia, huh? I don't think I've ever had that before but it sounds delicious! Will definitely have to check out Ng BMT soon.

        Reply
    2. ellie | fit for the soul says

      March 25, 2015 at 6:48 pm

      Ah what a shame! I always feel so sad for the owner and the customer when the flavors are hit or miss. And oh yeaaaaa bring out the pho!!! I've been craving it everyday but haven't gotten it for a week and a half--trying to exercise a bit of self control since I'm in my friend's wedding and definitely not wanting to bloat, haha. 😉

      Reply
      • Hungryman says

        March 26, 2015 at 10:14 pm

        No need to feel sad for the owners. To say that their chicken wing place is a success would be an understatement. And post pho "bloat" really only lasts about a day so give yourself 24 hours or more and you should be golden :).

        Reply

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    I am MJ, a registered dietitian and a mom of 2. I truly hope you’ll enjoy all the recipes and tips that I share on what and how to feed your child!

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