Sunday, January 02, 2011

Zon Baguette's Mi Dac Biet - Tustin


There are only a few items your humble scribe craves when the weather gets this frigid. The Korean soft tofu soup called sundubu jjigae is high on the list, as is anise-scented bowls of pho. But generally, hypothermia usually sends my brain dreaming of any noodle soup, its country of origin not as important than that it is scalding hot and contains lots of things for my chopsticks to pluck out from the broth.

Our most recent bowl fulfilled all the requirements, and found in an unlikely place: a banh mi shop. Zon Baguette's has been plying soup and rice for a while on a separate menu list in addition to its sandwiches, but I've never taken them up on it until now.

And the soup I asked for isn't even on that list. We saw it scribbled on a white board, and things written in non-permanent marker is what I tend to gravitate to.

This is a standard, honest, good mi dac biet, crinkly thin egg noodles with protein odds and ends from tender crimson-rimmed BBQ pork, barely-cooked shrimp, and pieces of breast meat chicken that would've otherwise been stuffed into a sandwich. The soup is clean, uncomplicated, the essence of chicken, maybe pork, enlivened by a squeeze of lime, and exactly what I needed.

She opted for her usual sandwich, but the sight of me slurping noodles and noisily sipping my soup proved irresistible. We ended up sharing both the sandwich and the soup, alternating between them, passing the bowl and the sandwich back and forth, our cheeks becoming warmer and rosier after each successive gulp of broth.

Zon Baguette
14081 Newport Avenue
Tustin, CA 92780
(714) 731-1366

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4 Comments:

At 7:46 AM, Blogger christoofat said...

That is the perfect dish for a rainy day such as this. Looks yummy!
I think it's time for me to do some "food crawling" in Tustin again soon.

 
At 6:01 PM, Blogger Madison said...

Wow, a mi place in Tustin? Thanks for the heads up. I will likely go and sample soon. Also, I've never had that soft tofu dish you spoke of. Putting anything on the level with pho makes me very curious.

 
At 9:45 PM, Blogger Melissa said...

"dreaming of any noodle soup, its country of origin not as important than that it is scalding hot and contains lots of things for my chopsticks to pluck out from the broth."

YES. THAT.

I tend to avoid Zon as I wasn't a fan of the sandwich I tried. Or the rolls. Perhaps I should give them another go.

 
At 8:49 AM, Blogger elmomonster said...

chris,

It rivals Pho Hung Voung's across the street. Of course, part of it is that you don't have to pay for tip!

Madison,

It's a banh mi place that also does mi! Quite well, in my opinion. And you've not had the pleasure of sundubu jjigae? Oh it's good! Check this out. I had the soup at Kaya again recently (it was my last meal of 2010, in fact) and I came away feeling ready for the New Year!

Melissa,

HEH HEH! It's true. I like Zon's sandwiches (they seem to be better than I remember), though it's always second to Banh Mi Che Cali. Cheapness is always a factor when it comes to banh mi!

 

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