South Bay Vietnamese restaurants primarily feature pho, bun and banh mi. I recently discovered Thai Lai, a South Bay Vietnamese restaurant that breaks this norm. They feature food that is common in Vietnam’s central region as well as the more common cuisine from the southern area.
Thai Lai is located on Prairie Ave. in Hawthorne. Free parking is available, but their lot is extremely small and is challenging during peak hours. Upon entering the restaurant, you will find that the clientele is predominantly Asian and many are speaking in their native tongue. That observance gives you hope that the food is good and maybe authentic because hearing Vietnamese spoken in the South Bay is not a common occurrence.
I enjoy Vietnamese cuisine because it is rooted in five cardinal flavors: spicy, sour, bitter, salty, and sweet. Every dish, or at least every meal, should strike a balance of those flavors. In the mid-1800s, the French colonization of Vietnam heavily influenced the cuisine by introducing meat into their diet. It is believed that pho is derived from pot au feu, a French soup.
Their menu lists the original Vietnamese names; fortunately, the ingredients are spelled out in English. If you don’t know Vietnamese, you order by the number of the item on the menu. Once you advance to the appetizer page, the majority of Thai Lai’s menu focuses on hủ tiếu (noodle soups), bun (cold noodle), stir-fried noodles, pho, and some vegetarian options. They offer many of their noodle dishes with a choice of either egg or rice noodles.
Bánh xèo #9 on the menu (Vietnamese crepe) is filled with bean sprouts and bay shrimp. I liked the overall taste, but it was heavy on bean sprouts with only a minimal amount of bay shrimp. I would have preferred to have more shrimp to balance the taste. It was served with a heaping plate of fresh greens.
What sets Vietnamese egg rolls apart from Chinese egg rolls is the burst of Thai basil, mint and nuoc cham dipping sauce. The egg rolls are crispy, savory and filled with a sweet, sour and salty flavor. The greens provide a delightful aromatic experience and the dipping sauce flavored with fish sauce adds a delicious umami element.
Thai Lai’s spring rolls #2 consist of thinly sliced pork, medium-sized shrimp, and rice noodles wrapped in a wrapped in Vietnamese rice paper and are not fried. What made this stand apart from other Vietnamese restaurants was their delicious peanut dipping sauce. I could taste hoisin and Chinese five spice in the sauce.
One of Thai Lai’s most popular dishes is a Central Vietnamese noodle soup called bún riêu #41. Their version of the traditional Vietnamese rice vermicelli soup is made with fried pasted pork, Vietnamese ham, tofu, tomato, shrimp paste, and pork blood. The gelatin-like congealed pig’s blood usually turns people off. Once you get past the texture, the taste is similar to sausage.
Hủ tiếu xào thập cẩm #25 (noodle, stir-fried, combination) is a dish made with pan-fried flat rice noodles with stir-fried beef, seafood, and vegetables. When I received the dish, I thought to myself, “where are the noodles?” The pan-fried noodles looked like a rice noodle pancake and were placed underneath the stir fry mix. The noodles were crispy and the sauce gave the stir-fry dish a delicious boost.
The prices are extremely reasonable. Almost everything on the menu is under $10 and you can have a filling meal and get change back from your ten dollar bill. They keep the prices low by only accepting cash.
Thai Lai, 14221 Prairie Ave, Hawthorne, CA 90250; 310.973.0819