Thai Nakorn (Garden Grove, CA)

12532 Garden Grove Blvd.
Garden Grove, CA 92843
714.583.8938
thainakornrestaurant.com

Ask pretty much anyone in Orange County where the best Thai restaurant is and invariably the majority will say Thai Nakorn. Being a self-professed Thai food lover and coming from a family that once owned a Thai restaurant, I'm with the majority on this one.

Thai Nakorn has two locations, one in Garden Grove and one in Stanton. Both restaurants are large with ample seating for large parties. Come to think of it, every time I come here I always see some type of celebratory meal going on.

Thai Beef Salad 
Thai Nakorn isn't one of those restaurants that really tones down the spice level, although they can if you want, but they can also "kick it up a notch" (sorry Emeril). The Thai beef salad is always a great beginning to the meal. I love the interplay of flavors and textures in Thai food - crunchy, sweet, spicy, and sour.

Chicken Satay - $8.45
Who doesn't like grilled meat on a skewer? Chicken satay is no exception. The satay is marinated in curry and other spices and then grilled. To top it off, literally that is, is the simultaneously sweet, spicy, and peanutiness of the peanut sauce. The slightly pickled onion and cucumbers add a crunchy coolness to this dish.

Pad See Ewe
I never go to a Thai restaurant without ordering Pad See Ewe or Pad Thai. Thai Nakorn has a delicious Pad See Ewe. Just the right consistency on the noodles and perfect ratio of noodles, meat, to veggie ratio.

Nam Sod with Crispy Rice - $8.45
For those of you who aren't familiar with Nam Sod, this dishes' ingredients are ground pork, onion, ginger, peanuts, lime juice, and sometimes with or without the crispy rice. I prefer ordering with the crispy rice because it gives the dish an added texture and flavor. This is a "sod" after dish anytime I come here. 

Fried catfish with mango salad/sauce
The catfish is battered and then golden-fried like a fish and chip without the chip. The dish is to be eaten together with the mango salad. Any fish dish with the mango salad is always a good thing at Thai Nakorn.

I have been going to Thai Nakorn back in the days when it was located near Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park. The restaurant has been in business for many years, a testament to how good Thai Nakorn is. Ask me where the best Thai restaurant in Orange County is and I'll answer with Thai Nakorn too.

Brodard - Garden Grove

9892 Westminster Avenue (inside Mall of Fortune)
Garden Grove, CA 92844
714.530.1744

Tucked through a long alleyway, past the parking lot, and behind a 99 cent store is the Brodard Restaurant. This place is always packed as it is not only popular for its signature dish, nem nuong cuon, but the other Vietnamese dishes are also just as delicious. Most of the Vietnamese restaurants in Little Saigon usually specialize in certain dishes. So one would go to this restaurant for pho, or go to another for rice dishes, or others that specialize in a region. But Brodard is pretty much consistent with their foods that all the items I've tried on the menu are good.

There is usually a wait, but very short. Just hurry in and write your name on the clipboard. As you wait, you can view the assemblyline of women wetting the rice paper and rolling the grilled pork patty strips with the vegetables.

Nem Nuong Cuon (Pork Spring Rolls)
The grilled pork patty strips are wrapped in rice paper with lettuce, cucumber, carrots, daikon, mint leaves, and a scallion in a skinny, deep fried egg roll wrapper. It's served with the house special sauce containing garlic, red chili and minced pork. Once I dunk the roll into the warm sauce and take my first bite, I close my eyes in blissful happiness. All the ingredients just add the perfect flavors and texture, especially the crisp of the mini egg roll wrapper. This is the warm special sauce. This is what makes it so good. The cuon by itself is good, but with the sauce, it adds 10x more flavor and contentment to your belly. I usually add more red chili for an extra kick.