Back yet again at Binh Duong

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Binh Duong

DJKung was in real bad shape with the flu after his California trip. After a few days of chicken soup, he wanted to have something else to eat. As soon as he started feeling better, we were off for pho.

Besides pho, we also ordered their vegetarian crepes.

Vegetarian crepes. The filling contained mostly bean sprouts. We tasted a hint of coconut, but were unsure where it was from. I thought it was a tad greasy, but DJKung liked it.

Lettuce leaves, cilantro and pickles. Nuoc cham dip (fish sauce and lime).

DJKung also felt very restored after the meal. Once again, Binh Duong hits the spot!

Back again at Binh Duong

Under food:

Binh Duong

Nothing beats pho after a tiring snowy hike. So we made our way back to Binh Duong for some hot hot soup. We also tried two other dishes: fried sweet potato nests with shrimp and a lunch special, squid in lemongrass sauce over rice.

Sweet potato nests with shrimp. This comes with lettuce and mint leaves (to wrap the sweet potato in),as well as a lime and fish sauce dip. This dish was excellent---the sweet potato was crispy and had very little grease. It was a pretty big serving for an app.

Squid in lemongrass sauce. It was so-so. The squid was very bland and rubbery; I think it is the precut and frozen kind. It also had too much sweet pepper. The sauce was good, with little bits of lemongrass.

Been to Binh Duong Yet?

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Binh Duong Restaurant
61 1/2 Belleville Ave.
Bloomfield, NJ 07003
(973) 680-8440

Binh Duong has been a mainstay of the Ultimate Fun Club's SUPERROTATION for its tasty and filling pho. The location is excellent too, and you can shop for Asian groceries and produce at nearby East West Supermarket.

On our last visit, DJKung and I got the pho. Ozzie Wan and her posse tried a few dishes too.

Garnishes for pho. Counterclockwise from top: fresh bean sprouts, lime slices, jalapeno slices, basil. Sometimes they also have this long-leaved and serrated herb that tastes like a funkier version of cilantro. I favor a lot of bean sprouts and basil, while DJKung likes lime and a lot of Siricha pepper sauce (in background).


Thai iced tea. Forgot to rotate this picture. I did not get to try this, but everyone agreed it was refreshing.

For apps, we ordered vegetarian goi cuon (fresh spring rolls) and fried squid.

In foreground: crispy squid. It is dipped in batter and fried, and does not come with sauce. It is way lighter and more tender than your average calamari. Sometimes they provide a dry roasted salt-and-pepper dip.
In background: vegetarian goi cuon. This comes with a peanut dip, although I like to spoon hoisin sauce in too.

House special pho. This comes with a variety of cuts of beef and is very filling. We have always been satisfied with the stock that their kitchen makes.

Fish ball soup. The broth is much lighter because you do not get a lot of the beefy heft and flavor with actual meat cuts in the soup. Great for those chilly days, or if you're feeling under the weather!

Ozzie Wan's crew ordered the vegetarian fried rice, string beans in garlic sauce and fried noodles with vegetables. I cannot be too descriptive because I did not get to try them---I was too occupied with my soup. They did say that everything was good.

Vegetarian fried rice. It comes with carrots, peas, broccoli and baby corn.

String beans with garlic sauce.

Mixed veggies over fried noodles.