My entire family came to Mon Ami for dinner after attending my cousin’s high school graduation. We pretty much tore up the restaurant by taking up the whole half of the place. Good times! Because there were so many people, we were able to try a bunch of different Vietnamese and Vietnamese/French fusion dishes. It was a picture-taking opportunity for me! π
So here they are —
While waiting for everyone to come, I ordered fried butter calamari to munch on. They have 2 choices for calamari: butter or salt and pepper. I should’ve gone for s&p because that’s what I had last time and it was slightly better. This one wasn’t as crispy as I would’ve liked.
Mon Ami is known for really good bo ne, or filet mignon on a sizzling skillet, served with a fried egg sunny side up. They have various cooking options but select the wine mushroom sauce so that the meat will be saucy and tender. You know you’re eating at a French restaurant when your steak is served with a baguette. My favorite combo.
Crispy rice with seafood. I didn’t expect this to come out in a clay pot. But, regardless, it was yummy. The rice is golden and crispy in the bottom, and the seafood sauce gives it a sweetened taste.
This is the vegetarian version of the above – crispy rice with saucy tofu, mushrooms and veggies. We have a few veggie members of our family so this was naturally their choice. π
Bo luc lac – literal translation: shaking cow. π Basically marinaded beef served on a bed of salad. It was good, although I wish there were more meat than the salad. Oh well.
My dad and uncle opted for a giant fried whole fish served spring roll style, which comes with: rice paper, water to wet the rice paper with, various veggies (baby banana, cucumber, mint, basil, cilantro, etc.) for you to make your own spring rolls.
This is another vegetarian dish – crispy egg noodle topped with tofu, mushrooms, and veggies. I loved how thin and extra crispy the noodle was. You would have to eat this soon as it comes out before the noodle gets soggy with the sauce.
The BBQ chicken rice was OK. A bit dry. I don’t think Asian restaurants make very good BBQ chicken, but that’s just me.
The beef salad is similar to the bo luc lac (shaking beef) mentioned above. Again, too much veggies and not enough beef.
Overall, this is a good place to go for either lunch or dinner. I like the cute interior design, with trees and lamp posts inside making you feel like you’re dining outside on the streets of France. π
The only down sides of this place: cash or debit cards only and they charge $0.50 for water (refills are free, however.)
Mon Ami
14291 Euclid St.
Ste D116
Garden Grove, CA 92843
(714) 554-9888