xoia eating in echo park

i'm barely literate in english let alone vietnamese so when my friend asked me to meet her at xoia in echo park, i just said, "oh, that new vietnamese place. sure!" when we got there, both my friend and i decided that it was not a phonetic vietnamese name and sure enough, our server told us xoia was pronounced "soy-yah" and was named after the owner's child...either that or they might have named the child "mango" in vietnamese, but the spelling would still have been incorrect. xoia definitely sounds a lot cuter than "bob" or "martha" or "mango" doesn't it?

we decided to sit outside in their patio area to inhale the fresh exhaust that comes right off of busy sunset blvd. ahh, nothing like combusted fuel to expand my appetite. of course, if you don't enjoy the automotive bustle while you eat, there is a larger dining area inside for you to enjoy your meal.

we started off with the pho beef tacos ($5.75) which were surprisingly yummy! these tacos tasted like a bowl of beef pho sans the soup and the noodles. the salsa was a fusion of red salsa with a hint of sriracha. my friend was eager to begin grubbing and squeezed lime on our tacos while i snapped away. i would totally order these again. you should too.

we also ordered the lemongrass pork carnitas banh mi ($6.50) which was a fabulous rendition of the traditional banh mi with long cilantro tendrils and vinegared daikon and carrot sticks spilling out. i loved the chunky carnitas with my every bite and the hint of lemongrass for a lemongrass lova like me left a wonderful fragrance in my mouth. this banh mi was quite generous in portion size because behind those white shrimp chips was the other half. two words: cheap date. you eat one half, i eat the other half and then we fall in love.

the mi quang ($9.25) was the main reason why my friend wanted us to eat at xoia. this dish is a hoi an specialty which i thought was rather delicious. although per my friend's observation that the noodles were a bit wider and thicker than what she had tasted in that region, i thought the thick yellow noodles xoia used were a great medium to sop up the delicate sauce that puddled at the bottom of the bowl. crispy black sesame chips, chopped peanuts, and crunchy bean sprouts gave this dish all the crunch you would ever need in a bowl of noodles.

we ended the meal with the banh xeo ($6.50) which was our least favorite dish of the night. the banh xeo was crispy which was a plus, but the pork was severely oversalted with a double ugh of severely overcooked shrimp that resembled dried chicken which were nestled inside. i'm also not use to banh xeo with peanut sauce which is normally served with nuoc mam (fish sauce). not to mention that the peanut sauce tasted thick and straight from the jar and lacked the typical garlic notes which i am use to.

i'm normally very critical when it comes to vietnamese eats because i grew up eating superb homecooked vietnamese food, but xoia did not disappoint even though there were a few details that needed tweaking. this is a cash only spot so i'll be sure to return with a wallet full of greens to try other xoia eats on the menu. perhaps i might even bring my mother. great yummy addition there echo park. nice.

Xoia
1801 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(213) 413-3232

www.xoiaeats.com/

price: $$
verdict: tasty, try it!