Annam Hale

It's been a while since I've been to Annam, in fact, the last time I visited this restaurant, it near Ala Moana Shopping Center.  This was more than a couple of years ago.  Now since they've moved to Ward Avenue, the name's changed (they added the word "hale", Hawaiian for house), and they have a lot bigger space, but is the food the same?

When I arrived, the place was empty.  I don't know if this had to do with the time of day or not.  But restaurants in this spot generally don't last very long.  In fact, in the last 10 years or so, there was first a Jumbo's, then Burger King, then MOS Burger, a Korean restaurant, and now Annam Hale (let me know if I've forgotten anything).

Since I dragged a friend along, I started dinner with a salad, bo tai chanh (lemon beef salad, US$6.95).

The salad is made by quickly sautéing thin slices of beef (there was a lot of beef here) with thinly sliced onions, chopped basil, and mint.  It's garnished with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and crushed peanuts and finally, topped with a "sauce" that tastes faintly of lemon juice and fish sauce.  This was perhaps the winner of the night.  The beef was lean and tender, not over cooked.  The seasoning of the sauce was subtle and not overpowering.  The combination of flavors made me want to keep eating!

The main course for me was the pho tai (rare beef noodle soup, US$5.95)

Since I don't like the meat to arrive at the table with the slightest bit of pink coloring to it, I asked for it to be cooked prior to the bowl coming to the table.  This was a huge bowl of pho!  There was a lot of beef in this bowl (I counted 12 thin, lean slices) and a whole lot of noodles floating around in here.  In addition to the thinly sliced onions and green onions floating around in this bowl of pho, there were bits of cilantro (Chinese parsley) here as well.

The pho came with the usual plate of garnishes:  mung bean sprouts, basil, lemon wedges and fresh cut green chilis.  Though the beef was tender (good!), the soup here was a little disappointing.  There was a strong beef flavor to the soup, but no hint of any herbs/seasoning at all.  I couldn't taste any hint of star anise, or cloves, which usually give this dish a distinctive flavor.  Definitely a disappointment.

My friend ordered the bun cha gio ga nuong (cold rice noodles with grilled chicken and spring rolls, US$6.95).

When the bowl arrived, we looked at it for a moment.  The presentation was wonderful.  Everything was arranged just so at the top of the bowl.  How was it? The grilled chicken was great, with just a hint of spiciness.  The spring roll, however, arrived cold and soggy.  Another disppointment. 

Since there are over a hundred items on the menu (including the vegetarian offerings), I'm tempted to come here again even if the pho and the bun cha gio were a bit disappointing.  The food has changed a little since they've moved, but I think I'm willing to give them another chance.  Who knows, I might just come up with another winner.

Annam Hale
515 Ward Avenue
Telephone:  808.597.8749

Comments

[santos]

don't forget kanai tofu factory and am-pm orient express! :-)

[Reid]

Hi Santos,

You know this place better than I do. =) Kanai Tofu is still there, but I don't know about this Am-Pm Orient Express, what kind of business is it? Have you been to Annam Hale before?

[santos]

no, i was just being cheeky :-) i was having trouble placing it so i mapped it on the web, and both kanai tofu and orient express came up as businesses there. i know the block it's on, but it looks totally unfamiliar.and i haven't been to annam hale before, looks good though.

[Reid]

Hi Santos,

=) The salad was extremely good. The next time I'm thinking of trying the green papaya salad and the crispy fried seafood noodles.

[Bonstanceus]

Looks like it was a great meal. Unfortunately their version of Bò Tái Chanh is not authentic. In traditional style the dish is supposed to be ‘cooked’ (basically marinated) in lemon juice leaving the meat still raw. Since this is a very rare dish in the US not many Vietnamese restaurants serve it at all. It’s one of my favorites and had I been to this restaurant and the dish was brought to me the way you had it I would have been rather miffed. It’s like ordering a black and blue steak and then having it come to you well done. It’s not the same meal.

[Reid]

Hi Bonstanceus,

Thanks for dropping by the blog and thanks for the information. It was the first time that I had ever had bo tai chanh, so I was unaware that the meat was supposed to have been served raw (or cooked by the lemon juice marinade). If I had known that, then yes, I probably would have been miffed as well. I did go to another Vietnamese restaurant a couple of days ago, and this time, the meat looked a bit pink, so I would assume that it wasn't cooked. The meat was also a bit chewy (which leads me to the same conclusion as well). Overall, I do like this salad for the wonderful flavors and it's refreshingly light taste. Hope to see you again!

[nai]

reid-- annam hale is no longer; or at least no longer at this restaurant. some months ago, this location became asahi grill (good steak at night; they have the oxtail recipe from kam bowl and the sushi is fairly good).