Trader Joe’s Spring Onion Rice Noodle Soup Bowl

Guess who finally got to the Louisville Trader Joe’s! “These are great,” the clerk assured me as he rung up my three noodle soups. They have both microwave and boiling-water instructions on these things; I went for the boiling water route.

Subjective snapshot

Quality:
Spiciness:

Review

The noodles are maybe too short: trying to fish the etceteras packet out I spilled some of them, which typically wouldn’t happen with full-length rice sticks. That having been said, I’m always a fan of the rice-noodle soups, and thought it initially looked like there weren’t enough in here, looks can be deceiving. The flavor was quite mild, which could be a plus for some folks but I found it a bit unexciting. I wouldn’t entirely characterize the flavor as “spring onion” either; garlic was the dominant note, but maybe I’ll have a better handle on it after I try the other two flavors. The dehydrates were rather indifferent; corn didn’t quite work as a complementary flavor and texture on this one, although the carrots did well enough.

A bánh mì non-update (or perhaps a non-bánh mì update)

It’s been a while since I posted a bánh mì review, hasn’t it? Well, I haven’t been idle. I’ve just found it difficult to actually get a bánh mì of late.

Saigon One (333 West Cardinal Boulevard), in the Cardinal Towne complex, finally opened after the end of the semester, which was kinda poor timing. They don’t do bánh mì despite being a Vietnamese place with takeout and food that includes baguettes.

Lá Quế (1019 Bardstown Road) is a decent sit-down place in the Upper Highlands which does a variety of Chinese, Thai, and Vietnamese food. They apparently don’t do bánh mì either, which is a bit more understandable since they’re less Viet-focused and don’t have any baguette-using dishes.

This past week I was in Boston for the big annual Joint Mathematics Meetings, and on the evening of my last night there I passed the (lamentably closed) focus of my attention: a bonafide bánh mì truck! Bon Me typically lurks in Copley Square, and I haven’t tried their sandwiches. Oh, well, I’ll get back to Boston eventually.