Xuân Hưong

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Xuân Hưong might just be my new favorite soup spot. I ended up there like most sick people do, needing some hot, spicy soup to dissolve the phlegm. Okay that was gross. 

I had two restaurant options. Lem's was right nextdoor and had higher reviews. But it had a chain feel. Bright neon lights out front. Special parking arrangements. And I began to sense that negative reviews for Xuân Hưong might be based on appearance.

Xuân Hưong looked unassuming. One of the lights was knocked out. The building looked worn as if it was entirely made of drywall. But it looked homey. I trusted my gut and walked in. I waved at the waitress behind the counter and she grinned but looked down. Good. I like when they show respect but also have a bit of a "IDGAF" attitude. That's when you know the food will be good. 

"I'd like to order to-go," I said. 

"Menu?" she asked in broken English. 

"Yes."

I sat down with a spiral bound menu with four simple pages. Appetizers, Soups, Vermicelli, Beverages (Bean Milk was definitely an option). 

I opted for stewed beef noodles, peach tea, and crab egg rolls. The waitress wrote down my order and I studied the place while I waited. 

The energy of Asian restaurants always feels subdued, but humble to me. It had quaint pictures of Vietnam. Some guy riding a boat through a stream, other guys harvesting stuff. 

Okay I didn't study much. My food arrived. I took it. I got home and opened it. And MAN did they give me a lot of basil and bean sprouts. 

It was easily the second best noodles I've had in Houston. First best is still Mian's Chinese Sezchuan noodles. But this place was a close second. Succulent, tender beef stewed in spicy broth. The thinnest noodles and some stewed carrots. And those crab egg rolls dipped in a honey mustard-based sauce hit home. There were chunks of peaches in my iced tea. 

I could die a happy man.

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