Thien Thanh Food Manufactor Houston

Went for Bún chả Hà Nội after seeing the Parts Unknown episode from Hanoi in which Anthony Bourdain and Barrack Obama eat the dish at a small restaurant. At Thien Thanh it was well presented and a ton of food. I could not finish. The waiter was very helpful in explaining the dish. I enjoyed the experience and plan to go back.

I went to Thiên Thanh Bánh Cuon Thanh Trì with my girlfriend and her family. They are Vietnamese and in town visiting, so they wanted to see what Bánh Cuon tasted like in Houston's Chinatown. Bánh Cuon is made from a thin, wide sheet of steamed fermented rice batter filled with a mixture of cooked seasoned ground pork, minced wood ear mushroom, and minced shallots. This restaurant is located in the green plaza that hosts Lee's Sandwiches.

The restaurant was busy when we walked in, but there were still tables available. I noticed there was a big bottle of fish sauce on the table. Guys, DON'T MISTAKE THIS FOR TEA because it totally looks like tea! HAHA I was told to try one of the Bánh Cuon plates, although they had a lot more dishes available. There were a few of them with either pork or shrimp. I opted for 11) Bánh Cun Thit Nuon (steam rice paper with BBQ pork) for $7.50.

The food came out pretty fast. My girlfriend's dad told me that my Bánh Cuon was cut up North Vietnamese-style and was handmade. This place apparently serves styles from both North and South Vietnam. My plate meal was also served with steamed bean sprouts. I dipped the Bánh Cuon in the fish sauce (which I also put in some chili sauce) and tried it. It was pretty good. I don't typically eat this type of dish, so I'm not a good judge of how authentic/good it is, but my guests all said that this place had great Bánh Cuon.

Overall, this place was good. I liked my BBQ pork dish, and I would see myself coming back to order it again. The restaurant has a lot of seating in a comfortable setting. It's not too packed like other restaurants you'll find in Chinatown, and there's plenty of parking available at the plaza.