On the Road: MitAsie 3, Huntington Beach, CA

clockwise from top: Take Out- Spring Rolls with Dipping Sauce & Greens, Fried Rice, Sweet and Sour "Chicken"

MitAsie³ is the third incarnation of the restaurant that focuses on healthy Vietnamese food. It first started out with an omnivore menu, then a few years ago it shut down for a short time, revamped all of its menu items and reopened as a vegetarian place. And now, I am happy to report that MitAsie³ is a completely vegan restaurant.

When I am in southern California, I visit Huntington Beach (HB) quite a lot. Bella Terra is a big shopping center in the area, and this little food gem is tucked into a strip mall by Michael's (the big arts and crafts store chain), directly across the street. I am very chagrined to say I didn't even know it existed until my most recent visit to California.

But, boy, am I glad I found it! I can't wait to go back and try more of the menu.

MitAsie3

The entire building complex was under construction when I was there, and so the photo of their front facade is not particularly great. But I am sure it will look nice when they are done. The dining room is not very stylish, with its eclectic whatever-we-have-on-hand decor, and it's rather small with just a few tables, but the food is really good.

I ordered take out; Sweet and Sour "Chicken", Fried Rice, and Spring Rolls. However, I don't even know the proper names of what I ordered. I neglected to write them down, and MitAsie³ doesn't have a website. Sadly all of the menus online for them are the very old omnivore ones, and very outdated. So, we'll have to make do without the official names, but I am sure you can figure out what I ordered.



MitAsie3 Dining Area

The Sweet and Sour "Chicken" was soooooo good! So good. My mom and grandmother were sitting with me while I was eating it. I think they were jealous of all the contented noises I was making. When I was growing up, Sweet and Sour was my absolute favorite Chinese food dish, and while I realise this was primarily a Vietnamese restaurant, I swear this reminded me of what I grew up with.

The Fried Rice was quite a surprise with its various mock meat bits. I think it had three different kinds. I am used to just little bits of fried tofu, but this one definitely had mock pork chunks and another kind that I wasn't sure about. Perhaps a little too greasy for some, I was very impressed and thought this was excellent.

The Spring Rolls were the only item I was a little bit disappointed with. And the fault lies directly with the crunchy rice paper casing. At least I think it was some kind of fried puffed rice shell. I was not a big fan of the taste or texture of it. The innards were just fine and the dipping sauce was nice and spicy. This had been a back up appetizer, as I had really wanted to order the one that seemed to be like a bahn mi sandwich, but they were out of some of the ingredients. Next time!


MitAsie3 Dining Area, Fish Tank, & Cooler

I highly recommend MitAsie³, and I hope you get a chance to visit.

MitAsie³
Ranking: ****1/2

***** awesome! Highly recommended.
**** hey, this is pretty dang good.
*** not bad at all.
** eh.
* bad. Keep looking for alternatives.

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MitAsie³
7636 Edinger Ave
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
(714) 847-5262
No website but you can check out their Yelp page.

Hours

Monday - Saturday   11am to 9pm

Sunday   11am to 8pm