Local Houston Eats: All You Can Eat Vietnamese Food

When my relatives from out of town visited me in Houston, I took them to Kim Son buffet restaurant on Bellaire Boulevard. We went there on a weekday for lunch and there was a 15 minute wait. In my opinion, Kim Son is the best buffet for authentic Vietnamese street food and noodle soups. Whenever I go there, I always look for the following dishes.

Banh Xeo, Turmeric Coconut Crepe or Taco

It came out warm and crispy. The inside had shrimps, pork and bean sprouts. I broke a small piece and wrapped it in lettuce and cilantro, then dipped in the fish sauce with red chili. It was a little bit oily, but tasted delicious. I liked the taste of turmeric and coconut milk in the batter.

Banh xeo, turmeric coconut crepe or taco

Dumplings and Pancakes

The mini yellow shrimp pancake was also crispy and good. They used the same batter as the turmeric coconut taco. I preferred the taco over the pancake, because it was tastier and less oily. The sticky rice dumpling, with savory mung bean and peppery grounded pork filling, was my favorite. I actually went back for another one; this tasted homemade. The shrimp tapioca dumpling, wrapped in banana leaf, was chewy and flavorful. I could smell a hint of banana leaf in the dumpling.

Shrimp mini pancake, sticky rice dumpling & tapioca dumpling, Vietnamese street food

Top: shrimp mini pancake, bottom left: sticky rice dumpling, bottom right: shrimp tapioca dumpling

Pork Offal Congee

I got the congee at the noodle bar. There was a line, but it was moving quickly. In addition to the fried dough, they also put pork blood, intestines, liver, heart, and sausage. With a squeeze of lime and a little of red pepper, the rice soup transported me back to a small alley in Vietnam. The sausage was surprisingly delicious with perfect amount of spices and lemon grass.

Pork Offal Congee

Che Ba Mau, Three-Color Cocktail Dessert

For dessert, I got the three-color cocktail, made with layers of sweet yellow mung bean, red bean, green tapioca, coconut milk and shaved ice. Mixing all the layers together turned it into a delightful milky, icy dessert in a cup. It was not too sweet and had enough coconut milk.

Che ba mau, three-color cocktail

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