Brodard Vietnamese Cuisine officially opened on Oct. 1 in the 2nd & PCH shopping center, and I enjoyed lunch there on Saturday, Oct. 10.
As I sat there, I understood why Brodard is widely considered one of California’s best Vietnamese restaurants. The service was quick and the servers were knowledgeable.
Brodard Vietnamese Cuisine, which opened on Oct. 1, offers crispy duck with garlic noodles. (Photo by Jo Murray, Grunion Gazette/SCNG)
The rib eye spring roll is one of the items you can get at Brodard Vietnamese Cuisine. (Photo by Jo Murray, Grunion Gazette/SCNG)
A red dragon fruit cocktail, made is sake, is one of the beverages available at Brodard Vietnamese Cuisine, which opened on Oct. 1. (Photo by Jo Murray, Grunion Gazette/SCNG)
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Brodard Vietnamese Cuisine, which opened on Oct. 1, offers crispy duck with garlic noodles. (Photo by Jo Murray, Grunion Gazette/SCNG)
During my visit, the three standout items were the rib eye spring roll and the crispy duck served with garlic noodles and coconut shrimp rolls — with avocado.
The rib eye roll follows Brodard’s go-to recipe: a crisp fried wrapper tucked inside the roll, layered with fresh herbs and the main protein. Each of the rolls is served with a different sauce.
Brodard Long Beach, 6480 E. Pacific Coast Highway, No. 100, is in the former Tocaya space.
Frozen bananas
Mysa Tran and her husband, Khe Lam, will open Sugar ‘n Spice — a frozen banana shop — in Belmont Shore in December. (Photo courtesy of Mysa Tran)
Too many banks, too many bars, too many coffee places — but no one has said too many frozen treats.
Soon, Belmont Shore will be home to the iconic frozen banana shop Sugar N’ Spice.
In February 2024, I reported that Balboa Island’s Sugar ‘n Spice — a frozen banana shop– was on the market. The sellers listed both the property and the business for sale.
The Alovis family (Courtney and Will) announced in early 2024 that they were ready to sell the business and property, according to public records — or, as Courtney put it, it was time to “pass the banana.”
The sale closed later that year, transferring ownership to Sugar N’ Spice LLC. The new owners – husband-and-wife duo Khe Lam and Mysa Tran — positioned themselves as caretakers of the long-running Balboa Island tradition, keeping the menu with a plan to expand.
When I spoke to Tran this week, she said they have been overwhelmed by the Belmont Shore community’s response to their planned opening at 5269 E. Second St., in the former European Wax Center storefront. Opening is planned for the first week of December, just in time for the Belmont Shore Christmas Parade on Dec. 5 and the Naples Boat Parade on the Dec. 12.
“Belmont Shore has the same classic vibe as Balboa,” Tran said in a phone interview. “We like the party city energy of Second Street.”
Turns out, many families like mine have a generational tradition that includes frozen bananas and Balboa bars. Family groups as large as 50 people caravan to the shop, Tran said. The catering side of the business has expanded with a focus on wedding receptions and birthday parties.
Both the frozen bananas and the ice cream bars are dipped in chocolate and then rolled on a choice of goodies, such as nuts, rainbow sprinkles, crushed Oreos or crushed toffee.
The classic Balboa Bar is made from vanilla ice cream, and the current plan is for the Belmont Bar to be made with chocolate ice cream.
Other than adding the Belmont Bar, everything else will be just like the Balboa location, Tran said.
The frozen banana has a place in television history.
From 2003 to 2006, the series “Arrested Development” had an on-going storyline that included the Bluth family’s “Original Frozen Banana Stand,” inspired by the real frozen banana rivalry and history on Balboa Island, where show creator Mitchell Hurwitz grew up and where competing stands have claimed the “original” recipe since the 1940s.
Balboa Island has two rival stands, Dad’s Donut & Bakery Shop and Sugar ’n Spice– each claiming to be the true inventor of the frozen banana.
Fans of the show often jokingly order a “Bluth Banana,” Tran said, something they can’t sell — because they don’t own the trademark.