Photo Via Hmong Fusion - Facebook
Hmong Fusion
The first step to enjoying Hmong Fusion (8340 W. Appleton Ave.) is finding the restaurant. That may be less obvious than it seems at first.
The building housing it, the enormous Hmong Town, is 61,924-square-feet holding a grocery of amazing breadth as well as other eateries. Diverse businesses along the building's perimeter carry ethnic women's formalwear, superhero/science fiction/fantasy-related toys and more. Hmong Town is not only a haven of familiar foods for a particular ethnic group but also a great place for people-watching and perusing products of possibly mind-boggling variety.
But back to Hmong Fusion proper. You will find it toward the left back corner upon entering and passing many of the location's other businesses. Its layout? Loosely grouped circular tables seating a few diners with a short row of two-seaters on its right wall. It's all pretty casual, as one might expect of a restaurant in a supermarket.
Ordering is done at the counter. The full menu is available to see while you're in line. Unfortunately, the full array of Fusion's offerings is not yet articulated on its website.
However, the khao poon I ordered is on the online menu. Though listed as Fusion's only curry offering, it tastes like one of the several pho varieties on offer. In Fusion's iteration, it's a coconut-and chicken-broth soup made red by the inclusion of curry paste. Giving it bulk are vermicelli rice noodles, knuckles of white meat chicken, processed meatball slices and sweet, spherical little quail eggs. Giving it added flavor, fiber and color is a generous garnish of cilantro and scallions.
The amount of animal-derived proteins seemed a bit skimpy in relation to the size of the bowl containing the khao poon; but I would be willing to give it another go in the future, its overall taste and complement of textures being that satisfying and not overwhelmingly filling.
Onslaught of Flavors
What helped to fill me up further was the dessert drink I quaffed to take the edge off the slight spiciness of that curry soup. Navam 2—its numeral indicating the inclusion of a couple thick ingredients not included in the Navam—is an onslaught of mouthfeels and flavors. In a transparent tumbler accompanied by a straw wide and thick enough to house some heavy wiring, reside coconut milk with tapioca balls, gelatin squares, taro balls and cendol; that last a kind of starchy, jelly-looking noodles. Though the cendol in a serving of Navam 2 are muti-colored, the variety of hues doesn't connote to an assortment of flavors. And though it comes sealed, as if Hmong Fusion's proprietors may have grabbed it from elsewhere in the sprawling retail space housing it, there are perfectly formed ice cubes topping it.
On a subsequent visit to this friendly space, I ordered the dish I most associate with Hmong cuisine, larb, available in chicken, rare beef and well-done beef variations. I had the latter at a medium heat level Though not unbearable, the ground meat infused with spices, chiles, shallots and more packed a distinct punch to my palate. The mixture of meat, tripe ad roasted rice powder comes with several cucumber slices and a thin wedge of iceberg lettuce. Mix up the produce with the warm protein mixture, eat it between bites of larb, or make little open-face sandwiches and tacos from the pale green sides. Whatever you do with them, they provide a cooling respite from the larb's strength. The accompanying rice, a choice of jasmine or sticky, was a welcome addition, too.
Another mystery for me about Hmong Fusion, aside from those ice cubes in my dessert beverage, is the bitterness of the larb. I was asked at the counter whether I wanted my order “made bitter.” Why not? That flavor was overpowered significantly by the meat's heat, but was definitely present, similar to the taste of the pickle included in East Indian thali platter dinners.
If a visitor to Hmong Fusion is looking for something more familiar, Chinese and Southeastern Asian entrees may be had. It’s easy to surmise Fusion's takes on orange chicken, General Tso's chicken, pad Thai, pineapple fried rice, spicy basil fried rice, egg rolls, pho and crab Rangoon are more than acceptable as well.
A visit to Hmong Fusion could entail time spent time elsewhere in the enormous space it inhabits. It's an unpretentious location, the warmth and amiability of which could make it a regular haunt for a wide breadth of gastronomical experiences.
