Xin Chào in Houston

Masterchef fan and was totally geeking out when I saw Christine in her restaurant. I really wanted to go up to her but was too embarrassed.  That's alright because being in the presence of someone like her is just so inspirational. The restaurant did not disappoint one bit. The happy hour prices can't be beat especially with the quality of the food and the balance of flavors and textures. I think we pretty much ordered one of each item on the happy hour menu. -Started with the sidewinder fries and they were super crispy and light and the aioli was such a perfect complement. -The pork belly bao was perfectly balanced in flavor between sweet and salty and the pickled cucumber gave a nice acidic note. The bao was crispy on the outside but so light when you bit into it. I've never had a bao like that before. -the Viet Cajun oysters was the favorite of the night. It's not part of t...

On a spontaneous Monday date night we chose Xin Chao. Honestly what pushed us to go was the all day happy hour. Google said the restaurant was 'less busier than usual' thats a load of lies. Every seat in the place was taken except for a 6 seat high top and 2 at the bar. We opted for the bar since it was only 2 of us. The bartender was super friendly to start. The happy hour drinks were perfect. Grilled Oysters $5 for 2, they were nice and juicy. I love the fried onions on top. I can definitely see myself coming here and just getting a dozen of these. Pork Belly Bao $5 for 1. At first I was like meh, until it came out. The actual pork belly was a decent size, nice and tender. The pickle definitely gave it a nice crisp. Nguyener nguyener chicken dinner half portion is definitely a good size for 2 people. We barely fished the chicken and had to take the fries home. Ube-baby-baby, DO.NOT sleep on this taro pound cake drizzled in ube syrup. O.M.G it was heavenly. It was not too sweet but also had little salty pieces. The vanilla icecream definitely brought me to heaven. I can't wait to come back!

One of the best meals I've ever had.  There I said it.  Been wanting to try Xin Chao ever since I realized Christina Ha shared the helm. I'm a fan of competitive chef tv, whether it be Iron Chef, Chopped, Top Chef or Master Chef and have always wanted to sample the food and see just how good it was.  I now have my answer, superb. From the moment we entered the restaurant to the moment we left our tastebuds were delighted at every turn.  We started with cocktails and the variety of signature drinks is impressive.  I opted for the Starry Night, a vodka drink featuring blueberry purée and star anise. It was heavenly.  The smoked old fashioned was an equally ample accompaniment to the meal.  For appetizers we want the braised pork belly bao and it was unctuous nestled in a deep fried bun which made for a great contrast in texture.  I won't share next time.  Not our mom's eggrolls we're tasty as well.  For our mains we went with the Texas BBQ fried rice which enjoyed the s...