*** Fusion Food and Boba Cafe has closed.
I guess I'm a bit con-"fused" about Fusion Food & Boba Cafe. A reader of this blog and Chowhound lurker Renee, sent me an Email (Thanks Renee!) about Fusion. She specifically noted that the Banh Mi at Fusion was very good. With this info I made a trip to Fusion. What I found was a "hip" Cafe, doing a brisk business in Boba and other snacks. It reminded me of all those "tea" places that I saw young Asians going to in Los Angeles.
Like I mentioned Fusion was doing a brisk business, people playing board games, watching the plasma television, or just hanging out at the outside tables; eating steamed buns or "banana rolls" , which looked like a take-off on turon (banana lumpia) with ice cream, all drinking various slushies and coffee drinks. The posted menu also said that Fusion offers free wireless internet access with a purchase. So automatically this place was totally what I was not; young and hip. Also, I couldn't find "Banh Mi" on the menu. What there was is something called "Fusion Sandwiches". I figured that this must be it. The prices of the sandwiches ranged from $2.50 (one item) to $3.50(two meat combo), to $4.50 for a Chesseburger Deluxe and Fries(?). Because my Banh Mi "standard" is based on the "Dac Biet" , I thought that I'd order the special with Ham and Pork Loaf, though at $3.50 it would be the most expensive Banh Mi type sandwich I'd ever have ordered.
Sure looks like a Banh Mi, doesn't it? The good; the carrot and radish pickles were tasty and the amount of veggies was generous and I enjoyed the jalapeno. The bad I'm afraid, outnumbered the good. The bread wasn't toasted, the meats were tasteless and disappointing. I pulled out the ham and it looked and tasted no different from the cheapie packaged 79 cent ham I'd buy at the market. The strange? It really looked like this was french roll, but not a baguette, but a french dip roll! Very strange indeed, though it never said anywhere that this was a Vietnamese Banh Mi, did it? At this point I thought that I'd cut my losses and let Fusion fade into the back ground.
What changed my mind was an Email from Renee, and she included a photo! And darn if the photo of the Veggie Sandwich didn't look like a Banh Mi! So I found myself back at Fusion, and this time I ordered a simple BBQ Pork Sandwich ($2.50):
This was a bit more like it! The roll was toasted, though still not a baguette, in my opinion. The pork was tasty and as before the veggies were good and there was a nice piece of jalapeno. Overall a decent sandwich. I especially liked that there was more cilantro leaves than stems, makes for an easier eating sandwich. There was mayo on this version as well, this actually added to the taste. Not bad at all. Unfortunately I ordered the Popcorn Chicken ($2.49):
On the menu it says "spicy & crispy". I can tell you in this case it was neither of those. The crispy I can understand, I live 15 minutes away. But even if the what looked like the corn starch based batter couldn't stand up to a 15 minute drive, all would still be okay if the chicken tasted great. Unfortunately, it wasn't even mediocre. The chicken was really bland with hardly any seasoning. I was hoping for something, give me the slight sweetness of mochiko, maybe some salt, maybe some herbs, chili pepper, anything….. I hate to say this, but KFC is better than this. The aioli included is a must, just to give this some taste. I think something was lost in trying to please all palates on this one.
So what's the verdict? Seems that certain sandwiches here are pretty good, and the snacks seem to be what to get. There are some dishes that are "dumbed down" to make them somewhat con-"fused". The menu is very extensive, everything from vegetarian items, to curry, to noodle soups. It's a really difficult to manage a menu like this. All the drinks here seem to be really popular. The service is really friendly and helpful. Maybe someone has an idea what I should order here?
Fusion Food & Boba Cafe
8038 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111
P.S. Thank You for the recommendation Renee!