Pho Ca Dao – El Cajon Boulevard

I had attempted to have some lunch at Pho Ca Dao’s El Cajon Boulevard location several times. But each attempt had been aborted due to a line of people waiting outside the Restaurant’s doors. But recently, after reading Jenne’s comments recommending Pho Ca Dao on my Pho Hoa Hiep post, I decided to make another attempt to get through Pho Ca Dao’s doors.

For some reason I had thought that Pho Ca Dao was a fairly large restaurant. But after parking I found that Pho Ca Dao shared half of the building with a coin laundry, so the restaurant was actually half the size I thought it was. Now I understand the "lines".

I was silently seated, and ordered the Combination Large Bowl(Dac Biet – $4.95) of Pho. The garnishes quickly arrived, and as Jenne informed me it did contain Ngo Ngai:

Though the quantity of herbs and garnishes was rather small; the Ngo Ngai was very fresh. I tasted a small bit and the peppery-cilantro flavor was quite strong.

The Pho arrived in a large bowl, hot and steaming.

The broth was light brown in color with a large amount of green onions, cilantro, and thin sliced onions floating in it. Much like Pho Hoa Hiep, this was a very balanced and well flavored broth, though perhaps a bit richer then the version at the afore mentioned restaurant. The "hits"? The tendon was perfect; as you initially bit into the tendon, it was soft, and the resistance gradually increased as you bit through it. So nicely gelatinous, and yet somewhat smooth, unlike the crunchy, tough, almost inedible tendon that I often encounter. The brisket was also fairly good, though there was too much fat. There was one piece of brisket that belonged in the Guinness Book of World Records. As I unfolded the slice, it extended from one side of the bowl to the other, and almost covered the entire bowl of Pho!

Too much "net-like" fat though. The noodles were the status quo; a large clump in the bottom of the bowl; though it was a very generous amount of noodles. The bowl was lacking in tripe, and the rare steak was dry, flavorless, and tough. I enjoyed this rather substantial bowl of Pho, and would have it again in a heartbeat.

Of course, I had to check out Pho Ca Dao again, and have one of my favorite soups; Bun Bo Hue. I went earlier this Sunday morning and had the Large Bowl of Bun Bo Hue without Blood($5.10):

And before I knew it; this large bowl of bright red red soup arrived at my table. Actually, I could smell the Bun Bo Hue, before I saw it. As I’ve noted, every version of Bun Bo Hue that I’ve had has been unique. Versions from Convoy Noodle House and Pho Hoa Hiep included a little dish of fermented shrimp paste and chili oil/paste. In the case of Pho Ca Dao, the shrimp paste and chilies are already in the broth, and I’m not complaining. All that I needed to add was a few squeezes of the lime that was included with the garnishes, to smooth out the flavors.

The garnishes with this Bun Bo Hue included shredded cabbage which I dip into the well flavored broth and ate. The mint added a touch of sweetness, and I even threw in couple of slices of Jalapeno to take the heat up a bit. This by far was the best Bun Bo Hue broth I’ve had thus far, the generous amount of spaghetti like noodles were also good, al dente, with a bit of "pull". The pork foot was totally inedible, just rubbery skin and bone, I enjoy a bit more meat. The well done beef was fine, though maybe bit too fatty. The tendon though, was again excellent.

I knew from the first sip of the broth(I always taste the broth before adding anything), that this was the best Bun Bo Hue I’ve had thus far. Spicy, rich broth, and a generous amount of noodles, made for a satisfying dish. Approach this dish with caution though, if you can’t tolerate spicy, or do not care for fermented shrimp/fish sauce, I would order something else.

Pho Ca Dao is worth a try, and the prices are in line with most other Pho restaurants. The portion sizes are good, I left full after each visit. Service is status quo, the norm for Pho restaurants. Thanks for the recommendation Jenne!

Pho Ca Dao
5223 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115