March 2006 – mmm-yoso

Road Trip: Hong Kong Market – Rowland Heights(LA), A Trip to the Old Neighborhood

March 29, 2006 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers

We made our way to Hong Kong Plaza in Rowland Heights after deciding to stick around LA after our dinner at Sushi Gen. We marveled at all the "new" buildings and restaurants in the area. As we drove around all those street names; Colima, Nogales, Hacienda, Gale, brought back memories of the almost 5 years we lived in the area. During that period we lived within walking distance of Hong Kong Plaza, and shopped regularly at Hong Kong Supermarket.

The first thing that struck us were all the new restaurants and businesses that we hadn’t noticed on our previous visits. When we lived right down the street Hong Kong Plaza could have best been described as a bit worn, dirty, and a bit seedy looking. In the years since, efforts have been made to clean up, with somewhat mixed results. Hong Kong Supermarket has been totally renovated though, and is no longer as "fragrant", nor as dirty looking.

A couple of things hadn’t changed though, and one of them is the terribly rude service. Ah, don’t you just love consistency! The Market was humming, even at almost 9 pm! We really couldn’t remember seeing it this busy so late in the evening. In fact, the entire mall was almost completely full.

We headed for the snack aisle, and the Missus made several selections.

One thing I do miss from the "older" version of Hong Kong Market, are the fresh deli items. The Market used to have good smoked duck and chicken, and the best Dao Ko Chicken I’ve ever had, all made in-house. These have been replaced.

What I find interesting about Asian Markets is the availability of both packaged meat:

As well as a meat counter, I guess they want to cover all bases.

And requisite fresh seafood department.

What caught our attention is an aisle marked as "Gourmet Chinese", of course we had to check it out. XO sauce flavored items seem to be in fashion.

As well as about eight brands of XO Sauce.

And other "stuff".

For some reason, I get a bit paranoid around all the fermented tofu. All it would take would be a single cracked jar….and you get the picture, right?

Can you see the Missus flagging me down with a bag of garlic?

There’s a reason for that. Here’s a good example of prices in Los Angeles.

Sheesh, just 49 cents for a whole bag of garlic!

After making our purchases, we headed to our favorite places. The Missus went over to the "Jerky" stand.

The Lady here is always very nice, and it is also one of the few places that gets an ‘A’ grade in the whole plaza!

The Missus always gets a nice variety.

Meanwhile, I was across the hall at Yi-Mei Deli.

I have great memories, of grabbing the steamed buns for breakfast. You’d pay and the Lady would heat them up, and you’d have a nice breakfast.

I grabbed several pork and a couple of mushroom and meat. I did notice that the price of these had gone up from 75 cents to a dollar since I last visited, but it’s still good cheap eats. And somebody has to pay for the ‘B’ restaurant grade, the last time I was here, they had gotten a ‘C’ – just kidding of course!

Looks like Hong Kong Plaza is doing well. We’re planning on several meals in the area in the near future. For another example of good cheap eats in the plaza, check out Elmo’s post on Hong Kong Fishball House.

Hong Kong Supermarket/Hong Kong Plaza
18414 Colima Rd
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

Pho’ Lucky

March 28, 2006 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

During my visit to Lucky Seafood Supermarket, I noticed the adjoining restaurant.

And so I made my way to Lucky Pho' during a recent weekend. The dining area is fairly large and there is pretty good spacing in the wide open dining room.

I was seated very quickly; and on this visit was handed a menu, and the Gentleman stood pen and pad ready for my order. I hadn't even opened the menu yet, yet he stood there with an deadpan inscrutable look on his face, ready for my order. Ooookay! Two can play this game! I slowly opened and glanced through the menu, and took my time. And placed my order, the #1 Pho Dac Biet(Large Bowl – $4.75):

Everything arrived within minutes, and at the same time; my garnish, tea, and Pho. The amount of garnish was adequate, not the most I've ever had, and not a skimpy amount. Ngo Gai was also provided. I've started trying to really "taste" my Pho' broth, so instead of adding all my garnishes, I always taste the broth. In this case I kept slurping spoonful after spoonful, and made myself stop. The slightly dark broth was very hearty, but not rich or oily, but I could make out hints of clove, anise, and what almost tasted like cinnamon. I must say that I really enjoyed the broth. After adding the basil, Ngo Gai, bean sprouts, and peppers, I started working on the rest of the bowl. The portion of meat provided was adequate, though short on tripe. The fat on the brisket was on the tough side, though the meat itself had good flavor. The rare steak was okay, and the tendon had some overly tough, and crunchy parts.

The noodles were a perfect al' dente, slightly chewy, with a nice "pull" to them, and was in a "loose" clump in the bottom of the bowl, which is an improvement over the tight clump of noodles that is the standard at most places. I must say I really enjoyed this bowl of Pho'; the flavor was really "to my taste". Some may enjoy a light, "refreshing" Pho', some may enjoy a broth heavier in oil, or maybe a very rich dark beefy broth, this bowl was to my taste.

I returned recently with My Buddy Jack, for a quick lunch. Jack had Pho', but I ordered something I saw someone else eating during my last visit; the Beef Stew($4.50):

The beef stew was served in a small bowl with a baguette. The beef stew may scare some people off, since there is a layer of oil lying on top of the "broth". The portion size may seem small, but there was enough fork tender and moist meat, combined with the very rich anise and curry like broth. The meat was not overly fatty, and not inner-tube tough like version I've had in other restaurants.

The cilantro and onions helped cut through the oil, though I'd really have enjoyed some lime and mint; I think I'll see if I can get some next time. Though this seemed like a small dish, the combination of bread and meat did the job of filling me up.

On this visit, the service was completely normal. We weren't rushed to order, and were provided with as much time as we wanted. Jack must really have scared them!!!

I really enjoyed the Pho' here, and will be sure to have it again in the near future. Good prices, good broth are a nice combination!

Some notes: It gets really crowded here on the weekend. And as noted service can be somewhat abrupt at times.

Lucky Pho' in Lucky Seafood Supermarket
9326 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Ooops, I almost forgot – thanks to "Minote" for the initial recommendation!

Lucky Seafood Supermarket/Express Deli

March 27, 2006 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Markets & Grocers, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

Lucky Seafood Supermarket is the very popular Vietnamese Supermarket on Mira Mesa Boulevard.

Once you enter the Market, even though Lucky Seafood is clean and the aroma is kind of kept to a minimum, there is no way you’d confuse Lucky Seafood with the now defunct Lucky Supermarket chain! Maybe the produce department from this view looks just like any other.

But once you look a little closer…..well I don’t think you’d find Ngo Gai(sawleaf herb) in one of those Supermarkets.

As with many of these Supermarkets, there is a good variety of produce, from plantains:

To purple sweet potatoes:

Though the interior of these sweet potatoes reminded me of "Okinawan Sweet Potatoes" back home in Hawaii, they were much larger in size, and not as "sweet".

As with World Foods, or Vien Dong III Supermarket, the meat and seafood section occupies the entire rear section of the market.

Today, there was a small crowd gathered around the fish tanks, for the free show called; The Fishmonger versus the Carp. It seemed that the Carp had the upper hand at times, but eventually the Fishmonger prevailed.

After watching all of the splashing, you’ll know that the warning sign is for! As I turned to look at the various relatively fresh fish, I noticed some really nice looking "Uhu", also known as Parrotfish, which I really haven’t seen in a while.

All of the usual suspects were in view; from the wall of fish sauce:

And the aisle of noodles:

Now what was I doing wandering around Lucky Seafood? Well, it’s because of this:

Express Deli, is the not so little Take-out operation located in Lucky Seafood. And with everything from Spring Rolls, to Salt and Pepper Shrimp, to Fried Fish, to Stewed Pig’s feet, there was quite a nice variety of Vietnamese and Chinese-style food available. You can purchase items ala carte or get a 2 item combination plate(with starch) for $3.89, or a 3 item combination for $4.89. But today I opted for the Banh Mi which Express Deli also makes.

I ordered the Banh Mi Thit Ngoui($2.25) and a BBQ Pork Banh Mi ($2.25). The Thit Ngoui, basically a lean pork sausage and "head" sausage sandwich:

I saw them place the sandwich in a toaster, and that created a nice crisp crust, though the bread was kind of soggy and gummy. There was a nice smear of pate’, just enough for a nice balanced flavor. There was also a good amount of "pickles", in fact, just about the most pickled veggies I’ve had. Two slices of Jalapeno added some nice heat; though I’d have enjoyed a single thin long cut so the heat would be spread through every bite, much like the cucumber spear. The cilantro had stems which were tough, and you couldn’t help but pull out all the cilantro when you bit into the sandwich. The sandwich was a bit skimpy on the meat for my taste, the slices were almost paper thin. Still, not bad for $2.25.

The BBQ Pork sandwich was basically more of the same:

This 8 inch sandwich did have a good amount of soy-fish sauce-sugar flavored pork, though there were several really tough pieces of inedible fat in the sandwich. Still, a decent Banh Mi, and it’s really hard to complain for a sandwich that costs two-bucks-and-a-quarter!

The Young Lady who manned the cash register, as well as the one who assembled my sandwich were very nice, smiling, and both apologizing for having to wait for a sandwich.

So, you can get some good looking deli food, shop in a clean "environment"(if that kind of stuff bothers you), and wait; it’s not over yet! Check out this sign and you’ll know what’s coming up next:

Lucky Seafood Supermarket
9326 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

As I ate my Banh Mi, I couldn’t help but laugh. I’d mentioned Lucky Seafood to someone, who wrinkled Her nose, and said: "that place is so gross, they even have live fish that they catch and clean and chop up, and all of that kind of stuff in that place." She had entered the place thinking that this was one of the other "Lucky’s" Supermarket. I was going to ask her if she knew that fish didn’t live in the wild in filet form, or in cans…..but I held my tongue! Imagine a beautiful school of salmon filets………

Road Trip: Sushi Gen – Little Tokyo(LA)

March 26, 2006 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Sushi and Sashimi

I’m going to make this a short post, because the photos speak for themselves, and I’m quite "bushed". We took a drive to Los Angeles last night for the Missus’s "sushi-fix". Though San Diego has quite good sushi, the Missus will only eat sushi in LA. So we drove to Little Tokyo and quickly headed to our usual sushi destination in Little Tokyo; Sushi Komasa. Sushi Komasa gets very little publicity because it’s really just a good old fashioned sushi bar. But today, as we stood waiting for the 530pm opening, a Young Man came out and told us that there was a water pipe problem within the restaurant, so we had to head elsewhere to eat. Since I’ve heard some really good things about the prices and quality of fish at Sushi Gen, we took the short walk over to Honda Plaza and walked into Sushi Gen.

It was 535pm and the place was almost full, we were able to get one of the few remaining tables. The scene was controlled chaos, there seemed to be as many Employees as customers! In fact, I’ve never seen as many Itamae(Sushi Chefs), at least 8 of them! We quickly scanned the menu and the Missus ordered Her Nigiri and Makezushi by indicating amounts on the "order sheet." I had my sights on something else.

The Missus and I watched the Servers flying back and forth delivering good looking food, and making remarks like, "Hey, maybe I shoulda’ ordered some tempura." And soon enough the Missus sushi arrived:

The Missus loves Albacore Nigiri, I’ve even seen her eat 6 orders of it in one sitting. She bit into the first one and…..not even a change in expression. So I had a piece of the Hamachi, and though the fish was good, the rice was very, very dry, and not even a taste of any "awase-zu" or vinegar flavoring. Also, there was much too much wasabi, taking away from the wonderful silkiness of the Hamachi. You must realize that I use no Wasabi, and just a drop of Shoyu with my Sushi, and it still overpowered the Nigiri. That said, all of the fish was of excellent quality.

Still, good quality fish, though not my favorite preparation.

When my dish arrived, my heart skipped a beat:

I had ordered the Deluxe Sashimi that cost $30, and worth every cent. The fish was so fresh, and of good quality. Not a loser in the bunch, and the Missus loved the little piece of Mirugai! The two items that really ranked the lowest were the "spicy tuna" and "negi-hama", I couldn’t help but compare them to poke, which to my tastes they could never measure up to. I could go on ad nauseum, about the melt in your mouth toro, and the rich and smooth hamachi, but I think the photo speaks for itself.

I’d say, that this was the best sashimi I’ve had in a while, and even the Missus(we shared everything) who doesn’t care for Toro was amazed at how good it was. Perhaps not a decadent as my Live-Uni Meal nor as interesting as our Maguro Yamakake – Aji – Shiokara meal at Izakaya Sakura, this was still a very delici-yoso!!!

Our total bill came out to a very reasonable $70, and I was sooooooo very happy! I think we’ll go to Komasa for our sushi and a more laid-back vibe, and stick with the sashimi, and other items at Sushi Gen. The atmosphere at Sushi Gen on this night was a bit rushed, and there was a line out the door of people waiting for tables, I guess they know a good thing……

Sushi Gen
422 E 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90012

We took our time strolling back to our car, and wandered through various shops, and the "new" Nijiya Market which replaced Enbun Market. We always walk through Yamazaki Bakery, and sometimes grab something small.

And though the Young Lady serving us was rather rude (she looked like she had a long day, and couldn’t wait to close up), I pointed out something to the Missus that she just had to get:

It’s a fruit tart ($1.10). But you know why she had to get it, right?

Yamazaki Bakery
123 Japanese Village Plaza Mall
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Under Pressure: Lamb Stew Experiment

March 25, 2006 mmm-yoso Cooking

Our "brand new" pressure cooker, is not so brand new anymore and has been sitting around since December. Every time I’ve thought to use it, my exploding pressure cooker phobia takes over. But it had gotten to the point where the Missus finally told me "use it or get rid of it since it’s just taking up space!" It just so happened that She was craving Lamb Stew, so seizing upon the opportunity to justify keeping the beast, we thought that we should give the pressure cooker a shot. After all, Lamb Stew in a half-hour? No way!

Since this was an experiment, I decided to go the budget route, and ran to Costco and found the smallest boneless leg of lamb, about 3 1/2 pounds, trimmed off most of the fat, and cut it into cubes. For those interested, here’s our "recipe":

The Pressure Cooker Lamb Stew Experiment
3 1/2lbs Boneless Leg of Lamb cut into 1 1/2" cubes
2/3 cup Red Wine
2 Tb Tomato Paste
4 cloves Garlic
1 1/2 Onion Quartered
1/2 onion sliced
2 Bay Leaves
1 Bottle Guinness
3 large Carrots chopped into large pieces
4 Russet Potatoes
1 cup Celery chopped
2 Tb Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tsp Dried Thyme
1 Tsp Salt
Black Pepper to taste
Cilantro for garnish
1 Tb Canola Oil

1 – Heat oil and stir in sliced onions and garlic, and stir over medium heat until translucent.

2 – Add Red Wine, Balsamic Vinegar, Bay Leaves, and Tomato Paste, stirring to combine, until liquid is reduced .

3 – Add beer, thyme, salt, and pepper.

4 – When liquid returns to a boil add lamb and mix.

5 – When lamb is browned, add vegetables, and lock pressure cooker lid into place. Bring cooker to high pressure over high heat, then reduce heat to maintain high pressure. A quick observation here; for all of the ridicule the Missus gives me regarding my "Pressure Cooker Phobia", as soon as I locked that lid into place, She (and the Boyz) were no where to be found.

6 – Cook for 15 minutes, then remove from heat, and let sit for 10 minutes. Release pressure and open lid. Adjust salt and pepper if necessary.

7 – Serve with Cilantro for garnish.

The result? Very tender, though not as "gamy" as the Missus would’ve liked, also too much Thyme. Next time I’ll cook the lamb under pressure first(for a shorter amount of time), then after using the pressure cooker I’ll move the meat and broth to another pot and combine with the vegetables – all of the onion and celery had disintegrated, and the potato and carrot were too soft, but the flavor of the broth was excellent. I’m also getting the book "Pressure Perfect" by Lorna Sass to use as a guide.

Here’s Sammy and Frankie waiting to see if "Daddy" was going to "blow-up":

Sorry Boyz, maybe next time……

Ko Hayang Jip Part II

March 23, 2006 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

*** Update: Ko Hayang Jip is now Go Ba Woo, but the menu and the food seems to be the same.

We were mulling over heating up our leftovers from our previous night’s meal at Ko Hayang Jip, when we decided that it would be to our benefit to gather even more leftovers….. So we found ourselves back at Ko Hayang Jip. We had made mental notes of a few items that we wanted to try, and so placed our order. Being a real Mom-and-Pop operation, the Lady who I’m assuming is the Owner, recognized us immediately. Also, I don’t think they get very many non-Korean customers. As with the night before we were given 8 plates of panchan.

No lotus root this time; but at least we got the green peppers, I don’t know the Korean name for this, but we call it Shishito Peppers. Makes a really good panchan.

I also enjoy the potato salad. This version has quite a bit of boiled egg in it; but very creamy and rich tasting.

The Missus ordered the Spicy Beef Soup($8.50):

The broth was similar to a slightly beefy and not as spicy jjigae style broth, very velvety in texture, and not as spicy as it looked. A boiled egg, gosari(fiddlehead fern), dangmyeon (sweet potato starch noodles), and a few thin strips of beef stood out. The Missus thoroughly enjoyed Her soup, though she’s not a big fan of the Korean style "mixed"(black and short grain) rice that is served here. She even asked for white rice, but was told that they only serve this type of rice here. Also, she was told "it’s good for you".

I ordered the Dol Sot BiBimBap($10.50):

This version was served on a hot cast iron plate, with a small portion of bulgogi, mung bean sprouts, shiitake mushrooms, and other vegetables, all topped with a sunny side up egg. We both thought the portion size was quite small, and the overall taste was pretty much on the bland side; I ended up using up the entire dish of Gochujang provided. I much rather have my BiBimBap served in a hot stone bowl which forms a really nice crust; we weren’t too impressed with this.

Overall, Ko Hayang Jip provides a pretty good alternative to all the other Korean Restaurants in town. The ingredients are fresh, the prices in line, if not a bit more inexpensive, and I also noticed that except for the Mandu, all the dishes were not oily at all.

We didn’t have the chance to try the Korean BBQ at Ko Hayang Jip, but Calvin was kind enough to provide a photo for our viewing enjoyment:

Ko Hayang Jip Part I

March 22, 2006 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

*** Update: Ko Hayang Jip is now Go Ba Woo, but the menu and the food seems to be the same.

One of the really nice things about having a food blog are the recommendations that I get. Recently, I received an Email from Calvin informing me that a new Korean Restaurant had opened on Convoy St. Having exchanged Emails with Calvin in the past, I knew Him to be a very knowledgeable and credible source. So on a recent wet and cold evening we made our way to Ko Hayang Jip (aka Ko Hyung Jip).

The interior of this Mom-and-Pop restaurant was small, yet somewhat "cozy."

Looking at the cover of the menu, I had to laugh at the Homer Simpson-Dilbert looking character on the cover.

After looking over the menu, we placed our order. And then the panchan began to arrive, 8 plates all told.

The panchan consisted of many of the usual suspects such as moo(daikon), namul( marinated bean sprouts), and baechu(napa cabbage) kimchee. But there were also a few items that I hadn’t seen before.

The hit of the evening were the marinated lotus root with a slightly sweet-soy sauce-light sesame oil flavor and in spite of being marinated, the lotus root was still quite crunchy.

We started with the Gum Mandu($6.95):

The Mandu were really not very good, oily, bland filling, and the wrappers hard and thin. They reminded me of the frozen gyoza that you buy at Nijiya. The Jap Chae($8.50) arrived next. At first I was disappointed at the small portion size. But the Jap Chae was pretty good, and not oily in the least bit.

Even though the signage says Ko Hayang Jip features Korean Barbeque, we saw something on the menu which we haven’t had since we moved from Los Angeles. Black Goat Casserole (Black Goat Meat w/Vegetables and Broth) for Two($28.50). A portable stove was brought out, and a wide pot was brought out and placed on it.

Once bubbling, we mixed the greens into the broth, and starting eating. The broth was very warming and spicy, but not as spicy as it looked. There were chunks of slighly gamey, but not too fatty goat meat, onions, and other veggies in the broth. The greens were crunchy with a slight peppery bitterness that cut through any heat that the broth had. So hearty, healthy, and delici-yoso!!! Served along with "Black Rice" this was more then enough food for us, and we had quite a bit left over for lunch!

So good, on a cold and rainy night. Coincidentally, that night I received an Email from Calvin regarding Ko Hayang Jip. Here’s what he wrote about the Korean Barbecue:

"We got the standard bulgogi, which they cooked at the table on a hot iron griddle and later kept moist with broth. I also got the chicken bulgogi variant, which came on a platter pre-cooked. Both were a tad underflavored compared to Boocho, but tender and yummy."

Thanks for the recommendation Calvin!

We knew we’d be back soon, but didn’t realize it would be the following night!

To Be Continued………..

Ko Hayang Jip
4373 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Porkyland

March 20, 2006 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

With a name like Porkyland, well…..the food better be good! Located in Barrio Logan(and also La Jolla – go figure!), on the corner of Logan Avenue and Sampson Street, and right down the block from the landmark that many consider to be the "heart" of San Diego’s Latino Community, the colorful Chicano Park, resides Porkyland Restaurant and Tortilla Factory.

Once in Porkyland (The Happiest Place on the Planet?), you’ll notice that the kitchen area takes up over half of Porkyland’s space. The menu is limited, but still has a pretty good variety of the "usual suspects."

I did have my mind made up, and with the help of the very friendly Young Lady, I placed my order. I originally ordered a pound of Carnitas, but the Young Lady, told me that for $8.99, I could get the "Carnitas Special." Which consists of a pound of carnitas, fresh tortillas, beans, cilantro, and onions. this being a mere 50 cents more then the price for a pound of carnitas she won me over. Of course, she then had to ask me, with a giggle, if I’d be eating this here! I think she was joking………

For those who are used to the roasted then deep fried, greasy, and salty carnitas; these will surprise you. These carnitas are very tender, and the flavor is slightly smokey; rich, yet not greasy or overly salty in the slightest. Though the carnitas at Carnitas Michoacan have a much more assertive flavor, these are soft and mild, yet you know you are eating "oink".

I usually chose not to "defile" good carnitas with too many "accouterments", and prefer just some onions, cilantro, and a good hot sauce, on one of the steaming hot fresh tortillas. Delici-yoso!!!

The fresh tortillas were decent, with slight elasticity, and not brittle in the least. But not even close to those I had in Yuma, which had a nice rich corn flavor. The beans were good, slightly chunky, and not too salty or greasy.

Price wise, this was a bargain, about a dozen fresh and hot tortillas, a pound of carnitas, a container of beans, for $8.99. Enough for the four of us (Me, the Missus, Sammy, and Frankie), with a bit leftover.

The menu at Porkyland also features Rolled Tacos, Carne Asada, and even Salads(at Porkyland!!!), by if you make the effort to get there, you might as well get at least a Carnitas Burrito!

Porkyland Restaurant
2196 Logan Ave
San Diego, CA 92113

Pho Viet Cali

March 19, 2006 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Pho, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Pho Viet Cali has closed

Ok, let's see we got Pho' Hoa Cali, Pho T Cali, just plain Pho' Cali, and now here's Pho' Viet Cali! What we actually have here is a whole lotta' confusion. So much confusion, that I really don't even remember what brought me back to this Mira Mesa Strip Mall. But like Ed from Yuma says(I'm paraphrasing, of course), "I can't remember very much from a month ago, but I remember just about every meal I've had in the last 10 years!" It helps that I carry my handy-dandy camera around as well.

Viet Cali is located right next to Sorrento European Bakery, and the Plaza Sorrento Food Court that Amarin Thai is in. The interior of Viet Cali is what I call generic "Formica Pho' in design. Clean tile floors, generic tables with "numbers", large "bar", that is used as a counter, and of course the requisite cash register counter. And like many of these types of restaurants Viet Cali is alot smaller then it looks like from the outside.

Despite the seemingly generic beginning, Viet Cali was the scene of a first for me. The first time I've ever paid more than 6 bucks for a bowl of Pho'. Yep the Large Pho Dac Biet (combination), was $6.15. But first here's the garnishes:

Pretty skimpy, and no Ngo Ngai, only 2 slices of Jalapeno. The Pho' arrived piping hot, topped with a good amount of green onions and cilantro. The broth was very much the generic broth, and nothing in the flavor of the broth stood out. The most interesting item in the Pho' were the presence of "meatballs" which were nice and "meaty". The rare steak (6 slices) were also quite quite tender and not in the least bit dry. I did think that this was probably the largest amount of "meat" I've had in any bowl of Pho' to date. Check out the "clump" of tripe:

Unfortunately two of my favorite "cuts", the brisket and tendon, were pretty scarce. Speaking of clump; as I am finding is pretty much the norm, the noodles were located in a large solid clump in the bottom of the bowl.

Luckily they weren't cold, and still had a very nice "pull" to them. Though this is a pretty expensive bowl of Pho', there is a bit more meat then the usual bowl, and I enjoyed the meatballs. But other then that, the broth, noodles, and overall flavor didn't set this bowl above those bowls of Pho' over a dollar cheaper right down the road in Mira Mesa.

I also noticed that I was the only Asian eating in the dining area, but many Asians dropped by to pick-up take-out orders, consisting of mostly Banh Mi. This past Saturday, I had a pretty late start, and all of the places I wanted to eat at on Mira Mesa Boulevard were either filled, or had people waiting outside. So I decided to grab a Banh Mi at Viet Cali. I choose the Banh Mi Thit Nguoi, at $2.95, it was a bit more expensive then the sandwiches I've had in the past.

On the positive side; the bread was nice and crusty, and the pate, head cheese, and pork sausage was fine. Also, the cilantro in the sandwich consisted of mostly leaves and thin stems removing the irritating "stringy" and tough texture. On the negative, there was a large slather of mayo on the bottom of the sandwich which overpowered all the other flavors. The portion of pickles was very small to render them inconsequential, ditto for the cucumbers, not only affecting taste, but texture as well. I also lamented the lack of hot chilies in the sandwich. The sandwich was also on the small side, about 7 inches long.

This Banh Mi was not bad, but the version at Kim Chan was much better. And about $1 cheaper.

Pho' Viet Cali
6755 Mira Mesa Blvd. #113
San Diego, CA 92121

Hours – Mon-Sat 830am-9pm
Closed on Sunday

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

March 17, 2006 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

Whew, it’s been a long week, and I’ve been under the weather a bit. I’ll try to catch up next week. But this is about as close as I’ll get to Saint Patrick’s goodies tonight!

It’s probably for the best. St Patrick’s is probably the worst day to get a decent pint, with all of the crowds, and this year the rain as well. Of course, this doesn’t mean that I’m not prepared to do some celebrating at home!

Yes, I know that Tetley’s really doesn’t qualify, but it’s one of the few beers that the Missus thinks even tastes decent. I also need to apologize to Howie from A Foodie’s Eye View. I’d meant to link the St. Patrick’s Day Recipes blog entry from his Recipe Search Engine. Su-Mi-Ma-Sen Howie-san; still I think anytime’s a good time for a Boxty, right?

Best wishes for a Happy and Safe Saint Paddy’s Day!