*** Nhu Y is now Com Tam Thuan Kieu you can find an updated post here.
A few months back "Larry" commented on my post on Saigon Restaurant, and mentioned a few interesting dishes, one of which I've heard of, one which I'd never heard of, both of which I'd never tried. He mentioned eating these dishes at Nhu Y' Restaurant. On a recent quite warm afternoon, I asked the Missus what she'd like to eat. When she mentioned Vietnamese, I jumped on it! Mexican Food and Vietnamese Food are not among the Missus's favorites, so when She is in the mood for it, I really do try to take advantage of the opportunity.
Nhu Y' fronts the same very busy strip mall that contains Kim Chan Sandwich Shop. We had been to Nhu Y' a few times, but mainly for Durian or other drinks served there.
We'd always noticed that the clean but spartan dining room was never full, but that a few tables were always occupied. And this afternoon was no exception.
A serious Older Gentleman brought us our menus, which as is the norm, was quite large.
We started with the usual Cha Gio(Egg Rolls – $4.50):
These wonderfully crisp Cha Gio were served with the usual lettuce leaf, mint, and in this case Tiet To, the purple Perilla (Akajiso) minty flavored herb. The egg rolls were generously filled, though we thought the Nuoc Mam Cham was a bit on the sweet side. The Cha Gio were also fried very well, they were not oily in the slightest bit.
Due to the warm weather, the Missus decided on the Bun Chao Tom Cha Gio(Rice Vermicelli with Shrimp & Spring Rolls – $5.95):
Yes, more Egg Rolls! The Missus also was a bit disappointed with the shrimp. Instead of the "BBQ Shrimp" in the menu, she received "Shrimp Cake". Again, the Nuoc Mam Cham provided was a bit on the sweet side, and this dish tasted very routine, though the vermicelli had the perfect amount of pull and chew for our tastes.
I on the other hand was somewhat obsessed with the "Dac Biet" portion of the menu:
And there I saw it; "Bun Mam". Now I had heard about Bun Mam; someone had told me that it was a fermented fish or fermented shrimp based spicy broth. So when Larry mentioned Bun Mam at Nhu Y', I knew I had to try it. So of course I ordered it ($6.95). The first item to arrive was the mixed greens, much like I get for Bun Bo Hue. The one thing that kind of turned us off, was that some of the mint leaves were very brown and wilted. All the other garnishes were fine.
A dish of "Bun" also arrived. A thicker version of the Rice Vermicelli, also similar to the noodles in Bun Bo Hue. And soon enough the large bowl of soup, with a dark colored broth arrived.
One thing gave me pause; it was the cross cut slices of Catfish. Those that know me, understand that I rarely get catfish, I can't stand the muddy flavor of many fresh water fish. When I had ordered this, the Gentleman had told me there was Eggplant, pork, and "fishies", in the sauce. I had thought He was warning me about the fermented fish used in this dish, but I guess I was wrong. First off, the broth was rich, a touch sweet, salty, and slightly spicy. Yes, it was very "pungent", but I enjoyed it. The Missus didn't enjoy the broth on the first try. But a few minutes later she tried a sip again, and said, "it's pretty good, a little spicy, and rich." Amazingly, I enjoyed the catfish, no muddy flavor(probably due to the strong flavor of the broth), and very tender. Watch for those bones, though. The Eggplant was nice and tender; but my favorite part of the soup was this:
Yep, it a nice thin slice of fatty pork belly. Not "the other white meat" pork, but full flavored pork belly. Good stuff! Not quite knowing what to do, and seeing that the soup bowl was quite full, and that we were given two bowls(The serious Gentleman, was now smiling, I guess He enjoyed seeing that we really enjoyed ourselves), I put veggies in the bottom, some noodles, and then some broth, and ate it all up. Usually, I'd do the "dip" thing for the noodles, and pile the garnishes into the bowl; but it was ponderously filled. This was good stuff; highly recommended, if you don't mind a bit spicy, and slightly fishy. I told Ed from Yuma that He'd love this.
I recently revisited Nhu Y' alone. And the first thing the Gentleman asked me was, "Where is your pretty Lady?" I told Him She had to work, so it was just a solo visit. I asked Him for a recommendation, and he pointed to the Bun Cha Ha Noi($5.95). Such a coincidence, since this was the other dish that Larry recommended. It is also a favorite of Noodlepie. This quite large platter arrived:
Though the vegetable and herb garnishes are much different from the versions I've read about in Vietnam, and Nuoc Mam Cham is used instead of broth, this was a very flavorful and satisfying dish.
Two types of meat was provided; sliced BBQ Pork, and meatballs:
The BBQ pork was nice and tender, slightly charred, but a bit under flavored/marinated for my tastes, though the ground peanuts were a nice touch. The grilled meatball was good, meaty, not too tough, slightly charred, with a slightly peppery beefy flavor.
The drill started out with me grabbing a few leaves placing some Bun, garnishes, and meat; dipping in the Nuoc Mam, and so forth. It evolved to me making lettuce rolls, and eventually, finishing everything up mixed in a bowl.
Pretty darn good for about 6 bucks, eh? As I left, one of the Guys asked me "Are you sure, you don't need to get something for your wife?" Once you get past the serious and stoic front; pretty nice folks. Here's another post on Bun Cha.
Nhu Y Restaurant
4712 El Cajon Blvd Ste A
San Diego, CA 92115
Open 730am – 9pm, 7 Days a Week
Thanks for the recommendation Larry!