Song Huong Food to Go is another little Mom-and-Pop hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese Diner/Snack Shop located on the corner of Menlo Avenue and El Cajon Boulevard.
This intersection of ECB, must feed a heck of alot of people. A Chau and Minh Ky, are right across the street, and Song Huong shares the strip mall with Thien Thanh Restaurant. Which is how we came to eat at Song Huong. After a recent visit to Thien Thanh, the Missus walked on over to Song Huong to order an Avocado Shake(which she thought was good, BTW). She noticed the Young Lady working there, who turned out to be the Owner’s Sister eating a pretty large bowl of Bun Rieu. So a few days later we dropped by for a quick meal.
The interior of Song Huong is small, and spartan, with a mere six tables, and boxes of supplies, and a cooler, along with the requisite high bar counter taking up most of the space.
The large middle table is usually occupied by family and friends, either reading, eating, or on one occasion participating in a very lively game of cards.
Song Huong also boasts an interesting variety of Banh Mi, all priced at $1.99:
I’m still waiting for Ed from Yuma’s opinion on the Sardine Banh Mi!
One quick look at the menu, and you’ll make an interesting observation. Most items are under $4.99!
In the mood for something spicy I ordered the Bun Bo Hue, the Spicy Noodle soup($4.50) without blood. A plate of "garnishes" soon arrived at the table.
The plate of herbs and veggies varies for Bun Bo Hue varies from restaurant to restaurant, and this version included mint, tiet to(purple perilla), shredded cabbage, bean sprouts, basil, and lettuce. Pretty much a little bit of everything.
A few minutes later the noodle soup arrived.
Like the garnishes, Bun Bo Hue varies from restaurant to restaurant. For example, many restaurants will serve the Bun Bo Hue, as an almost clear broth with chili oil added for heat, and a bowl of fermented shrimp paste and chili paste on the side. Pho Hoa Hiep, and Convoy Noodle House serve their Bun Bo Hue in this manner. I prefer having all the flavorings already added and mixed into the broth, like Pho Ca Dao does. This was the latter version. The broth for this Bun Bo Hue was very straightforward and to the point, nice and spicy, but not very complex. The shrimp paste flavor was also quite muted. In what I found to be a unique touch, Lean Pork Sausage(Gio Lua) was added to the various cuts of meat in the soup. The meats(Thick cut beef, tendon, and some inedible pork parts) were not the best, most were tough and dry, but there was a heck of alot of noodles. The Bun Bo Hue succeeded in filling me up, and then some.
The Missus ordered the Bun Cha Gio Tom Nuong(Vermicelli with Egg Rolls and Shrimp – $4.50):
Like the Bun Bo Hue, this dish accomplished what it should. It really filled you up. The Cha Gio were stuffed with alot of pork, and the Missus poured two little bowls of Nuoc Mam Cham over the generous portion of noodles, and chowed it down. And left quite satisfied. Not quite the level of the Bun at Thien Thanh, but $1.50 cheaper.
A few days later, I decided to grab a Banh Mi, so I headed over to Song Huong, looked at the photos and placed my order for the Dac Biet(special). Now this is where I ran into a little miscommunication. This is the Banh Mi I received.
The bread was nicely toasted and had a combination of a crusty exterior, combined with doughy bread. I didn’t care for the tough cilantro twigs, but there was a good balance of pickled vegetables and cucumber. Beware the stealthy jalapeno, just when you don’t expect it, you’ll 
munch on a huge piece of jalapeno, hot enough to stop your heart. Of course, if you’re like Ed from Yuma, and driving while eating your Banh Mi……
What I thought was strange were the meats, which basically consisted of Char Siu, though there two types of Char Siu in the sandwich, pieces that were fatty, and looked like pork belly, and slices that were lean. I loved the thick "smear" of pate’, but didn’t care for the amount of mayo on my sandwich. But still, for $1.99, who’s going to complain.
Also, the Gentleman who took my order was neither the person who I believe is the Owner, nor the tiny Young Lady who speaks perfect English. Or maybe it was just the "Dac Biet" du jour?
Undeterred, I arrived back at Song Huong a few days later, and ordered the Banh Mi Dac Biet again($1.99). And this is what I got on this occasion.
So it was basically the same sandwich as before, but without the mayo, and this time with Gio Lua? Damn good sandwich, whatever it is. One thing I did notice; you should eat these ASAP, the bread goes downhill very quickly. Also, these are not the super long K Sandwiches style Banh Mi, but I think they have much more flavor.
One last thing, when ordering, grab one of the plastic menus, you’ll find that the numbers on the display, do not correspond with the numbers on the menu. Recently, I ordered some Buon Cuon($4.99) to go, using the numbers off the board, when I got to my destination I was shocked to find Bun Thit Nuong(Vermicelli with BBQ Pork)! Sorry no camera, but it wasn’t too bad, just not what I intended to order.
Song Huong opens at 6am in the morning for coffee and drinks, but the kitchen doesn’t get going until 730 or so. I think I’ll drop by one morning for the Scrambled Egg Banh Mi.
The folks are quite nice, though as mentioned above the are some communication issues, and other "quirks". Of course, if you speak Vietnamese, you’ll have no trouble. Song Huong is a well priced, take-out joint, so if you’re a bit low on cash…….and in the area, you can always grab a Sardine Banh Mi for two bucks!
One quick note: As with many parking lots in the area; it can be hell! I’ve been blocked in twice in this particular lot, and had to go from shop to shop to find the driver of the car that blocked me in.
Song Huong Food to Go
4650 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115