During a recent dinner with Cathy and Ed from Yuma (we missed you Tina!), Cathy mentioned that a Pho shop had opened in place of the former Fusion Tea and Boba place, which I understood made some pretty good Boba, but I was never a big fan of the food. I recently had a pretty long day, and found myself in the area one evening, so I decided to check it out.
When I saw the sign, and read the "welcome back" message, I had to chuckle. I guess Madonna's not the only one reinventing themselves. Boba and snack shop not doing well….. go with the Pho. It's now called Pho Fusion…. which if you mispronounce it, could be Pho Pho-sion, or Fu-Fu sion. Some newer furniture, and nice coat of paint, and a menu featuring more mainstream Vietnamese dishes, and Pho Fusion is born.
There are still most, if not all the various slushies and Boba drinks, and a few of the older dishes are still around, but the menu features Pho, Bun, and Com (rice) dishes.
A regular bowl of Pho will set you back $5.49, with a larger bowl going for $6.29. I ordered the #15 brisket, flank, tendon, marbled flank, and crunchy flank (which is basically the thick and chewy connective tissue pieces of flank).
The garnishes were on the skimpy side, but very fresh. The bowl was fairly small as well.
I was ready to be underwhelmed, and yet, the broth was pretty good. Nice anise tones, light beef flavor, it wasn't bad. I also thought of my FOY, and fellow food blogger Dennis, who wants to Nuoc Beo everything in sight. This is one bowl that could make good use of some rendered beef tallow to add richness and oil, as it was very light. The various cuts of meat need some work, as the flank cuts were pretty dry and bland, though the tendon was decent if not quite done the way I prefer. This turned out to be a rather pleasant surprise……..
I used to grab a snack at the old Fusion once in a while, even if I didn't care for most of what they served. The folks were always very nice to me, friendly and helpful, and sometimes that's all you need. The one dish that seemed to get better with time was the Popcorn Chicken ($3.99).
Or maybe I just changed….. Basically pieces of dark meat chicken, in what seems like a corn starch based batter, served with a mildly spicy mayo… or if you want to be fancy, an "aioli". When good, it's crisp and hot. When bad, it's crumbly and bland. It also doesn't hold up for very long. It's not overly salty, and I do wish there was something more going on; perhaps garlic tones, or some sweetness, but hey, it's fried chicken.
Today it did just fine.
I was perfectly happy with my meal, and as always the folks here have always been pleasant. I was thinking that maybe I'd try the Banh Mi here again….. well, maybe not, but who knows.
Right now there's a Grand Opening, or perhaps it should be a sorta Grand re-opening special with free drinks with your meal.
Pho Fusion
8038 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111