*** Both of these restaurants have closed
There's an unwritten "law of Pho" that I've heard more than a few times, "one should never have said bowl of beef noodle soup, in a restaurant without Pho in it's name." It's an edict that I've kinda bought into, but still there's that small grain of doubt, that perhaps the saying isn't true, and I could be missing out on a great bowl of Pho…. in a restaurant without Pho in it's name. Really now, I've had terrible bowls in restaurants with Pho clearly written in it's name and flashing in neon lights….
Well, this Urban, or perhaps un-urbane legend was put to the test over the last couple of weeks as I had had a couple of bowls at two shops without Pho in their name. Coincidentally, both shops were on the same street…. Miramar Road.
First, it's Vietnamese Cuisine:
Yes, really, that's the name of the place Vietnamese Cuisine.
For a place with a name that covers a lot of territory, Vietnam is 127,244 square miles, the menu, not surprisingly consists of the usual suspects; Pho, Bun, Spring Rolls… the rice dishes include the basic grilled pork, grilled chicken, etc, etc….
If anything, the interior is even more generic…. I'm sure this was some kind of steam table fast food joint in it's past.
As I walked up to the counter to order, the young lady sitting there was engrossed in that task which separates us from those like Sammy and Frankie, who have no thumbs…. she was busy texting. I managed to get her attention, and placed my order.
Which ended up being the Pho Dac Biet ($6.25).
The woman who brought out the very fresh bean sprouts and basil was very nice. I rarely order rare steak, mainly for the reason I didn't like it here. Tough, and basically dry. The other cuts of meat were pretty scarce as well. The noodles were in the standard issue clump, but weren't overcooked. The broth was pretty weak and cloudy…. no scent of anise, cloves, or even beef in this one.
In the end, I was glad I didn't order a large bowl.
Vietnamese Cuisine
6780 Miramar Rd #104
San Diego, CA 92121
Then it's Seafood Island:
Which I've posted on before. Recently though, a food FOY (Friend of Yoso) who shall go unnamed, said he really enjoyed the Pho at SI, and said I should try it. Which is how I ended up at the restaurant staring at the colorful "Lunch Specials "menu.
In my meals at Seafood Island after my post, I've just kinda decided that SI pretty much specializes in serving cheap food to the masses. And boy was I looking at some pretty low prices on this menu. Even though the young lady kept pushing the rare beef, I ended up with flank and brisket…. they didn't have tendon on this day.
The lunch special comes with two Cha Gio, egg rolls, which arrived very quickly.
The lettuce and other veggies were quite good, but the inside of the Cha Gio were barely room temperature.
This had been cooked up earlier and been lying around for a while.
Soon enough my bowl of Pho arrived, which gave me pause…..
It was darker than the Bun Mam I'd had recently! It was also very scummy, and quite cloudy. And there was an even larger problem…..
Notice my bowl sitting solo…….. is something(s) missing?
Did you figure it out? Well first, there was no plate with herbs, bean spouts, and lime. Second, where's my soup spoon? I felt like I was back in Hangzhou where they expected you to drink your soup from the bowl! The funny thing was, I thought that those items were going to arrive soon….. but I waited… and waited. Which gave me time to check out the flank, which had some really tough looking fat and gristle.
I gave it ten minutes, at which time I went into the kitchen looking for the young lady whom I could hear talking to the cooks, but was nowhere to be found on the floor. This is something I could understand if the place was totally smashed, but that wasn't quite the situation here.
When I asked for a spoon and my plate of herbs and veggies, the young lady gave me a look like I was asking for the moon which was very strange because everyone here has always been very nice.
Eventually my spoon and garnishes made it to the table.
In all honesty, I should have just cut my losses, paid my six bucks, and left…….
This is a case in where photos don't lie.
I really don't know where to start….. the noodles might have been perfect at one point; but having to sit while I mistakenly thought my spoon and garnishes would arrive at any time probably killed that. The broth was scummy and unpleasant…….
The fact is, I feel guilty about leaving food uneaten; and I've never left this much Pho before….
Just as I did with that bowl of soup, I'll step away from this post, and leave it as is…..
Seafood Island Restaurant
7580 Miramar Road
San Diego, CA 92126
I still don't truly believe in that "law of Pho", but this sure does support that argument, doesn't it?
On my last evening, I dropped by to buy some water, and decided to get one bottle for the road. This time, I asked the gentleman working there what he'd recommend….. he picked out Lake Louie Brewing Company's Tommy's Porter for me. A customer concurred telling me that an ex-girlfriend of his loved Lake Louie's brew so much that, and I quote, "got the Lake Louie emblem tattooed on her…" (fill in the blanks).
