My very satisfying visit to Phuong Nga 2 had me wondering about all those places in City Heights that used to be on my rotation. Work had kept me busy since the middle of last year. Things were now a bit calmer, fewer weekend work days, so I thought it was time to start making the rounds. Starting with 777 Noodle House. Man, I've been going here since they opened in 2010. Time sure does fly.
The place was quite busy on this morning. One of the great things I like about 777 is that the prices bring in a nice diversity of folks from the neighborhood. On this day, I recognized no less than four different languages being spoken!
I went with my usual here; the Hu Tieu Nam Vang Kho, still under seven bucks.
I had mentioned on my previous visit to 777, that I thought the execution and flavor of the food had slipped. This visit was a nice surprise; it was a return to form. The noodles were nice and stretchy; just enough sauce, the shrimp, though not the best quality (whaddaya expect for the price?), was plump and tender. The sprouts were nicely blanched and they didn't forget the lime this time around.
The most surprising thing was the pork bone soup. The broth was very porky, super hot, not too salty. And all that meat; these were rib bones this time around. I could scrape them off the bone with my chopsticks. Very tender, nice pork flavor…..very nice.
I enjoyed this bowl. A while back I mentioned that I believed Ly Heng had overtaken 777. Now, I'm not so sure. I'll need to check. And I'll gladly do so.
It's nice to see 777 return to form. I'm hoping they can keep it up. And of course, there's that wonderful young lady, who is always so nice to us…..she always calls me "sir". The Missus told me she is just sincerely nice. And I do get a kick being called sir……at a neighborhood noodle house.
777 Noodle House
4686 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105