It had been about eight months since Mi Quang Mien trung had opened; so I thought it would be a good time to revisit. Plus, they open at 8am, so I can get noodles for breakfast before hitting the office on weekends.
It seems like only half of the menu display was working on this day; but I knew what I wanted. I wasn't very impressed with the signature dish of this place during my previous visit; so I gave the Mi Quang another try.
The pork this time around was vastly improved; nice saltiness, good pork flavor. After that; there was a total drop-off. Still hardly any broth and what is provided is so bland, it might as well be msg flavored hot water. The noodles were nicely cooked and I appreciated the banana blossom, which added a decent texture. The shrimp was really bad; it was over-cooked and had a very musty flavor, not good eats.
Like I said before; it's a pretty nice looking dish and maybe you'd like it….if you've never had Mi Quang before. For me, this is just so bland and lacks soul.
That said; there were a few things on the menu I had wanted to check-out, so I returned the following weekend.
By now it seems the entire menu board is now non-functional. It's back to paper.
I ordered the Bun Hen ($8.50) and Banh Bot Loc (a small order $4).
The Bun Hen is by far the best item I've had here so far. While not nearly as well seasoned or spice as the version at Mien Trung, the clams had a nice mildly chewy texture, had a mild savory flavor, without any sandy-grittiness. That mam nem did it's magic on the dish as a whole; adding a wonderful deep-funky savoriness to the dish. The chicharrons were fresh, light, and crunchy. The bun was perfectly prepared and there was a good amount of banana blossom in the dish. It was very satisfying…..
I can't say the same about the Banh Bot Loc, which was ice cold, really, tough, and flavorless.
You can't win 'em all I guess.
CC recently visited Mi Quang Mien Trung as well.
**** Mi Quang Mien Trung has closed
Mi Quang Mien Trung
4745 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115
As for that "vehicle" parked in front of the 7-11….well, you never know what you'll see on ECB…..
For some reason yesterday's time change kind of messed me up….as in, I was up at 4am messed up. After trying to sleep for a few more hours; I gave up and decided to go into work for a while. But first I needed some breakfast….and perhaps some pho. I've had some pretty lousy pho recently and just wanted something decent…..plus it was 645am in the morning. I decided to head up to City Heights and have my breakfast at Pho Hoa, after all it had been over 2 years since my last visit. Plus, they open at 7am.
Not much going on at 7am on a Sunday at Pho Hoa; just a few "old-timers"; me included. The lighting gave the place a rather eerie look.
The drill was as expected. The menu, placed on the table, is basically symbolic, a formality, as the guy taking the order is already standing above you, pen poised in hand, impatiently waiting for you to order before you even open it.
But there was no mistaking the freshness of the basil, ngo gai (yea!!), and sprouts when it hit the table. And man, apparently there's no national shortage of basil as other pho shops will make you believe.
It was good 'ol #4 for me. As I mentioned in a previous post; I'm not a big fan of the rare steak here….it usually has a rather metallic taste to it.
The broth was decent; a slight beefiness, a bit richer than usual, clear, with a nice mildly pungent-anise flavor. Not overly sweet like much of the pho in San Diego is these days.
The brisket was slightly beefy if a bit on the dry side; the flank wasn't overly fatty, the tripe crunchy, but it was the tendon that took the gold medal. Nice and buttery in texture.
Not an amazing or great bowl of pho; but passable and it hit the spot. With the state of pho in San Diego, this will just have to do these days.
Pho Hoa Restaurant
4717 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115