**** Pho Tommy has closed
A few weeks ago, right before heading out on our Road Trip to Laguna Beach; I was picking up take-out from Thai Papaya, I noticed that Farm Market and Sandwiches was gone and replaced with something called "Pho Tommy".
Not quite sure what to make of this rather large space….after all it was a market and all, I was curious and decided to visit soon after.
The place seems to be put together….or at least renovated in a rather strange and haphazard way. It seems that they just pulled out all the shelving and replaced things with tables.
And there are still some grocery items for sale.
A "stage" has been put in near the entrance that faces Linda Vista Road. You gotta watch your step……the UPS guy walking in tripped and almost fell.
Another strange thing was that, other than the UPS guy, and the friends of the really friendly guy running the place named "Kim", I was the only customer on all three visits. Not sure what's going on here. Well, on with the show…..
Since the place was named "Pho Tommy"; it was only natural that I ordered the Pho Dac Biet.
First off, as you can tell, the basil and sprouts were past their "due date" and browning. The broth was clear with a decent amount of richness/texture, but like many places in San Diego these days, it had a salty-sweetness that isn't to my taste. I did enjoy the good amount of cilantro and scallions which helped a bit, along with a good amount of lime to try and balance things out.
As for the proteins; well the rare steak was too well done by the time the bowl hit the table and being the usual top round it was tough and dry. The fatty flank was on the bland side….no tripe in this bowl, though the tendon was fairly buttery and not bad. Not a great bowl overall. There's much better less than a block away.
When I went to pay; Kim just charged me eight bucks. Not wanting to short the place, I showed him the $9.50 on the menu, but was told, "I rang it up already, it's okay, eight dollars for you….."
So, I decided to go back the next morning since I needed to get some stuff from Thuan Phat, I was kinda hungry so I decided to drop by.
This time I ordered the Broken Rice with Bi, Cha (steamed egg), Pork Chop, and Egg ($8.99).
First off, the rice was nice and fragrant and the nuoc mam cham wasn't watered down, nor too sweet.
The Bi, shredded pork and pork skin was really dry and tasteless though. The cha was fine, though a bit drier than I prefer.
The pork chop was nicely charred, though it needed more seasoning as it was also bland.
But that egg was wonderful. Perfectly sunny side up, runny, with crisp edges, and nicely seasoned.
The broth provided, was basically the pho broth….it was less "sweet", but still too salty for me to fully enjoy.
Still, this was an improvement over the pho, so this past weekend, I decided to drop by early in the morning (apparently they open around 730), which is great for me.
I had seen something on the menu that I hadn't had for quite a while.
A dish named after the capital of Tiền Giang Province, My Tho; Hu Tieu My Tho.
To be perfectly honest, I didn't know what to expect. But the plate of sparkling fresh Tong Ho (chrysanthemum leaves, we call it Shingiku in Japanese) and sprouts started things off on the right foot. The Tong Ho was mild in flavor, without that resiny-overly green-grassy flavor. These were mildly sweet and bitter, obviously very fresh.
What really impressed me about this bowl was the liver….I'm usually not a fan of liver in Vietnamese noodle dishes because often times they are old and taste plain gross; but this was fairly tender and had just the right amount of earthy-offal flavor. In fact, in spite of the shrimp being cooked perfectly, the liver was the best meat item in the dish. The other pork was pretty bland.
The Hu Tieu was a bit overcooked for my taste. Though the clear broth wasn't quite as salty this time around. In fact, combined with that rather rich, almost greasy, bright red pork broth, it created a balance in a way. This was also quite a bit more than I'd usually put away for breakfast.
The third time was a charm it seems. 
I enjoyed the guy working here; but unless evenings and lunches are super busy….somehow, I don't think it is, I don't know how long a place like this can last. I hope they hang in there. There's something definitely "old school" about Pho Tommy, without the brusque service, that I enjoyed.
Pho Tommy
6959 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA