Man, leave it to 2020. For the umpteenth time, I was assigned an "urgent" request….this time on Tuesday afternoon before Thanksgiving, needed by Monday. So, while I did take Thanksgiving off, I worked over the weekend. Luckily, I was able to finish up by 11 during this weekend on most days (I start at around 515 am or so). I decided to head up to Mira Mesa for some takeout. My first option was strangely closed (more on that in a future post). So, I ended up at Tim Ky. During normal times, I'd have already been here at least once or twice; but because of the pandemic; well, I hadn't been to Tim Ky since last year!
It seemed like Tim Ky had as many tables set-up on the sidewalk and back parking lot as they used to have in their dining room!
I went in, placed my order and paid.
While waiting on the sidewalk I noticed that a group of "old-timers"….you know; the older Vietnamese Gentlemen who would usually hit up a coffee shop or bakery and hang out had commandeered the parking lot for their social outing. At least they all had masks on!
I ordered the Beef Sate Noodle "dry", which took about ten minutes and I headed home.
I opened things up and man, this looked like so much more food then I recalled.
Upon examination; I found that the rather large portion of egg noodles was clumped together. The normal reaction would be to pour hot water over it; but it wouldn't work this time around as there was some sauce mixed in with the noodles. So, I went ahead and got the broth….which didn't have as much "msg" as before and was rather light in the flavor department to a rolling boil and placed it in a bowl on the side.
I ended up using half the broth to do the typical "mix", with chopsticks and a spoon. While it was still quite "light" in terms of flavor, the beef was decently tender, there was a touch of pungency, and I ended up using the rest of the soup to finish things up. Not quite as good as what I have at the restaurant, but not terrible. I've truly had worse at various places over the years…..
So, a larger portion, a bit less flavor, a bit more work (that chili paste came in handy)…..for now…well…..I'll take it. After all, what choice do I have, right?
Tim Ky Noodle
9330 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126
Hours:
Daily 9am – 830pm
hopefully more flavorful next time:)
I hope so Kat!
Old timers tailgate party!
Yes, totally like a pseudo-tailgate party Junichi!
I got the same dish, but at Minh Ky today. They also gave fried pork fat bits on the side (tep mo, I think). They also gave a lot of noodles too. Quite filling!
Hi Elle – I think Minh Ky is pretty much the “gold standard” for this in San Diego. Funny thing; the Beef Sate Noodle from there was one of the last things I had “in a restaurant” before things shut down back in March.
/2020/04/28/noodling-around-city-heights-before-the-storm-edition-minh-ky-and-pho-king/
With take out dry beef sate noodles, I have been just mixing the beef and sauce in the noodles and bailing on the broth….now I’ll have to stop by Minh Ky and have some today!
I used the broth to “loosen” the clumped egg noodles Jack. Otherwise it would have been a mess. Man, haven’t been to that side of ECB since March!!!