As in, yoso-silly, yoso-hungry, yoso-full, or best of all; mmm-delici-yoso!!!!! A San Diego based food and travel blog. An Ex-Pat Kama'aina and Friends explore food, restaurants, and travel from San Diego and points beyond.
Well, after failing to complete the server move after 36 hours, waved the white flag and said it was going to "regroup".
And they have been trying to restore service for the last 14 hours.
I'm able to get into my Typepad account now, but am still unable to post photos and photos are not displaying either.
So no Halloween photos this year, but here's one I posted to Flickr this morning.
Please have a fun and safe Halloween!
Hope to be back soon.
Sorry about the lack of posts. I'm certain that many of you have been encountering 503 errors when trying to access our humble little blog.
This has been going on for two weeks. This past weekend Typepad moved to a new server. Unfortunately there are now even more problems. The foremost being the inability to upload photos to posts.
In case you're wondering; here are the links to the Twitter posts -I would do screenshots, but of course I can't upload images.
And then of course, there's more "fun" instore:
"Typepad will be conducting additional maintenance this coming weekend to address lingering issues as part of the continued migration to the new data center."
I'm still eating and taking photos of food and hopefully will be back posting soon!
I'll respond to comments when I'm able. Sorry to say that I'm not receiving comments and notifications (i.e. my Help Ticket updates) until sometimes 12 hours after the comments posted.
Wish me luck!
Last weekend I went about doing my "Sunday" rounds which involved a stop at Sprouts and Lazy Acres (both open at 7), then Target and 99 Ranch Market (both open at 8), then ending things at Nijiya (open at 9). I must have had some major momentum on this day because there I was heading out of 99 Ranch Market at 820! Now how did that happen? One thing for sure, all that shopping sure did make me hungry. I still had quite a bit of time before Nijiya opened, so I thought I'd grab something quick for breakfast. And then I realized that my options in the area, unless it was for a sit down breakfast or something from a taco shop were really limited. Phuong Nga Bakery and Cafe would be an obvious choice, but they are closed on weekends, Sau Voi Deli has closed, and Grab & Go on Convoy Court is closed on weekends as well. I recall places in the area that used to be open before 10am but think that "Covid" times have changed things.
Well, there was one option left; Cali Banh Mi.
I used to drop by every so often when this was Cali Baguette Express, I'm not sure what the story is, but this location became Cali Banh Mi, along with a location on Garnet and things have just not been the same. Especially the bread. Now, I had visited this location back in June of 2020 and left unimpressed. But heck, it had been over two years since that visit, so I thought "why not"?
The last time I visited there was no indoor dining allowed, now the place looked alot more "normal".
What was not a nice change was the price of the banh mi I wanted. The Spam and Egg is now $9! Whoa! When I last ordered that at the Garnet location it was six bucks and I thought it expensive then! The jumbo size Banh Mi Dac Biet I got from Phuong Nga in August was $6.19, later that month I got one from Avian Sandwiches that was $6.95.
Anyway, I got my banh mi and drove down to the Nijiya parking lot. Yep, this was going to be one of those "eat on the hood of your car" kinda thing. I opened things up to reveal this nine-dollar banh mi.
So, I peeled back the bread to reveal watery, runny, flavorless eggs, and though the Spam slices were fairly thick they lacked color. I recall trying to order a Banh Mi Op La here and the young man working had no idea what I was saying…probably my (mis) pronunciation though.
The jalapenos lacked heat, though maybe I just got the "luck of the draw" with that. The pickled veggies were fine, but the bread was terrible. The crust was too soft, the bread too doughy. It lacked the light crisp-crusty exterior and the interior was mushy and doughy instead of airy and yeasty.
This was just not very good, even for an "Americanized" banh mi.
Well, at least I gave them another try. I should have just waited and got something from the deli at Nijiya. Live and learn, I guess.
Cali Banh Mi
4425 Convoy Street
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Daily 8am – 7pm
**** Pho Duyen Mai is under new ownership
I have really been enjoying the recent cooler weather. It has given me the chance to "catch up" on places that I hadn't visited in quite a while. And now that I've started dining in, albeit with some caution, I have started "making my rounds". In my post on Pho Lucky's reopening, I mentioned wanting to return to Pho Duyen Mai. In the comments section "FOY" Dereck noted a recent visit to Duyen Mai and indicated that "the soup was pretty good the noodles were a disaster. Literally there was a pile of little pieces floating around halfway through the bowl." So, I really wanted to check things out. Luckily, it was about time for Calvin and me to have our "monthly" lunch. And since Duyen Mai opens at 10am, we could minimize the chances of a lunch crowd.
I arrived a bit early, about a quarter to ten and Duyen Mai was already open.
We looked over the menu and then asked the woman who always works here if they still served the rib bones (Xí Quách Suon Bò). She told us that they still serve them, but only after 1230pm and that there's a limited amount each day. So, we were too early on his day.
Calvin remembered that I used to order the Nem Nuong Cuon from here for the crew at work and we had an order of those to start.
Decently wrapped, herbs and veggies fresh, crisp fried egg roll wrapper along with a lightly grilled nem nuong. I call these "Brodard light". The dipping sauce was a bit too mild for my taste. Still, not bad for San Diego.
As for my pho, I got the #27. Well done steak, brisket, flank, tendon, and tripe – a small is now $11.50.
The herbs and sprouts were sparkling fresh, though there was no ngo gai. The broth was quite clear, perhaps a bit too defatted for me. It was also "sweeter" than I prefer and quite "salty" but better than what I'd recently consumed at Pho Lucky, at least in terms of beefiness. There was a very mild hint of anise flavor in the broth as well.
Dereck had mentioned the noodles being in little pieces during his meal. This wasn't the case for us, but even though the noodles weren't clumped together, they were overcooked and mushy.
As for the proteins. Overall, minus not having the Xí Quách Suon Bò, this might be the best beef I've had at Duyen Mai. Other than the well done steak which was "cardboardish", the flank was beefy and firm, the tripe had a nice crunch without being hard and rubbery, the brisket was super tender with nice "bovine" tones, and the tendon was decently tender.
Admittedly, I was disappointed in not being to get "Dem Bones", but this was an ok bowl of pho especially for the Kearny Mesa area, which may have the most KFC, hot pot, and such, but seems to have seriously fallen off with regards to Vietnamese cuisine over the past decade.
I'll probably return for the pho with Xí Quách Suon Bò.
Pho Duyen Mai
5375 Kearny Villa Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
Current Hours:
Wed – Mon 10am – 9pm
Closed on Tuesdays
"Them Bones" (Xí Quách Suon Bò) served after 1230pm
You are reading mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Cathy has the helm today while Kirk takes a break.
Link to 2023 Rose Parade Road Test #1
The last Saturday in September had The Mister and I wide awake and driving North on I-5 before 5 a.m.. There were several traffic problems mentioned on the radio and we cut back across the 78 to I-15 and took a different-than-usual route to Irwindale and Phoenix Decorating Company, arriving at about 7:15. Floats were on the street and being tested for mechanics and maneuverability.
The final float of the parade 'announces' the Rose Bowl football game which will start four hours after the Rose Parade ends (on January 2, 2023, because there is never a Parade or Game on a Sunday).
Here is the same float on December 31 last year; it is not judged but always freshly decorated.
The Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom float, "Protecting The Wild" was being tested. You can see the tree in the back of the float 'collapses' to be able to fit down the Parade route. (See how other floats collapse in the Road Test #3 post).
Here is the artist rendering of the Mutual of Omaha float.
In the front is the
skeleton/rebar version of the Elks 2023 entry to the Parade. It is backing into the barn, to the right (you can see the driver of this float, if you enlarge the photo-he is past the middle, to the far right). You can also see the Wild Kingdom float (with the trees in position) and the Royal Court float behind this Elks float. 
(Royal Court float being decorated on December 31)
The Trader Joe's 2023 entry is a multi-piece float. 
The front appears to be a 'chopper' motorcycle.
The attached second part of the float is a pirate ship; I see the ships wheel, collapsed sail, giant pelican, a banana and a collapsed palm tree. It will be interesting to see the progress. 
On October 13, Former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was announced as the Grand Marshal of the 2023 Rose Parade. The theme of the parade, "Turning the Corner", epitomizes Gabby's remarkable recovery from traumatic injuries.
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On to the food portion of this post. I was not craving a 'traditional' breakfast. Since The Mister is a navigator, I told him to type in "Dim Sum" on his phone and direct me. 
Soon, we were in El Monte, parked, walked in and were able to get a table right away.
The other entrance door lead to the steam trays and take out area of the restaurant. 
Each table had a menu and a pen; we ordered. Soon, everything was brought out to our table at the same time. 
I was not the only person taking photos of food. 
The salted chicken porridge ($6.89) was wonderful with a great chicken stock base; you can tell the porridge had been simmering a long time. The chopped pieces of bone-in chicken were plentiful.
Pork Shiu Mai ($4.29) were quite large, very well flavored (didn't need additional soy nor chili sauce). In addition to the chopped pork and shrimp, the filling had crispy water chestnuts, carrot and mushroom. 
The Seafood Gow ($4.29) were particularly good. The crisp, pan fried dumpling, filled with pieces of fish, shrimp and crab as well as (spinach?) greens; turned out to be our favorite bite of the morning.
The shrimp rice rolls ($5.39) were each filled with two plump, large, flavorful shrimp. The rice noodles and sauce complimented each bite in flavor and texture.
The shrimp Har Gow ($4.29), steamed in tapioca flour wrappers. Filled with very plump, large shrimp, this 'staple' of Dim Sum restaurants was a delightful treat. 
The baked egg tart ($4.29) was a perfect ending to the meal. The still warm and eggy custard inside the multi-layered Chinese puff pastry (less oily/more flour-y than traditional puff pastry) was just so perfect. 
The tea, very fresh.
Ocean Bo 3944 Peck Road Suite 1, El Monte 91732 (626) 452-1818 Website
For those of you wondering, we just drove right past Portos on the way home (!)
**** Not much food in this one. Though if you like to see a San Diego connection and castles and such, this post might be for you. I'll try to keep things as brief as possible
Our two whole days in Edinburgh would be fairly full. I know that a visit to Edinburgh Castle is pretty much a must and since we'd be in Edinburgh over a weekend, I made sure to get tickets for the castle online with an entry time of right when they opened at 930.
One good thing about our AirBnb on Blackfriars street was its location right off the Royal Mile. So the walk was pretty easy.
We walked past places that would become all too familiar during our short stay in Edinburgh, like the St Giles Cathedral, which we'd visit the following day and the distinctive former Tolbooth Church, which is now a building known as the "Hub".
We were going to be early for our reservations, so we hovered off Castle Hill onto Johnson Terrace, before heading up the steps to the entrance to the castle.
I'm glad I booked tickets online as we got to go right on in and didn't have to wait in line. I also received a guide to Edinburgh Castle for free. As there were really only a couple of places in the castle complex that I wanted to see, we kind of just made sure to see those, like the crown jewels (where photos aren't allowed), we just went to those places and stopped whenever something caught our attention.
Because of where folks gathered, our first stop was below the Great Hall; the Prisons of War.
The vaults below the Great Hall and Queen Anne Building were first used as a prison during the Seven Years' War and by the end of the war held over 500 prisoners here. The vaults became a prison again during the American Revolution and the French Revolutionary Wars.
The Missus did think that they ate pretty well based on this display.
And of course, there are the stories; like the one I read about when a prisoner tried to escape by hiding in a dung cart. Unfortunately, the cart was emptied by being tipped over the walls and the prisoner supposedly died. Which, according to this post may or may not be true, the post also notes that the ghost of this prisoner still haunts the castle where you smell, well, you know what, while the ghost tries to push you over the walls of the castle.
We visited the Great Hall….
Took in the view from the Argyle Battery.
And when we got to Mons Meg, well, I totally forgot to take a photo because it had a view of one of the places I had wanted to see, the Edinburgh Castle Dog Cemetery.
Which was established in 1837 as the burial place for regimental mascots and soldier's pet pooches.
We took "aim" from Dury's Battery.
And explored the National War Museum.
Where along with the memorabilia and paintings of soldiers like Lieutenant James Irving above, we saw this.
That's Bob the dog who was the Regimental Pet of the Scots Fusilier Guards, 1st Battalion, from 1853 – 1860. According to this site:
"The regiment adopted Bob when it was based at Windsor in 1853. A year later he accompanied it to the Crimean War where he distinguished himself by chasing cannonballs at the Battle of Inkerman. In recognition of his courage, he was awarded the special silver medal attached to his collar."
We also visited the Royal Palace. Edinburgh Castle was the principle royal residence from the 11th to the 17th century, so many familiar names resided here.
Upon glancing upon the Scottish and British Royal Coat of Arms, I noticed something.
The Unicorn, the national animal of Scotland is wrapped in chains. I was wondering why and came across this.
We'd been exploring for a couple of hours at this point and things were getting crowded.
We headed out of the castle and down Johnstone Terrace.
But instead of heading East and back to the Royal Mile, we headed west. It was Saturday, which is when Edinburgh's Farmer's Market took place, so we walked on over to King's Stables Road to check out the Farmer's Market.
It wasn't a very large farmer's market, at least on this day. But the Missus did find some soap She loved. And folks were really friendly and nice.
Edinburgh Farmers' Market
NCP Castle Terrace Car Park
Castle Terrace, Edinburgh, Scotland
Saturday 9am – 2pm
I had another ulterior motive for heading in this direction. I was looking for a specific statue with a San Diego connection.
Near the end of King's Stables Road is a church – the Parish Church of St. Cuthbert.
And nope, this has nothing to do with the church's cemetery.
But right along one of the walls is a familiar statue. Do you recognize it?
Yes, it's Bum the Dog! I had done a post on the statue of Bum and his story back in June and mentioned an Edinburgh link.
This explains it. Edinburgh and San Diego are sister cities!
I considered this "mission accomplished" for the day. We decided to return to our accommodations.
Instead of returning by heading around Edinburgh Castle via Princes Street Gardens, we decided to make a U-turn and head back via Castle Terrace and Victoria Street, then head back via the Royal Mile.
We ran into a craft fair on the way back.
And did some shopping and browsing on the way back. We stopped in at a cheese shop I had on my list; I.J. Mellis and I ended up getting a sampler pack for our lunch back at the apartment.
Once back on the Royal Mile, I went looking for some rather obscure things. Like this one.
Apparently, this is the sight of the last public execution in Edinburgh. It is also said that Deacon Brodie, was hung somewhere near here. And to pile on with the irony, remember in this post I mentioned that Deacon Brodie designed the gallows that would be used to hang him. Kitty-corner from here sits Deacon Brodie's Pub!
Right before St. Giles Cathedral is this mosaic heart.
This is the Heart of Midlothian, which has quite a backstory. Everything I read said that folks spit on this a lot…..so perhaps it's not the best place to stand on and take your selfie????
Speaking of St. Giles Cathedral.
Well, we'd be visiting the following day, but there was something I wanted to see….in the parking lot.
John Knox founded the Presbyterian Church of Scotland and was a leader of the Scottish Reformation. John Knox was buried in St. Giles cemetery. Well, you may say that St. Giles has no cemetery. Because this is prime real estate, those in St. Giles cemetery were (supposedly) moved in the 17th century. But John Knox was (supposedly) not moved. So, if you'd like to find John Knox's grave it's in parking stall 23….
Yes, for real. On this day there were no cars parked in that stall, so I managed to get a photo. What's the saying? "Reality is stranger than fiction."
As we were walking along the Royal Mile I saw a couple of these structures.
These are Wellheads. This was the source of water for folks in the Old Town until the mid-1800's! Yikes!
We got back to the apartment. The owners were amazing as they had stocked the fully functional kitchen with coffee, cereal, bread, and such.
Because we had our "blowout" dinner in Edinburgh scheduled for this evening, having some bread and the cheese we picked up the I.J. Mellis made sense. I'd actually wanted to get stuff from the actual cheese monger, but they were super busy so I just went with a prepackaged sampler which was fine.
The blue cheese was especially good. I'll make sure to check them out again if I'm ever back in Edinbugh.
I.J. Mellis Cheesemonger
30A Victoria St.
Grassmarket, Edinburgh, Scotland
Next up, dinner at Martin Wishart. And yes, they'll be much more food in that post!
Thanks for stopping by!
Barrio Jalatlaco was undeniably beautiful. The colors so vibrant. It also seemed sleepy and relaxed compared to Oaxaca Central, almost as if you'd entered a whole different city.
The street art was glorious and it was everywhere.
Some of it was quite modern in tone……like really up to date!
Jalatlaco was the location of a Zapotec village before the arrival of the Spaniards. Jalatlaco in Zapotec means "Sand Canyon". We were told that Jalatlaco looks basically the same as it did a century ago, which is quite amazing.
It was wonderful just wandering the cobbled streets, enjoying the colors and the street art, with nary another person in sight. There seemed to be something almost magical about the place.
I'm tempted to want to stay in the area next time, but maybe not…….I really don't want to spoil what looks like the true local beauty of the barrio.
Here's a wonderful article on Jalatlaco.
Soon enough, it was time for an "early" lunch. We headed back down to Mercado 20 de Noviembre to see if anything caught our eye.
We wandered around the mercado a bit but nothing caught our attention.
So we decided to take a look elsewhere.
About a block form the mercado we saw this little restaurant.
And you can tell by the name what they specialize in, right?
And the Missus keeps looking for pozole that She enjoys more then what I make at home. So, it seems like we found a place for lunch. It seemed like a place that locals came to eat.
And the pirces were right, the pozole was only $50/MX per bowl – about $2.50/US. Over time the Missus has come to prefer pozole blanco and She was happy that they served that here. I went with the pozole rojo.
All the base "sides" were delivered and two salsas as well.
And soon enough our bowls of pozole arrived.
It was quite obvious that the meat had been separated from the broth and then placed into the bowl after the soup and "salsa" as some of the pieces of pork were lukewarm. The pozole rojo wasn't bad; a bit on the milder side but that was quickly rectified when I added more salsa rojo. Decently porky and pretty basic and simple overall.
The Missus thought the blanco could have used more porkiness and added a good amount of salt as well.
The Hominy wasn't to the Missus liking as it was too mushy for Her taste. She's become so picky about Her pozole!
Still, it was a really inexpensive lunch and we enjoyed the atmosphere.
El Pozolito
Rayón 102
68000 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico
We then went and did a bit of shopping before heading back to our room and taking a nice afternoon nap.
We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing before heading out to dinner. Of course we left for dinner early as we wanted to check out what was going on at the Zocalo.
And the police were back teaching children how to ride bicycles and running the bike safety puppet show.
And "the Band" was in fine form on this evening!
There was quite a bit going on!
We headed up Macedonio Alcalá. This was a Saturday evening so there were folks everywhere. Things were lively, but not out of control.
Folks were just hanging with friends, hanging with pooches, listening to music, there seemed to be musicians or bands situated on almost every corner, plaza, and jardin.
We walked up to Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán before heading over one block to our dinner destination.
I had gone ahead and made dinner reservations ahead of time for every other night in Oaxaca. And since this was a Saturday evening, I thought having reservations made sense. I had been interested in trying the cuisine of the Istmus region and after doing a bit of research had made reservations at Zanduga.
Like Los Danzantes the dining area was in a lovely courtyard area.
And just like Los Danzantes, the customer base seemed to be mostly tourists….
We were still fairly full from lunch, so we ordered the Botana Zandunga, a variety of Istmeno appetizers, some soup, and the seasonal fish appetizer.
First to arrive was the Sopa de Frijol, which would turn out to be the our favorite item of the night.
Very beany, smooth, and rich. Nicely seasoned, this went well with the provided avocado slices and tortillas.
The Botana Zandunga was a collection of "greatest hits" if you will.
From the bottom left, the tamal de cambray was dry and bland, the molotes de platano was cold and dry, the guacamole was quite good, the garnaches, which I had been excited to try was dry, cold, and bland, the pico de gallo had dried shrimp which seemed interesting but wasn't anything special.
Last to arrive was the Pescado de Temporada, what basically read as "seasonal fish". Looking at the menu, I saw that it was herb marinated with hoja santa, which the Missus loves.
Unfortunately, this was too mealy and fishy for the Missus. I didn't think it was too bad, especially with the salsas on tlayudas.
Service was quite good, but the food just wasn't to our taste. Looks like I was oh-fer-two with the places I'd made reservations at.
I remembered when I told Betsy we had reservations here; she told me that having tried Zandunga twice, she wasn't too impressed. She was right.
Zandunga
Calle de Manuel García Vigil 512
68000 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico
Of course we passed thru the Zocalo on the way back to our room. The bicycle thing was still going on. Well, it was a Saturday night after all.
A gentleman saw me really enjoying watching the police kids and the public interacting and started talking to me. He told me that once upon a time the police in Oaxaca were among the toughest, meanest, and unfriendly officers in Mexico. Then after dealing with that for years the public voted in a whole different set of politicians. The police created outreach/community relations programs and this changed things. Watching him talk to the officers, I'm sure this gentleman was some kind of neighborhood liaison or politician.
And here the "Policia Vial" (Road Police) officers were dancing with the public!
Now when was the last time you saw that?
I couldn't help but smile.
I recently went and did a takeout revisit from Eastern Dynasty. Instead of sitting around and waiting for my order while the restaurant filled up, I went for a stroll. I do drive along Convoy quite a bit and will often see places closing and opening, but when walking you really do notice things. Another thing I noticed….perhaps it's always been this way, was how fast folks drive on Convoy. I swear, there were cars zooming by at over 50 mph! Taking turns with squealing tires! Yikes!
Anyway, I noticed a couple of things during my walk……
Manna Rice Bakery is Closed:
Right in the same strip mall as Eastern Dynasty I saw that Manna Bakery was closed. Man, this is an oldie. I've never posted on this place. I think my last visit was in pre-blogging days, but I know they had a very loyal clientele.
4688 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
Red Moon Noodle House is Gone:
Walking to the strip mall with what I think is the worst parking lot on Convoy, I quickly noticed that all signage for Red Moon Noodle House was gone.
This closure kinda flew under my radar.
4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
Uncle Tetsu Japanese Cheesecake Coming to Convoy:
I walked down Convoy and managed to safely cross the street at Dagget and noticed some activity in the "other" infamous parking lot off Convoy where Jasmine, Dumpling Inn, and El Viejon are located. The sign is up for Uncle Tetsu Japanese Cheesecake right next to Mochinuts.
So, it looks like a location of this chain from Hakata, Japan is making its way down to San Diego. I know there are a couple of locations is the LA/OC area already, including one in our old stomping grounds of Hacienda Heights.
So, now with YikoYiko, Sunmerry, and Uncle Tetsu it seems we're going the way of Hot Pot and KFC in the area. When it rains, it pours, right?
4609 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
And from the Cesspool of Useless Information Files: The time Helen Keller Flew a Plane
While walking I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts and the episode with the story of when Helen Keller flew a plane!
As stated in Britannica:
"In June 1946 an airplane traveled from Rome to Paris, crossing over the Mediterranean Sea. There was nothing unusual about this flight except one thing: for 20 minutes of the plane’s journey, one of its passengers became its pilot. The passenger was Dr. Helen Keller…."
And it's been verified by Snopes.
Amazing! And somewhat inspiring……
Talk about a major rebound in weather. Just a few weeks ago we were experiencing record heat and then we get a cooler spell with temps ten degrees cooler than the norm. I really shouldn't be complaining since I actually prefer cooler weather and it gave me a chance to hit up some of my cool weather favorites. And of course, the Missus has Her favorites as well. And with another warm up headed our way, I wanted to make sure that the Missus "got Her fix". So, I headed off to Phuong Nga to get some Bun Rieu for the Missus. The young man working there and his mom already know what I'm there for….sadly, they didn't have bun rieu on this day! I was told that currently "no bun rieu on Tuesday and Thursdays" and on this Sunday they also were out. Oh well…. I decided to try again this past Sunday and got there at 930.
I was greeted when I arrived; the only person there at the moment. I was told that I needed to return after 1130 for bun rieu. So, I placed my order. As I was talking to the gentleman no less than six people walked in!
Man, Phuong Nga is quite popular these days. Even if they're just doing takeout!
I returned at 1130 and still had to wait another 20 minutes. I didn't feel too bad, three other folks were already waiting for their Bun Rieu when I arrived. And then when "mom" came out, she saw me and apologized! I guess I'm marked as the "bun rieu guy". And since I had ordered ahead of time, I got mine first!
On the good side, I made sure not to park below this "poop party"!
And the Missus was so happy to get Her bun rieu before the our upcoming "warm up".
Man, all the herbs and veggies were sparkling fresh! I'm not sure if it was on purpose but there seemed to be much more meat this time around as well.
As per before, I put the soup in a pot to warm up. I then put water in a thick sided bowl and heat for three minutes. I put the noodles in a small colander- we can only finish one order of noodles at a time; the rest is used for some other soup. I place the colander over another thick sided bowl and pour the hot water over the noodles to warm and loosen. The noodles here have never been overcooked so it handles the procedure well. I drain and separate the noodles and empty the water from the second bowl.
Voila! You have two warmed up bowls for your bun rieu!
The broth on this day was a bit more savory and with a more hefty tongue feel than usual….the wait was worth it I guess. I use some mam tom and a squeeze of lime in mine. The Missus loves adding the chilies to Hers. The Missus loves the banana blossom, shredded morning glory, and the perilla leaves. She loves the tofu, tomato, and pork-seafood "cakes". I'll usually get the pork ribs. Like I mentioned earlier; there was a ton of meat on this day.
And all was well in the mmm-yoso household.
Phuong Nga 2
4016 54th St
San Diego, CA 92105
For my other posts on the Bun Rieu to go from Phuong Nga, you can go here, here, or here.
**** Note for 10/18/2022 – currently no Bun Rieu on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
I was quite happy to see that Pho Lucky was reopening. Once upon a time we enjoyed the pho so much at Lucky that it was on our regular rotation. Over the years it did "pho" out of favor with us (sorry, I couldn't help it) but, at least for me I replaced the pho with the banh mi bo kho which was was my favorite version in San Diego. I was quite excited at the possibility of having the bo kho so I headed over the first chance I had.
Man, they've done a pretty nice job renovating the interior.
Being used to the "old" Pho Lucky, I was a bit taken aback when I was greeted with a smile and lead to my table. Everyone was quite pleasant.
I was given a menu…and sadly, there was no bo kho on it. When I asked, I was told that "maybe it might be added in the future". For now; it's almost all pho. So, since I was going to get the pho, I went with a small bowl of the #3 ($10.95)….which used to be the #4 in the good old days, the well done flank, brisket, tendon, and tripe….which they spell as "stripe" on the menu.
One left over procedure from before is the delivery of utensils and napkins in a basket.
What was totally different from days of yore, is that metal bowls are now used to serve the pho.
In terms of appearance, the broth wasn't cloudy if a bit overly defatted.
In terms of flavor, I took a quick sip of the broth just as it was delivered and…..sigh…..just slightly beefy and it had that feature of "San Diego Pho"…..the broth was overly sweet and quite thin.
I was glad to see not one, but two leaves of ngo gai….I must have hit the jackpot!
I then went to check the noodles….and sigh number two….it was in a clump in the bottom of the bowl.
I did notice something interesting as I went to add the bean sprouts to my pho. It was studded with ice! I guess this is what keeps those sprouts fresh and crisp? Not a great move to add to your pho though…..
As for the proteins….well, the two items I really enjoy were on the endangered list. The tendon was nice and tender; but only two small slices, and only two little wisps of tripe. I guess they might have a "two per customer" limit? The flank was decently tender and quite beefy, while the brisket was on the drier side.
Sadly, the noodles were mushy.
And sad kind of sums my feeling; though I did feel a bit out of sorts. When I thought about things, I wondered when was the last time I actually dined in and had pho…it was in March of 2020! Before the pandemic. Keep in mind that we have over 145 pho related posts. Geez, it had been so long. I'll give Lucky a "pass" this time around and drop by in a couple of months to see what's up.
Meanwhile, I need to drop by Duyen Mai, after all….
Pho Lucky
9326 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126
Have a great week everyone!
