Pho Tan

Life is kind of interesting, sometimes things just happen. A good friend, who shall remain nameless….you'll soon see why, had recommended a place for Jiaozi……which based on previous experience I wasn't too keen on, after all, I'd been to the short lived location once and never did a post. Still, because I was going to be in the area, I decided to drop by. Unfortunately, or more perhaps, fortunately, the place was closed.

Well, perhaps this time my timing was good, right? After all, I wasn't looking for alternate sources of protein on this day.

But, it was time for an early lunch, and I had a place on my list, which "FOY" SDJulie mentioned in the comments on my last post on Pho Duyen Mai. I thought it was just the right place at the right time.

Pho Tan. I think this used to be Pho Poway, or something like that? Anyway, I walked on in; the shop was fairly empty except for a couple of folks doing takeout.

I was guided to a table. Thankfully, unlike what Julie had experienced and mentioned, the AC was working well on this day.

The young lady working was very nice. I looked over the menu and in the end decided to get good 'ol #17, the pho with well done flank, brisket, tendon, and tripe ($14.50).

Soon enough a rather sparse plate of sprouts and basil was delivered to my table.

And then a rather large bowl of pho was delivered. I wasn't expecting it to be so large!

  First thing I noticed was how dark the broth was. Second thing was what was slightly submerged. Good lord, it was a huge slice of brisket! Unfortunately, it was too thick, and ended up being very chewy.

The scalding broth had a hint of that "San Diego sweetness" that pho seems to have here, but it wasn't overwhelming. It was super hot, not overly salty, with a hint of beefiness. Not bad at all.

 I had to kind of take my time since that broth was super hot, so I'm not sure if it contributed to the noodles, being delivered in the typical clump on the bottom of the bowl, being on the mushy side.

I was surprised to see so much tripe and tendon in this bowl; along with all that chewy flank, this was a meat lover's dream bowl. Sadly, the tripe seemed not cooked long enough, and like that brisket, was super tough. Think of trying to chew on rubber bands.

The flank while being a bit chewy was not as tough as the brisket and had some nice beefiness. Based on all of the other proteins in the bowl, I expected the tendon to be hard and crunchy, but it was quite tender.

Overall, I'd say it measures up well to just about anything I can get in Kearny Mesa. I'd gladly return in an instant for a revisit if it wasn't almost a 50 mile round trip for me. The folks working seem to be very nice. As it stands, I'm glad I checked the place out and will be sure to return to try other things on the menu; i.e. the Banh Mi Bo Kho, when I'm in the area.

After all, I won't be getting dumplings in that other shop anytime soon!

Pho Tan
12316 Poway Rd.
Poway, CA 92064
Current Hours:
Wed – Mon 10am – 830pm
Closed on Tuesday

Thanks for reminding me about this place Julie!