Chào XO (National City)

Recently, the Missus wanted Her Cheesecake fix from Her favorite place. So, I drove on down to National City. Upon arriving at the normally chaotic Bay Plaza off Plaza Boulevard I was shocked at how much parking was available. Then I quickly noticed that both Big Lots and Joann Fabrics had closed down! 

Since I made the drive down; I decided to grab some lunch. Of course Golden Chopsticks was calling to me, or even Porky's Lechon.

But then I saw this place.

Looked fairly new. I don't recall seeing it before? So, I decided to check it out.

Hmmm….though the name made it seem like a Vietnamese Restaurant; there's a poster of Pad Thai in the window.

The interior is quite lovely and bright.

And even though there was a short wait to be seen and seated; the young lady working was so sweet.

And even though the set-up looked fairly routine…..

But the menu is a whole 'nother story. Yes there's pho….but there's also Birria, Ceviche, the afore mentioned Pad Thai, "Shaken" Saltado (I'm assuming something like Bo Luc Lac), Mushroom Rice, and even a version of Kare Kare? So, I decided to order something "fusiony" and something more in line with Vietnamese cuisine…….like some pho.

As for that Anthony Bourdain Pho; well, I'd heard of a place in Irvine, that makes a bowl of pho inspired by Anthony Bourdain…and it seems like this is a copy? Sup Noodle Bar also makes a version of Lomo Saltado…so I'm thinking….. Anyway, I wasn't ordering that. I'm still haunted by the Missus coincidentally ordering what Bourdain ate for his last meal at Wistub de la Petite Venise in Colmar and hearing about folks wanting to see where he committed suicide in Kaysersberg when we visited the Alsace in the winter of 2018.

For my "fusiony" dish; I decided on trying the Spicy Birria Dumplings ($14).

Which came with some consomme.

 Well, this was a miss in my book. The "dumplings" seemed like fried frozen chicken gyoza you'd get at the market. Cardboardish wrappers, salty – chewy filling.

The birria was mild in terms of complex beefy-smoky-spicy tones (in spite of being warned that it was "spicy" by the nice young lady), it was stringy and chewy. Just not good eats. 

 To me; the best part of this dish was the consomme, not because it had the complex, beefy-savory tones of a good consomme; but because it at least had some decent flavor. Though, it really tasted like "San Diego sweet" pho broth with some birria and beef flavoring. Perhaps this is what the "Birria Pho" on the menu tastes like?

I also ordered the Combo Pho ($17.25), which was noted to be the "Chef Choice" on the menu. First out was the rather sparse plate of sprouts, basil, lime, and jalapeno.

I anticipated a rather small portion of these; but the basil was also starting to turn black as well.

As for the pho…..

   The broth had an abundance of cilantro and scallions which was good. It was very clear, though not seriously defatted. It did lack a definite beefiness and the anise tones I enjoy. As is typical of much of the pho in San Diego, it had that somewhat sweet background to it, in addition to being a bit too salty.

There was an abundance of protein; with the pleasantly crunchy tripe taking first prize and the slightly beefy and somewhat tender flank taking a close second.

The noodles were severely overcooked and in a large mushy mass at the bottom of the bowl.

A fairly mediocre bowl of pho….though perhaps my good friend Xiāngjiāo, who dined here the day after this visit said about the pho; "well it's edible….."

And so, in this day and age with the high prices, if it was just a mediocre meal; I would have let it pass and not done another visit. But this was less than that and I felt bad. So, with the Missus in need of another cheesecake, I headed back down to Bay Plaza. And yes, I decided to do another visit.

This time; I wanted to try the wings; and the nice young lady working this lunch time recommended the Kare Curry.

So, I got things started with the Fried Chicken Wings ($13); I picked the Salt and Pepper version.

 This was comprised of five pieces; two huge drumettes, and three "flats". The seasoning was quite good, some spice, perhaps a bit too much MSG, but I enjoyed it.

The flats were tender and moist; but because of the large size; the drummettes were tough and dry.

On another note; the wings were coated with a lacquer style, crisp batter. Two of the pieces were crisp and light; one had all the coating falling off, and as you notice in the comparison shot below; two of the pieces were not fried enough and the batter was soft and soggy. Still, this was the best item I had during my two visits.

The nice young lady recommended that I get the pork belly with the Kare Curry ($21), which arrived with a bowl of rice.

Looking at the dish; something Xiāngjiāo said quickly came to mind. She had visited with her family and ordered a variety of dishes. She noted that none of the dishes ordered even vaguely resembled the photos in the menu. I actually took a look at the menu and that typical "photos are for reference only" was not to be seen. Anyway, this difference was quite obvious with the Kare Curry.

  Not to belabor the statement; but the color is totally different! As for the dish itself? Well, the sauce/stew was super thick; way too thick, lacking in the nice smooth creaminess of kare kare. Coconut milk had been added and this was overly sweet for my taste. Think of getting a jar of peanut butter and throwing in some coconut milk…..this lacked a satisfying savoriness for me.

The rice was on the dry side, but fine.

The bok choy and the green beans were decently stir fried; but the eggplant was undercooked for my taste.

And finally, the pork belly…sigh. The slices of pork belly were fried before putting in the dish and even though the pork flavor came thru nicely were tough and rubbery.

Well, what to say….perhaps to paraphrase Xiāngjiāo, "well, it's edible…" But after spending nearly $90 for two lunches, well…..at least the service was very nice and friendly. And I am actually glad to have given the place two tries.

Chào XO
1420 E Plaza Blvd.
National City, CA 91950
Current Hours:
Thurs – Tues 11am – 8pm
Closed on Wednesday