Pho and Wings aka Pho Nam Cali 2 (Scripps Ranch)

While having lunch with Calvin at Hong Kong Kitchen & Dim Sum…well, our conversation veered, as it always does, into food. Among the places he mentioned to me was his new go-to pho shop in his neighborhood of Scripps Ranch. Called Pho and Wings. It’s in walking distance so he can head there during his WFH (Work From Home) days or even during certain evenings. I’d never heard of the place; so I looked it up when I got back home. After doing that search thing, I found that the place has an “alias” of Pho Nam Cali 2…… I’d heard of Pho Nam Cali in National City, so I’m thinking this is their second shop? Perhaps listing chicken wings to tempt other folks in? I liked that they open at 10am, so headed on over on a Sunday morning.

The shop is located in one of those numerous strip malls…this one has a location of Mickey D’s, Von’s, Starbucks, along with a couple of, I believe non-chain places as well.

The interior is bright and colorful….and I do mean bright and colorful!

The menu was completely in English. The woman working was so sweet and mellow. I simply ordered the House Special Pho ($16.99). I believe there are sometimes clues as to a place’s typical customer base. Like, I’m Asian, ordered pho, and still got a fork delivered to my table.

I did get a mild beefy-pungent fragrance when the bowl of pho arrived, a good sign.

The amount of sprouts and basil was typical for many places these days…rather sparse. But at least it looked quite fresh.

The broth had that typical “San Diego sweet – sodium blast” flavor, though it did have a mild beefiness. It did register as being a bit thin in terms of tongue feel as it was seriously defatted.

The noodles were in a serious clump at the bottom of the bowl. And, in an interesting change of pace, seriously undercooked. You can tell how stiff they are in the photo.

Well, I’m used to over cooked mushy noodles….undercooked, is a new one for me!

The rare steak was very lean and chewy, as was the flank. There was a serious lack of flavor as well.

I did appreciate the tripe, which was nice and crunchy. There was quite a bit of it as well.

Overall, an ok bowl of pho. Nothing to go out of your way for and there’s much better to be found in Mira Mesa.

Still, that woman was so sweet and kind. She kept making sure my water was refilled. And, since the place is named Pho and Wings…well, I had to try the wings, right? So, a couple of weeks later I returned.

Same really sweet woman was working. I was going to get the wings for sure.

But I needed to order something else as well. I looked over the menu and decided on the Beef Salad ($9). This is what arrived.

Iceberg lettuce, cherry tomato, and cucumbers, topped with a mildly marinated, but fairly tender stir fried beef. Very typical soy based flavor. A fairly typical sesame dressing, kind of on the watery side. My favorite part of the salad were the fried shallots, nice and slightly crisp, with that sweet-pungent onion like flavor.

I really didn’t expect Bo Tai Chanh, so I wasn’t disappointed. And at least this seemed a bit healthy and was somewhat refreshing……

Because the Fried Chicken Wings ($10.99) were up next.

The menu says “crispy” which this was not. It’s lightly breaded, but not crisp, more chewy and gets soggy quickly. Simply seasoned, that sesame dressing was provided here as well.

The meat of the flats was moist and fairly tender. The drumettes were really tough and chewy. The flavor was simple and nothing really stood out. Except that super jumbo and really chewy drumette.

I’m thinking that this is ok neighborhood pho; the woman working is wonderful, but the pho and especially the wings are nothing special. In other words, if I’m on the 15 North I’m taking the exit before Scripps Poway Parkway….that would be Mira Mesa, for my pho fix.

Pho and Wings-Pho Nam Cali 2
10549 Scripps Poway Pkwy.
San Diego, CA 92131
Current Hours:
Daily 10am – 9pm