Pho Cow Cali Express (Mira Mesa) and Pho Hiep and Grill (Linda Vista) Revisited

I mentioned in my post on Pho Hoa that I needed to start doing my "pho-raging rounds" again. And the recent rather chilly weather seemed like a reminder that I needed to keep my word. So, I managed two revisits last week. My impressions were rather interesting.

Pho Cow Cali Express (Mira Mesa):

Man, has it been nearly seven years since my last visit to "Da Cow"? Man, does time fly! The main catalyst for my revisit to Cow Cali were the huge lines I saw during my two visits to Mom Kitchen. Sheesh! Keeping that in mind, I timed my weekday visit for an early lunch at 10am.

And there was no line. The host stand with the "please wait to be seated" sign is something that wasn't there before. I'm guessing it's probably due to the crazy lines?

Even though I could see that the restaurant was fairly empty, I decided to wait. Then two young guys walked up and basically brushed me aside and just walked into the restaurant….. Sigh…you gotta love manners these days, right? Anyway, the gentleman saw me waiting and waved me in before the two rude dudes. One of them gave me the finger and I just smiled…..

Like on my previous visits; I just stuck with a small #4. I was shocked when my order came out in less than four minutes!!! Do we have a new contender for the "fastest pho in the west"? Perhaps this is why they added the "Express" to the name?

    First thing I noticed was how "clear" the broth was. Second thing was how the basil was starting to brown. Well, at least there was some ngo gai, a rarity these days it seems. I enjoy the more intense the peppery-cilantro-ish-slightly bitter flavor it provides. Even this leaf was starting to go south as well; I could use most of it. 

   As for the broth…can you say MSG water? With a dose of that sweetness that has been pervading pho in San Diego over the last decade or so. The soup was quite thirst inducing; or perhaps I'm just more sensitive to the stuff as I get older?

Which led me to wonder why the lines during certain times of the day? I think it's because of the proteins. I enjoyed the crunchy tripe. The tendon was not cooked to the soft, almost creaminess I enjoy, but was still good. The flank was nice and beefy, along with being fairly tender.

   There was a good amount of meat in this "small bowl". So perhaps that's the calling card?

The noodles were in the typical clump at the bottom of the bowl; but the portion was plentiful, and it was perfectly prepared, not hard nor overly mushy.

This gave me a more clear understanding of my preferences when it comes to pho. I guess for me, the soup is the most important. 

The service was much better than I recall it being before.

Pho Cow Cali Express
9170 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126 

Pho Hiep and Grill (Linda Vista):

During my meal at Pho Hoa, wondered how Pho Hiep and Grill, which is in the same strip mall was doing. It had been over six years since my last visit and even longer since I last had a bowl of pho here. So, I decided to drop by, again for an early lunch.

I was surprised to see how busy the parking lot was at 930 on a weekday! 

The restaurant itself was pretty sedate at least compared to Pho Hoa which I drove past in the parking lot.

I ordered the #4 here as well. And within a few minutes the herbs and veggies arrived. I was pleasantly surprised with how fresh and plentiful everything was. And yes there was ngo gai here as well….heck, Pho Hoa had none on my last visit!

And soon later the soup arrived.

  The soup, while being a bit overly defatted had some beefiness, mild anise-oniony tones, while it still had that "San Diego" sweet flavor. It wasn't overly salty. This was better than I recall having on previous visits.

The noodles were in the typical clump at the bottom of the bowl and a bit under cooked.

    The proteins, while not as well prepared as "da cow" were fine, though there was no tendon to be found! The flank and brisket were cut a bit on thicker side, but the beefiness came through. The tripe was a bit more "hard" than crunchy.

Still, in contrast to my expectations, I preferred this bowl to what I'd had at Cow Cali and might have even enjoyed it more than Pho Hoa! What the pho???? Again, perhaps I put too much emphasis on the broth.

Pho Hiep & Grill
6947 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

I actually enjoyed this comparison, though the results were not quite what I thought they'd be. It could be that I had chosen the "right day" for one and a "bad day" for the other?

What do you think?