**** Phuong Nga Bakery and Cafe is now Banh Mi Express
During my last takeout visit from La Miche, I slowly pulled out of the parking lot taking a look across the street. Banh Mi Bakery and Café had been closed since……I dunno; March? And I was wondering what was going on with the spot. To my surprise there was a new sign up…..I did a double and triple take and then returned the following week to check the place out.
The name looked quite familiar, could it be???
So, on the way home to check on Frankie I stopped by and the place was open. The bakery cases left over from Banh Mi Bakery and Café now sit empty….though the now ubiquitous social distancing floor sign is there.
Of course, before I even ordered was, "is this place affiliated with Phuong Nga in City Heights?" To which the young man working said, "yes, same owners as the place next to Vien Dong Market."
I quickly looked over the menu….and sorry to say no Bun Rieu or Banh Cuon. Here it's all about the Banh Mi and Goi Cuon, with some rice dishes thrown in.
The young man told me that the bread for the banh mi is made on the site; much like it was for Banh Mi Bakery and Café. So, I just went ahead and ordered the "Special" (aka Dac Biet – $5.59). The bag with my sandwich felt pretty hefty.
And while in these photos the banh mi looks pretty much like most others; it was stuffed.
The bread was a lot crustier and a bit more dense than typical banh mi; but not in a bad way. These folks love their jalapenos as the two long, fairly thick slices span the length of the bread. Tons of pickled daikon and carrot as well. I didn't care much for the super thick stems of the cilantro.
Of course you're wondering about the filling, right? Well lookie here…..there's a double layer of everything.
It was, perhaps, a bit too much meat. But I did enjoy the thick layer of funky-earthy pate and would have just enjoyed the banh mi with that. This is quite a bargain for five bucks and change. And it really wasn't a gringo/fusion banh mi.
So, of course I decided to return and get the Banh Mi with Cha Lua and Pate.
The banh mi this time around was a bite lighter, though still crusty, but less chewy, making for a better sandwich.
Man, check out those huge slices of jalapeno. There's no "banh mi jalapeno roulette" going on here….it's literally in your face.
I was actually a bit disappointed in this sandwich as this time around; there was barely a smear of pate. Cha Lua, the pork roll was mild in flavor and a good smear of pate really helps to lift things.
The cilantro was better this time; no tough stems. There's still a generous amount of pickled veggies……but with not enough pate and the mild cha lua, things were really thrown out of balance. Like I always say, a good banh mi is about proportion….ratios are so important. It wasn't a bad banh mi by any means; but it's not something I'd return for.
I decided on one last visit to try other items on the menu. Since the other locations of Phuong Nga are known for their Banh Cuon; I thought I'd order the Tau Hu Ky; the bean curd skin wrapped shrimp paste on rice. I also ordered a couple of Goi Cuon Tom Thit; the basic shrimp and pork spring rolls. Again the bag felt pretty heavy. And upon bringing out the Com Tau Hu Ky…..
My first thought was, "man, that's a lot of rice". Which was a bit of an understatement as I could barely finish half of it.
Part of it probably had to do with the five small slices of bean curd wrapped shrimp paste; which was on the bland side. The nuoc mam cham was a bit too sweet as well. On the positive side; the bean curd skin had held up fairly well and was still crisp.
And then of course; that egg….which was actually my favorite item.
As is the m.o. with the banh mi; there were two thick and long slices of jalapeno and a ton of pickled veggies. So, I guess you can eat the rest of the rice with that?
As for the spring rolls. Well, these were some of the heftiest I've ever dealt with. It should have come with a warning sign, "contents under pressure".
Being huge and thick however is not the best thing when it comes to spring rolls.
As with banh mi, goi cuon depends on ratios and proportion as well. If this spring roll did actually explode; you would have been hit with "lettuce shrapnel" as it was basically one giant salad with some bun, perhaps a single leaf of mint. The pork and the very bland, overcooked shrimp was just window dressing in this case. The wrapper seemed more sticky than usual…perhaps it was trying to fend off all that lettuce?
In the end; I did enjoy that first banh mi; even if it was on the hefty side; the bread on my second visit was really good….there are places in San Diego who make their own banh mi and one of them especially makes a mealy-crumbly bread. 
That egg was so good….I wish they made a banh mi op la; a fried egg banh mi…maybe I'll ask next time. On my last visit, an older Vietnamese gentleman ordered three banh mi…….all grilled beef; so maybe I need to try that next. The prices are good, the portion sizes as well. So there's reason for me to return…..especially if they load on the pate like they did with that first sandwich.
Now….if they'd start serving Bun Rieu………one can always dream, can't they?
Phuong Nga Bakery and Cafe
9353 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. Suite H1
San Diego, CA 92123
