Pho – Page 14 – mmm-yoso

Some Revisits: 777 Noodle House, Pho Hoa Huong, Sandwich Emporium, and more……

August 1, 2010 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Pho, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

Just some revisits, mostly in photos…..

777 Noodle House:

We’ve visited a couple of times since returning from China. We’ve posted on these dishes in our previous posts. The Missus still enjoys the Thai Style Seafood Fried Rice ($6.77):

There are several dishes that are bargains, one of them is the Egg Noodle Soup with Duck Leg, just $4.77.

The broth seems to be getting even better, not overly salty, but with a nice almost seafood influenced broth.

The duck leg, is fairly small, but for under five bucks I’ll take it. On this last visit it was nicely crisped, and I’ll use whatever sweet-soy is left over and pour that into my soup.

For more info check out my previous posts.

777 Noodle House
4686 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105

Pho Hoa Huong:

Man, it’s been a long time since I last visited the “fastest Pho in the West” (not necessarily in a good way). But my last two bowls from Pho Hiep and Grill in the same strip mall had been quite weak. I’ve gotten used to Pho inconsistency here in San Diego, but two in a row was a sign to visit elsewhere.

It’s been so long since I last visited that they’ve gone and changed the dining room furniture, from the red cheapo dining room looking furniture, to something looking more…. like wood….

In terms of service, not much has changed….. much like Pho Hoa on ECB, the menu that’s “dealt” out to your table is pretty much an afterthought. As soon as you sit, someone hovers over you….. as if you should know what to order before even looking at the menu. But what the heck, if it’s good enough for Hanoi, it’s good enough for here, right?

I got the Flank, Brisket, Tripe, and Tendon……which has gone up a measly 15 cents in three years.

On this day, there was no “Ngo Gai for me”…. I asked and they didn’t understand me at first, then they understood, but ignored me…… finally I was told, “no more today…” To add insult to injury, the bean sprouts were getting a bit on in age.

As for the bowl….. the broth was not half bad, mild anise-clove with a beefy finish. Also, it was not too salty. In previous visits, the broth had always been on the dark side, but not today. It was still on the cloudy side. The super quick arrival usually means that the noodles here were sometimes not ready for consumption when they arrive, but today they were perfect. The meat was ok, the flank was decent, as was the brisket. There was one tiny strip of tripe, which actually tasted good. The tendon was on the hard side for my tastes.

Overall, not bad, and I always dig the metal chopsticks….

One of these days I gotta time these guys again, and see if I can get a bowl in under three minutes, which was the old record for this place.

Pho Hoa-Huong Restaurant
6921 Linda Vista Rd
San Diego, CA 92111

Open Daily 8am – 8pm

Sandwich Emporium…. yet again:

My good “FOY” TammyC hit it on the nose when she told me this shop always smells like bacon frying…… it must be some savvy marketing move. Nothing fancy here, just solid sandwiches. Of course, smelling bacon means you have to order something with bacon. Like the Club House Melt:

I’d still like to know what my FOY’s go-to neighborhood sandwich shops are (I still need to check out Royal Mart Lynnea), and what I should order. I’m thinking that’ll be a nice post!

Sandwich Emporium
3054 1/2 Clairemont Dr
San Diego, CA 92117

After having the coldest July since 1916 here in San Diego, things seem to be warming up. Perhaps I’ll be transitioning from Pho to Banh Mi soon….. and eating stuff like this:

From you know where……

Pho Tay Do

July 26, 2010 mmm-yoso Pho

*** Pho Tay Do is now Pho DaKao and Grill

Weather sure has been a roller coaster ride the last couple of weeks. Roasting hot one weekend, gloomy the next, and even a day when it sprinkled, in July! Mornings have been on the chilly side, then the sun will break through the marine layer, and we'll have bright sunshine during the afternoons. On a recent weekend morning it was cool enough for me to consider having some Pho. I'd recently received an email from "DavidL" who mentioned that Pho Thanh, right before 54th and University was under "new management". Now, I don't recall ever getting emails from DavidL, so of course I wondered if he was part of the "new management"? However, it was a very nice, email, short, sweet, and to the point, so I figured, why not…….

Other then the sign, the place look basically the same. And I was greeted immediately as I entered. I was given a menu, and water was immediately delivered to my table. I recalled that Pho Thanh had pretty decent service with regards to Pho restaurants, and so far it was going fairly well.

I had my sights set on Pho, but was waylaid on the way to my table by a gentleman digging into a decent looking bowl of Bun Mang Vit – Duck and Bamboo Shoot Noodle Soup ($7.45), and I decided to go with that.

This was a fairly nice looking Bun Mang Vit……

The soup itself was fairly mild, not enough bamboo to add that nice earthiness to the soup I enjoy. It had a decent amount of saltiness. There was a mild duck flavor to the soup, and later I fished out two pieces of chopped duck wing from the broth, which explains that.

I did enjoy the noodles which had just the right amount of "pull" and weren't over-cooked or too "sticky".

The duck was decently prepared, perhaps a bit on the dry side. Here they try to give you more meat, and less bony parts.

i'd say the portion of duck was about right for Bun Mang Vit in San Diego. Under the duck was a pile of mostly thinly sliced cabbage, topped with fried shallots and peanuts. There wasn't enough Rau Ram (Vietnamese Coriander) for my tastes, but then again, I enjoy the flavor of Rau Ram.

The sauce here is the same as what I recalled Pho Thanh served, sweet-salty-garlic, with a more pronounced ginger flavor than other places.

In what was a really nice touch, the young lady working brought me another bowl of sauce halfway through my meal. Not quite in the league of Chinese Kitchen, but good enough for second place…. which is kinda where Pho Thanh was.

It may not be the best, but I did enjoy my meal, so I decided to return and check out the Pho. On my previous visit, I glanced at what other folks were eating, and determined that the rare steak here is the usual very lean, and very dry top round. I'm still waiting for Filet Mignon Pho to arrive in San Diego! So I ordered the large (since it is just 50 cents more than the small), Pho with well done brisket, flank, tendon, and tripe ($6):

The garnishes were on the skimpy side, though nowadays I'm a bit more spartan. I'm not looking to create a salad in my soup. I had just enough Ngo Gai (culantro) to add some pepperiness, and basil to add a touch of the almost anise flavor that I prefer. This was pretty straight forward, low oil, mildly beefy broth. In my old age, I've noticed that saltiness affects me a bit more, so I've come to depend on the trusty lime to add a bit of acid to temper the saltiness of the broth. If there was anything that stood out about this broth, it would be the distinct flavor of charred scallions and shallots.

The noodles were in the classic "clump in the bottom of the bowl", and were overcooked and mushy.

As for the meats, the flank cuts were abundant, and pretty good, not to dry, nor were the fatty portions too tough. The brisket was in shreds and were hard to fish out, and a piece of tripe was a rare thing indeed. The tendon was too hard… though strangely, I'm ok with tendon served this way in my Bun Bo Hue, but expect more in my Pho.

Again the service was pretty good, they refilled my water without asking…..

I'm not so sure that there been much of a change from Pho Thanh, though that may not be a bad thing. The Pho was passable, and the Bun Mang Vit pretty good.

Pho Tay Do
5296 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Open Daily 8am – 9pm

Pho Fusion

April 6, 2010 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

During a recent dinner with Cathy and Ed from Yuma (we missed you Tina!), Cathy mentioned that a Pho shop had opened in place of the former Fusion Tea and Boba place, which I understood made some pretty good Boba, but I was never a big fan of the food. I recently had a pretty long day, and found myself in the area one evening, so I decided to check it out.

When I saw the sign, and read the "welcome back" message, I had to chuckle. I guess Madonna's not the only one reinventing themselves. Boba and snack shop not doing well….. go with the Pho. It's now called Pho Fusion…. which if you mispronounce it, could be Pho Pho-sion, or Fu-Fu sion. Some newer furniture, and nice coat of paint, and a menu featuring more mainstream Vietnamese dishes, and Pho Fusion is born.

There are still most, if not all the various slushies and Boba drinks, and a few of the older dishes are still around, but the menu features Pho, Bun, and Com (rice) dishes.

A regular bowl of Pho will set you back $5.49, with a larger bowl going for $6.29. I ordered the #15 brisket, flank, tendon, marbled flank, and crunchy flank (which is basically the thick and chewy connective tissue pieces of flank).

The garnishes were on the skimpy side, but very fresh. The bowl was fairly small as well.

I was ready to be underwhelmed, and yet, the broth was pretty good. Nice anise tones, light beef flavor, it wasn't bad. I also thought of my FOY, and fellow food blogger Dennis, who wants to Nuoc Beo everything in sight. This is one bowl that could make good use of some rendered beef tallow to add richness and oil, as it was very light. The various cuts of meat need some work, as the flank cuts were pretty dry and bland, though the tendon was decent if not quite done the way I prefer. This turned out to be a rather pleasant surprise……..

I used to grab a snack at the old Fusion once in a while, even if I didn't care for most of what they served. The folks were always very nice to me, friendly and helpful, and sometimes that's all you need. The one dish that seemed to get better with time was the Popcorn Chicken ($3.99).

Or maybe I just changed….. Basically pieces of dark meat chicken, in what seems like a corn starch based batter, served with a mildly spicy mayo… or if you want to be fancy, an "aioli". When good, it's crisp and hot. When bad, it's crumbly and bland. It also doesn't hold up for very long. It's not overly salty, and I do wish there was something more going on; perhaps garlic tones, or some sweetness, but hey, it's fried chicken.

Today it did just fine.

I was perfectly happy with my meal, and as always the folks here have always been pleasant. I was thinking that maybe I'd try the Banh Mi here again….. well, maybe not, but who knows.

Right now there's a Grand Opening, or perhaps it should be a sorta Grand re-opening special with free drinks with your meal.

Pho Fusion
8038 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Convoy/Clairemont Pho Revisits: Pho T Cali, Phuong Trang, and Convoy Noodle House

December 2, 2009 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

When I recently did a post on Pho in Rancho Bernardo, I received an email asking me about my pick for Pho in the Kearny Mesa area. To be honest, most of my Pho intake occurs to the South of Ulric street, or North of the 52 Freeway. I haven't had Pho in the Convoy area for at least a year, and that was at Convoy Noodle House……truth be told, it was a pretty good bowl. As with so much that happens here, your recommendations, questions, and requests, are the real ideas behind my posts….. I just provide the stomach! So, with my marching orders in hand, here are some updated visits to Pho T Cali, Phuong Trang, and Convoy Noodle House.

Before I get rolling, there's something I noticed with these places; first, the garnishes have dwindled, you'll need to request more basil, bean sprouts, etc……also, you'll never get Ngo Gai (culantro) delivered with your standard dish of garnishes. You can ask, I have, but that doesn't mean it'll be on hand. So here goes……

Pho T Cali:

**** Pho T Cali has closed

The favorite of many, for me, very MOR (middle of the road) Pho. In past visits, the Pho has lacked character, and I really didn't think things would be much different on this visit. The service was standard Pho shop, I'm pointed to my table, a menu dealt out like the ace of spades, and the gentleman is standing on top of me waiting for my order before I open the menu.

I went with the "Chín, nạm, gầu, gân, sách" (well done steak, flank, brisket, tendon, and tripe – $5.50).

Well what can I say…… the garnishes were fresh, but sparse. Check out the broth……..I think the beef flavoring was provided by "old Betsy" in the back of the place who exhaled on a pot of water. The broth was also very salty…… Funny thing was, I had a flashback of Pho I had in Hanoi, and not in a good way. In fact, that bowl from Pho Cuong was better than this.

The noodles were done well, and the brisket was tasty, though the flank lagged behind in flavor, and there was but one tiny piece of tendon in my bowl.

In the end, I decided to cut my losses………

Try as I might, I just couldn't bring myself to have another spoonful. No wonder I saw everyone dumping loads of hoisin and sriracha into their bowls. What the heck happened here? For those who eat here often, I hope, for the sake of your tastebuds, this was just a bad day.

Pho T Cali
7351 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Phuong Trang:

AKA "Vietnamese Denny's"….as a couple of folks I know call the place. Still, the food is consistent, and usually non-threatening. Actually, the older Gentleman serving me was the nicest and provided the most friendly service of the three places.

Here I went with the Flank and Brisket ($5.50):

Though still pretty light on the beef flavor, there were at least some clove and anise hints in the broth. The broth was also the least salty of the three places, it was funny, I could taste the difference in the flavor form each leaf of basil I added to the broth. Still, much to light for my tastes. The bean sprouts were brown and going South, so I asked the older Gentleman if I could get a replacement, which was done post-haste, and apologetically. As for the meats, the flank was cut too thick, it was dry, and tasteless. The brisket was a bit under-done, and could have been more tender.

When taking this photo, I decided to use another angle since I've always been accused of taking my Pho shots from the same angle….and sometimes even for using the same generic photo of a bowl oh Pho over and over…..

If you want "Pho not to offend", you can't go wrong with Phuong Trang……. They do ride that middle line in the road well here…..

Phuong Trang
4170 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Convoy Noodle House:

**** Convoy Noodle House has closed

This is the place I usually recommend in the area, but I hadn't eaten here in over a year. As with Pho T Cali, I ordered the "Chín, nạm, gầu, gân, sách" (well done steak, flank, brisket, tendon, and tripe - $5.15).

Even though the garnishes here were the most sparse, this bowl was my favorite by a mile. The broth was mildly beefy, with clove and anise over-tones that were smoothed out by a tiny squeeze of lime. It could have used perhaps a bit more oil, but it was pretty good. The noodles were perhaps a touch over-cooked, but edible. Of the meats, the brisket was over-done and crumbled everywhere, and the flank had good flavor but was tough. The look of the tendon lying on top of the bowl wasn't too promising, but it was very soft and almost melted in my mouth.

Funny thing, the cheapest bowl of Pho, turned out to be my favorite.

Convoy Noodle House
4647 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

So there you go……I'm sure all you "Pho-natics" out there have formed your own opinions……

Thanks for reading!

Pho in Rancho Bernardo – Pho Hoang Express and Pho Ca Dao & Grill

November 16, 2009 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

It's getting to be that time of year again…..the mid-morning and afternoons may still be warm, but the mornings are quite cool. Perfect for Pho. Though I've had recommendations for Pho Hoang in RB, I never thought of making a special trip North to RB. Until Pho Ca Dao opened a new branch just a stone's throw (if you were Roberto Clemente) away. So one recent cool morning, I bolted on my spare stomach, and made my way up the I-15 to Ranch Bernardo.

Pho Hoang Express:

Is located right off the Bernardo Center Drive exit. If you didn't know it was there, along with Spices Thai Cafe and Passage to India Restaurant, you'd think you'd be driving right past another business park.

The interior is on the dim side, and has an almost classic Vietnamese restaurant feel to it. From the simple tables and the spoon and chopstick stand, to the ubiquitous paintings of Halong Bay and a Hmong Woman and Baby scene. The service here is also classic….. you walk in, are pointed to a table, menu tossed on table, the guy stands waiting for you to order. Not rude, just no nonsense…..

Usually, I'll just order the special ("Dac Biet") when I eat at a new Pho shop, just to get a nice overview of the various meats. But I've really gotten tired of the same 'ol rare steak in San Diego, which is usually of low quality, dry, and tough. You can get it on the side if you want, but it really doesn't make much of a difference…..maybe if the meat was, say, Shabu-Shabu quality, a nice dunk might be great. But until I start seeing Filet Mignon Pho served in San Diego…..

I went with the #4 – well done steak, flank, brisket, tendon, and tripe ($5.70). In less then three minutes, my plate of garnishes, and my bowl of Pho made it's way to my table.

One large and one small (and withered) sprigs of basil, lime, a couple of slices of jalapeno, Ngo Gai (culantro…yay!), and maybe a half handful of bean sprouts. This is about right for San Diego nowadays. The Ngo Gai was fresh, and had that light, but slightly more anise cilantro like flavor. The bean sprouts reminded me of a funny encounter I observed at Pho Hiep and Grill. A Korean Gentleman was apparently trying to show off to the two women eating with him. He did the whole Neoc Beo, meat on the side, etc, etc…… running the poor Server crazy by not making his requests with his order, but piecemeal. And not in a very nice way as well. He did things in a very superior – narcissistic, "I'm the customer, and you'll serve me" kinda way. I specifically remember him telling the two women, "yeah, I eat Pho all the time, and this is how I roll….." Finally, when the garnishes arrive, he tells the very good natured young man to take his plate back. He wanted is bean sprouts "blanched". The Server was really accommodating, and trying to be friendly he told the young man, "oh, you have false teeth?" The Korean guy, "what….no, I have perfect teeth, no trouble!" The Server; "oh, because my mother and grandmother have no teeth, and they need to have their bean sprouts made that way….." The two girls started giggling, the Korean dude turned several shades of red, all the while the Server kept a straight face, with a look of total innocence. So I'm still not sure if he was getting a bit of revenge, or if he was dead serious…… It was funny though…. I guess "that's the way he rolls….."

Back to the Pho:

The broth was on the dark side, but clear. The flavor was mildly beefy, but lacked any good pronounced clove-anise tones, and could have been more savory. The noodles were bunched in the bottom of the bowl, SOP….. and were a bit overcooked and mushy.

There was a good amount of meat, the best being the tendon which was buttery and excellent. The brisket was cooked much to long; it had good flavor but had fallen into tiny pieces. The flank looked good, but had a slight "refrigerator" flavor.

Not a bad bowl, I've had much worse, the amount of meat was impressive. As in most Pho restaurants, everything happened pretty quickly, and I was out in 20 minutes.

Pho Hoàng Express
16425 Bernardo Center Dr
San Diego, CA 92128

Right up Bernardo Center Drive, taking a left on Rancho Bernardo Road, and I was at Pho Ca Dao.

Pho Ca Dao & Grill:

Open just two weeks at the time of the visit, Pho Ca Dao was much more well lit, and had folded the usual "Pho dining set" into kind of a shiny pseudo-tropical looking dining area.

The service here was much more friendly, though not as efficient in the "well oiled Pho machine" way of Pho Hoang. My water was even refilled three times during my meal! But as different as the two restaurants were, there was much in common. The prices looked the same, and the well done steak, flank, brisket, tendon, and tripe was item #4 here as well. And when my garnishes hit the table, it looked like the exact twin of what I had at Pho Hoang.

That's where the similarities ended, as this bowl of Pho looked totally different from Pho Hoang's version:

In fact, it was markedly different from the soup at Pho Ca Dao's El Cajon and Mira Mesa locations. The broth was very light and clear, with almost no oil. I got a spoon of the broth, and took a photo…. it's almost transparent.

The broth actually had more anise-onion-clove flavor than Pho Hoang's, but was much more salty, and obviously less beefy. The broth also did better with regards to being able to taste the couple of leaves of basil and Ngo Gai. The noodles were perfect, a bit of stretch, and a mild toothsomeness. The meat was on the sparse side, and even though some of my favorite tendon is served at Pho Ca Dao's ECB location, this wasn't even close. Actually, I thought the flank, though a bit chewy had the best overall flavor.

I was asked twice how things were. The service is bordering on Western in standards. Even with all of this, I was still out in 40 minutes. Very quick for lunch, maybe forever when it comes to having a quick bowl of Pho. The folks working here are attentive, and have obvious pride in their shiny new digs.

Pho Ca Dao & Grill
11808 Rancho Bernardo Rd
San Diego, CA 92128

So which do I prefer? I dunno, it's a toss-up. More meat, it Pho Hoang. Want a clean and sparkling restaurant? Pho Ca Dao. Dark broth, Pho Hoang, lighter broth Pho Ca Dao….. you get it. Half a dozen of one, six of the other. It's nice to have choices, isn't it?

Pho 888

March 19, 2009 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Pho 888 has closed

In my Pho Hiep and Grill post, "Joe" mentioned another Pho restaurant in Chula Vista named Pho 888. I'd had another email mentioning the restaurant back in January, so on the weekend before our Vegas trip, I took the drive down the I-5…took the H street exit, turned right on Broadway, there I was.

The interior belies the strange "giardi-ish green" color of the exterior. It is large and fairly clean.

In addition to the Pho at '888', both Joe and the email mentioned the Cha Gio (eggrolls), so I decided to get 3 pieces ($3.75, 5 pieces are $5.75). Man, Cha Gio ain't cheap eats no more, are they?

When these arrived I wasn't too thrilled. I prefer my Cha Gio to have the crisp and thin rice paper wrappers. The Nuoc Mam Cham (dipping sauce), though a tad on the sweet side was adequate, and provided a bit of heat. Not expecting much, I bit into one, and was pleasantly surprised….these weren't over-wrapped, and had a light, pleasant crunch to them. The filling wasn't too dense, and was moist and tender. Lot's of cloud ear fungus, and some, but not too much filler.

I was very pleasantly surprised, and couldn't wait for my bowl Pho (combination – small, $5.75) to arrive.

First things first. The garnishes were routine, fresh basil, limes, jalapenos, and bean sprouts. When I asked if they have Ngò gai, I was given a bit of a weird look, and the really nice young man told me they don't carry it. As much as the Cha Gio was a pleasant suprise, the Pho was a bit of a disappointment. It wasn't bad, the broth was much too "salty", and just a bit more beefy than the version at Pho La Jolla. This was a very "middle of the road" bowl of Pho, and the broth lacked any nuance.

The noodles were done right, not too mushy.

The meat was the biggest disappointment. I'm used to really dry Tai (rare beef) which this was, but the rest of it was dry and tasteless as well.

Too bad. I really like the Cha Gio, and the service was very friendly, the young man was quite nice. So perhaps this was an off day? I understand that the place will undergo a name change soon, I was told that it'll probably be called Pho Kim. Having the egg rolls made this visit "a wash", and I also found another place close by that I'll post on later.

Pho 888
635 Broadway St
Chula Vista, CA 91910

(619) 585-0886

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Pho Hiep and Grill

February 26, 2009 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

I mentioned this place waaay back in November 2007, but was never able to eat there for one reason or another. I found myself in the area fairly early during the recent rainy weather, and a nice bowl of Pho sounded great. So why not?

The interior is relatively dark, sleek, and modern. You can read more about it on FOY, Caninecologne's blog, here.

On this day, I went with the large bowl of "Chin Nam Gau Gan Sach"…..let's just call it "Brisket, Flank, Fatty brisket, Tendon and Tripe" shall we? At $6.95 it was a bit on the expensive side, but still not as pricey as a bowl in La Jolla.

The garnishes arrived, fresh, bright, and shiny. The quantity provided was more than adequate.

As with Pho Hoa Hiep in Linda Vista, the broth in this bowl is clear, and low in oil,and fairly light. The flavor of beef comes through fairly well, as does a mild clove-ainse flavor. The broth is also a bit darker than it's namesake in Linda Vista.

PhoHiep&Grill04

The noodles were routine, if a bit hard and undercooked, which was remedied by a further steeping. Undercooked is preferred to overcooked and mushy in my book anytime.

The meat ranged from pretty good (fatty brisket), to decent (tendon), to mediocre (the tough and dry flank), to non-existent (one tiny strand of tripe).

All in all, a decent bowl. If I lived in the area, I'd drop by for a bowl of lighter, low oil Pho. I think the Pho Hoa Hiep on Linda Vista is better(and closer to us, and cheaper), but this is a decent facsimile.

Service was decent, if a bit "sleepy"…..the folks looked really tired on this weekend morning. By the time I left folks were starting to move with a bit more conviction, and even smiling. So if you're in the area and craving some Pho, Pho Hiep and Grill may be the remedy.

Pho Hiep and Grill
539 Telegraph Canyon Rd
Chula Vista, CA 91910

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Road Trip: Pho Thanh Lich – Westminster (OC)

January 6, 2009 mmm-yoso Orange County, Pho, Road Trip, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Pho Thanh Lich in Westminster has closed

I'll be the first to admit that most of my Pho photos look the same. In fact, I've been accused of using a "stunt bowl" on occasion. Let me be very clear…. I have never, and will never use a "Pho double". Hopefully this time you'll know it wasn't just "any" bowl of Pho.

During a recent shopping trip to the "OC", I was in the mood for a bowl of Pho, and decided to stop in Westminster. In retrospect, I should've gotten the blessing of the "Don of Little Saigon", FOY Beach! But this was a last minute decision(and New Year's eve to boot!) on my part, so I'm hoping he'll forgive me. I arrived on Bolsa, the heart of Little Saigon at just about 10am, after seeing the my first option was not yet open, I headed up Brookhurst, and stopped at the corner of Bolsa and Hazard, at Pho Thanh Lich. It's one of a seemingly endless number of Pho shops in the area, and like many of them, shows signs of having a past……the facade indicates perhaps a Pizza joint?

From the fragrance of simmering beef and herbs, to the workers watching a Vietnamese variety show, all things felt right…. as did the requisite slightly sticky tables.

Funny, I took several photos of the interior but the only one that came out was this weird one. It happened when I placed my camera on the table, and accidentally snapped a photo. Go figure; so much for my photographic capabilities.

After several years, and many bowls of Pho in San Diego, I've lowered my expectations with regards to rare beef(Tai). It is usually dry and tough Beef Eye of the Round. I used to get the meat on the side, but to me the difference was minimal and not worth the effort. As they say you "can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear". When ordering Pho at a shop I haven't been to before, I still order the rare steak, but I've set my bar very low. Such is not the case at Pho Thanh Lich. Why?

That my friends is Filet Mignon. For me, you need to order it rare and on the side. The prices here are not bargain basement. The regular bowl, with Filet costs $6. You want the beef on the side, add 50 cents. The young lady who served me was a joy, nervous, and I think new on the job, she led me to my table, and while having some difficulties with my order; she told me, "I so sorry, only Freshman….." Which I took to mean she was new at this….. and any attempts at ordering in butchered Vietnamese would probably only confuse things.

The herbs soon arrived, sparkling fresh. Not the largest portion I've ever had, but very fresh, especially the Ngo Ngai (Culantro, Saw Leaf Herb). Along with soup, it made a nice "family photo":

The broth was interesting, beefy, with a strong ginger/galangal flavor. The broth wasn't the clearest I've had, though not very dark.

Someone once told me this place had very oily broth. I didn't find this to be the case, it seemed to have a decent amount of oil, giving it a nice richness, and I didn't find it to be overly salty(MSG).

I found the noodles to be bit overcooked and mushy. The other cuts of meat, especially the brisket was full of flavor. I had also been told that the brisket and flank here, tastes "offal". All I tasted was a good beefiness.

One more thing; the broth came scortching hot. The better for this:

Very mild in flavor (the brisket will take care of that), but it melted in my mouth.

And a little dessert as well.

Overall, this was an enjoyable bowl. It is not a "meat-fest", but in my opinion does well in the flavor department. The Older Woman manning the register, even smiled at me, and told me "thank you, come again." I think I will. I still have Pho Kimmy in my sights, but did not feel shortchanged by eating here. And you can tell, no "stunt bowl" right?

Pho Thanh Lich
14500 Brookhurst St.
Westminster, CA 92683

Why the regular bowl instead of the large? Well, I wanted to squeeze in one more "snack" before heading home from Orange County.

Our Revised Rotation – What is yours?

December 18, 2008 mmm-yoso Pho, Thai Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

So finally…… I've revised our "Rotation Page". And removed a few places, a few because they've closed down (Sammys and Mo's), and one because, well, we hardly go there anymore (Mama's - which may make a comeback when the weather gets a bit warmer).

In place of those 3, I've added 2.

**** Pho Lucky is under new ownership.

First, folks keep asking about my favorite Pho shop. And my quick response is Pho Lucky.

There are places that have better tendon and places that have better overall meat, and on any given day there are several places that can do a great job. But for my money, I enjoy Pho Lucky. In fact, when FOY (Friend of Yoso) the "CAB" asked about my favorite bowl of Pho, I was quick to recommend Pho Lucky. You can read about her experience in this post.

I also enjoy the Banh Mi Bo Kho(Vietnamese Beef Stew w/Baguette) here as well. But on one recent visit with Cathy and Ed from Yuma, I was less than pleased. So before doing this post, I (well the weather helped me to) decided to have the beef stew again.

On my visit with Ed and Cathy, I found the beef to be tough, and the broth to be lacking in flavor. On this visit, everything was as I remembered. Hopefully, that was just an off day. The bread itself is unremarkable, I'm pretty sure they get it from Le Chef, as I've seen tags from their packages lying around. Still, I enjoy the beef stew here.

So if you hold my feet to the fire, I'd have to recommend:

Pho Lucky
9326 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126

**** This location of Sab E Lee has closed

And of course, Sab E Lee would have to be added. We've been eating there at least once a week. I still go for most of the larb and salad style dishes. Like the Larb Pet (Duck Larb):

Recently, I got to sample a new addition to the menu Naked Shrimp, served the right way…. that would be raw:

The first time I had this dish with a group of FOYs, I thought it pretty good, but a bit out of balance with regards to the amount of citrus. But a few days ago, I tried it again with Ed from Yuma, and it was very good. Nice heat from the chilies, with the bite of raw garlic, topped off with tangy citrus. Ed compared it to Camarones Aguachile, but with a more interesting and complex flavor. As I mentioned before, for me it's the Issan dishes that shine here, so of course it's a bit humorous to hear folks saying the food here isn't "Northern Thai" because it's not like what they had in Chiang Mai (which is Lanna, not Issan). Issan is Northeastern Thai food..…..

Sab-E-Lee Restaurant
2405 Ulric St
San Diego, CA 92111

So if you're interested, our updated Rotation Page can be found here.

And I'd love to hear what's on your rotation this winter!

Pho La Jolla

December 8, 2008 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

Pho in La Jolla? When I received an email a few weeks back telling me of a Pho Restaurant opening right off of La Jolla Village Drive, that was my initial response. (Thanks Dan!) But after thinking about it, the location, close to many businesses, and the UCSD campus, made perfect sense.

Which led to me check the place out a few weeks back.

You'll quickly recognize the location as being the home of International Market & Grill.

The interior is clean, but they've sure managed to squeeze in a lot of seating in the place.

The prices on the menu pretty much fit the zip code… about $2 more than similar places in other areas.

Not having eaten here before, I went with the Pho Dac Biet (special – $7.50) so I could sample the whole range of meat. It's been my experience that each Pho restaurant will do different things well, so the first visit is exploratory.

The large bowl arrived several minutes later:

Along with a rather sparse amount of "garnishes", after tasting the broth I asked for, and received with no hesitation more basil. Ngo Gai (Culantro) was a "no go" however.

As for the broth, it had decent oil, but was just faintly beefy, and I mean faintly. There was no other flavor to make this broth stand out in any way. Overall, it tasted watery and bland, and reminded me of Pho T Cali, and not in a good way.

The noodles were in the standard clump, and were on the soft and over-cooked side.

The rare steak was dry and hard, the flank was not bad, soft, but lacking flavor, the tendon was good, but scarce, as was the little bit of tripe provided. Much like Phuong Trang, Pho Cali, and the afore mentioned Pho T Cali, this was MOR (middle of the road) Pho.

As you can tell, I was underwhelmed, especially after paying $7.50. This is Pho not to offend. I'm guessing if you are in the area, and are desperate for a bowl, this would be passable. But I'd be wondering why you wouldn't drive a few miles to Mira Mesa. Since this bowl was eaten just 2 weeks after opening, perhaps things will improve over time.

I heard that UCSD students and staff get %10 off with their ID. So perhaps you'll try it out, and let me know what you think.

Pho La Jolla
3211 Holiday Court #102
La Jolla, CA 92037

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