Man, talk about see-sawing weather….one week it seems like it's finally fall; the next week we got days in the 80's…… During one of my trip to get the the Missus's current favorite bun rieu I was, well, a bit hungry. Just for something to keep me until a late lunch or early dinner. For some reason I just wanted a Banh Mi Pate Cha….and good lord, it had been a while since I'd had a "real" banh mi; not one of those fusiony versions, that always seem to miss the mark for me. And since I was there on 54th and University, I thought I'd check out…..
Cali Baguette Express:
Man, it has been years since I'd been here. Once upon a time Cali Baguette had quite an empire with locations on Convoy; which is now Cali Banh Mi. Not quite sure what the story is; but it's definitely not the same; especially the bread. In fact, my last trip to Cali Baguette Express in Mira Mesa was not quite up to par either.
But here I was, craving a banh mi pate cha….so…..
Good thing I wasn't craving some noodle soup here; since they were out of a lot of stuff. Supply chain issues and all that I guess.
And as a sign of the times; what was once a $3 sandwich is now $5….which is still not a bad price considering.
Arriving home, I went ahead and unwrapped the banh mi….
A couple of things struck me right away; first the cutting was kinda off center….good thing I wasn't sharing this as a snack with anyone. Second, the bread was soft and doughy; lacking in crusty-flakiness, a hallmark of good banh mi in my opinion. Decent amount of cha lua, though hardly any musty-offaly pate……too many cilantro stems, not enough leaves. Still, that huge slice of jalapeno did get me pretty good.
I just wish the bread was better…….
Quite sad, because I remember this place being much better.
Cali Baguette Express
5125 El Cajon Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92115
Hours:
Mon – Sat 6am – 8pm
Sunday 6am – 7pm
This banh mi had me wondering how some of the "old school banh mi shops were doing in San Diego. And so, the following weekend day, I headed off to….
A-Chau:
Which was the first Banh Mi shop I posted on back in 2005. Over the years, I think A Chau has slipped a bit. The service has always been perfunctory; but on recent visits; the bread has been stale…..though I gotta say at a bit past 7am….I had the entire horrific parking lot to myself.
The place is looking a bit worse for wear; but not much else has changed….except the price; the Banh Mi Pate Cha is now $5.50…..it was $3.95 on my last visit; but that was three years ago.
A lot of businesses in this strip mall has closed as well.
This was a bit better than what I'd had on my last visit. The bread wasn't stale; though it could have been toasted a bit more. There was quite a bit of cha lua and perhaps too much mayo in this, which just nullified the scant amount of pate. Again; when it comes to banh mi, it's all about proportion to me. Also, not enough cilantro and jalapenos were MIA. Not quite sure if it's because of supply issues….but I did miss that.
Not bad and definitely better than what I'd had previously…..and, I decided to try the cha gio….which, perhaps because it was early in the day was still hot.
These are now $1 a piece! The rice paper wrapper is still a bit more chewy then I recall; but it's still much better than many other places. And it's pretty much stuffed to the gills with pork.
A Chau Restaurant
4644 El Cajon Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92115
Hours:
Daily 7am – 530pm
These two visits has got me wondering how the other places I frequent in City Heights is doing. I guess it's time to start making the rounds!
The people who work here are very friendly and treat everyone like family. There is almost always a US Postal Service truck parked in front (because they are having lunch here; always the sign of a good place to stop-read Trent's comment on this post- stopping where local delivery people eat has been how we find great hidden gems).
The menu is fairly extensive.
59, the Special Combo ($14.95), includes two grilled shrimp (plump, juicy, great grilled flavor), a grilled pork chop (excellent) and a grilled pork patty (very good version) along with the rice and salad. The menu also listed 'shrimp paste on tofu', which wasn't on the plate (but a fried egg was included and not on the menu).
The owner came out to check on us and we explained that we thought tau hu ky would be part of the plate. He apologized and brought out this shrimpy delight, which was very tasty (but not tau hu ky).
It was a warm day and I wanted Bun…cold noodles on top of lettuce. I chose 37- char broiled pork and egg roll (bun thit nuong cha gio)($11.95) (primarily because I wanted a bite of crispy egg rolls without having a full order). It arrived in this wide, low bowl- deceptively large.
The lettuce was hidden but definitely there once you mixed things up. The char grilled pork was wonderful and the crispy, fresh tasting, quite filled cha gio will be a separate order next time; really good.
