Vietnamese Restaurants – Page 12

COMC – Visits “BC” (Before Covid) Cueva Bar, Ma’s House, Hachi Ramen, and Submarine Crab

October 11, 2020 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Latin American Cuisine, Ramen, Vietnamese Restaurants

Well, welcome to March 225th. Who'd have thought 2020 would be like this? For my posts; I usually do multiple visits to a place….after all, everyone can have an off day…..even though it goes against my "fool me once shame on you….fool me twice shame on me" rule, I'm willing to take full responsibility for my poor judgement….though there are many paces where; perhaps we've had absolutely terrible food/service; or the food has been lackluster and the prices quite high….or something in between that'll be just a "one and done". It's pretty obvious in many cases just by the absence of a post on those places.

To be perfectly fair; after a certain period of time; like 6-9 months or so, I'd just as soon start things up all over again. And Covid-19 has just changed things. So here are a bunch of places that I fully intend on visiting again once we're past all this craziness….and I'll just "start the meter" from the beginning with a clean slate, hours, staff, menus, could all have changed, right? But, I thought you'd like to see the photos anyway.

Cueva Bar:

**** Cueva Bar has closed

The Missus and I visited Cueva Bar last year and fully intended of returning in a couple of months, before the pandemic struck. We weren't particularly struck by the food; we enjoyed the Choripapas the most. The flatbread would have been pretty good, but there just wasn't enough Chorizo on the "Norteno" to really make an impact on our palate. I gotta say; really pretty presentations though.

I still need to try the Empanadas.

Cueva Bar Café
2123 Adams Ave.
San Diego, CA 92116
Current Hours
Thur – Sat 4pm – 9pm

Ma's House:

Ma's created a bit of buzz when they opened last fall. I went with Calvin back in November. Even though I know folks who were really excited about Ma's opening…..we'd been to Ma's Islamic in Anaheim and were really not impressed. Perhaps having all those meals at the now defunct Tung Lai Shun (in the SGV) and other places in China has set the bar too high.

Both Calvin and I were underwhelmed.

The cumin lamb was terrible and the deep fried crispy duck was super hard and bland.

The one item that was quite good was the sesame bread. In fact, we brought the leftover bread back to the office (remember those days? When folks worked in an office?) and gave it to "YZ" who loved it.

So, while that gave me a reason to return; I just feel I need to eat in the restaurant and I'm just not ready to do that here. The Missus who tasted the leftovers will probably not be my eating companion here as well, so….I need to wait I guess.

Ma's House
5537 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

Hachi Ramen:

**** Hachi Ramen has closed

So….the curse of Hachi Ramen. I had visited a few times when the place was Artisan Bento. I actually used to have quite a few meetings up in the Hillcrest area. So in 2017 the place changed concepts and became Hachi Ramen. Like I mentioned in my Ramen Ryoma post, I'd had two aborted posts on Hachi (also mentioned in Waters Fine Foods post) , just because my visits were spaced a year apart.

So, in February, I decided to start over…..get things going.

And while the noodles were standard issue and the broth a bit on the overly salty side; this was not bad.

Then of course, we hit mid-March. And Hachi has been closed ever since. Though I understand you can order some of the menu items from Azuki Sushi.

So, there are questions; will Hachi ever reopen….AND will the "fourth time be a charm"?

Hachi Ramen
2505 5th Ave.
San Diego, CA 92103
Currently Closed Due to Covid-19

Submarine Crab:

So, this is an interesting one. Back at the end of February, I made multiple visits to Lotus Garden in City Heights. The young man working there; I believe his name is "Tu" is from Little Saigon and we had a couple of nice chats about Vietnamese food in San Diego. Surprisingly, he told me that he and his girlfriend will often visit Submarine Crab for the Banh Canh.

So, at the beginning of March, I grabbed Calvin and we drove over to Submarine Crab.

After looking over the menu a few times; I figured out that the Banh Canh was called "Udon" on the menu.

It was quite a thick/gooey as I like; but this was not bad at all.

The Beef Stew – bo kho, as a bit on the thin side, but not bad either.

We also had the chicken wings.

I understand that the "Seafood Udon" is currently on the takeout menu; but the Beef Stew is only available eat in.

I definitely need to return; but will wait for a bit, and will start things fresh.

Submarine Crab
4647 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 987-0333
Current (Covid-19) Hours:
Mon – Thurs 330pm – 9pm
Fri – Sun 12pm – 930pm

And lastly……I'm just adding these photos. We won't be returning here.

Hope everyone is safe and in good health! Have a great week!

Banh Mi Bo Kho to go From Pho Kitchen

September 14, 2020 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

Things had cooled off a bit; though due to the wildfires the air quality is pretty terrible these days. The Missus was working this past weekend and I kinda wanted some Bo Kho; Vietnamese Beef Stew and didn't want to travel too far. So, I decided to give the online ordering for Pho Kitchen in Linda Vista a try. Ordering online was, of course quite easy. I drove on over….and man; that tree in front of the restaurant sure has grown as it did a good job of obscuring the front of the place.

Speaking of obscure; that's kinda how I felt as I entered the restaurant….and just stood for a few minutes; then called out, then stood for a few more minutes….then called out, then finally a young lady came out and I mentioned my name and got my order.

I gotta say; the Covid-19 precautions here is just a cart in front of the cash register. Luckily, no one else was in the place…….

I got home and unpacked my Banh Mi Bo Kho ($10)….it was pretty hefty…there was a good amount of cilantro and onions as well.

Once plated; it looked pretty good.

I had kind of forgotten about my previous experience with the Bo Kho here….it's basically doctored pho broth; pretty weak in the tangy-anise flavors I enjoy with a decent bo kho and the soup was quite thin as well. Decent salt and a mild beefiness to it. The carrots were decently cooked this time around.

The bread is a bit too dense for me to consider it banh mi….as I said before; it's more like a bolillo roll than banh mi.

The best part of this meal was the beef; though the pieces were quite large, the beef had been cooked perfectly; tender, but not falling apart, with a decent beefiness and flavor. The one piece of tendon was not too bad either.

I told myself (once again); to just stick with the pho here….though I might as well just suck it up and head to Pho Hoa Huong for that.

Pho Kitchen
5375 Napa St
San Diego, CA 92110

Banh Mi To Go from Mignon Pho + Seafood (+ Grill)

August 24, 2020 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

Hoooo boy; was it humid this past weekend! The Missus was working as was I this past Saturday, but I got off at a reasonable time and had to head to Nijiya to do some shopping. It was already 11am; kinda late for a typical weekend visit to Nijiya during these times and man, the line into the place was no joke……with temps hitting the 90's and humidity around the same.

I decided that a Banh Mi might be just the thing on a day like this. I'd already tried Cali Banh Mi's Convoy location on a trip home form Nijiya back in June….so, I thought why not give Mignon Pho + Grill another try…make that Mignon Pho + Seafood….and I hadn't tried the Banh Mi there yet.

As always, the folks working here are very nice. I mentioned that I'd be running to Nijiya, so I probably wouldn't pick up my order for another hour, and she told me "no problem, I'll wait and we'll time it for you!" And you know what; I got thru the line and out of Nijiya in around 45 minutes…..as I walked into Mignon to pick up my order; it was just at the window, and ready for me in the blink of an eye. By this time, two of the outdoor tables were filled with folks ready to eat.

I've pretty much considered Mignon to be Vietnamese Fusion, so heck, why not order the "California Banh Mi" ($8). I'd totally missed the part where it says these come with fries…..if I thought the fries would hold up; I would have ordered the Lemongrass Fries, which were the best thing I've had at Mignon to date. I'm glad I didn't because the fries were shot when I opened things up after the 15 minute drive home.

As I figured; this was a pretty "stuffed" banh mi. The bread was dry and crumbly; the egg was nicely fried….large slices of cucumber, and even more scary, look at those thick slices of jalapeno! Spicy too. The pickled carrot and radish were nicely pickled. The marinated beef….being rather bland seemed like it needed more marinating and too thickly cut and chewy. The menu said there was ponzu on his; but I really couldn't taste it…..I would have settled for a nice pate.

Well, I've just one more place to do takeout from in this strip mall……

I really like the folks who work here and just wish the food was a bit better…..

Mignon Pho + Grill
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Sunday Stuffs, the “Works in Progress” Edition – CoCo Ichibanya, Da Nang Corner, and Greenhaus Vegetarian Eatery, (hopefully) Coming Soon

August 23, 2020 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

Boy, this past week has been some kind of humid, huh? I'm just going to do a short post today of places that look like are current works in progress.

CoCo Ichibanya:

Last I heard, CoCo Ichibanya was supposed to open during this summer. Well, it's near the end of August. So, during one of my shopping trips to Nijiya, I decided to see what was going on.

Well, doesn't look like much yet. So perhaps it might not be ready for prime time this month? Or perhaps they are using my "endless March 2020" calendar…which would still make it March……176th!

I guess it's a bit too hot for curry right now anyway, right?

4428 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Meanwhile, right next to CoCo Ichibanya was a place I hadn't noticed.

Da Nang Corner:

The restaurant's Facebook Page mentions that the restaurant is taking a bit longer than expected to build out. I'm hoping we get some good Mi Quang?

I'm kinda excited about this place.

4428 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Greenhaus Vegetarian Eatery:

The Missus and I were taking a little drive around the 'hood, when I noticed that the long time Chinese Fast Food shop Wok in Express next to JV's and Waters was gone and is going to be……yep, a Vegetarian Shop! You gotta say…. Morena sure is changing, ain't it?

Now, if we only get a bakery selling really got croissants!

1118 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110

Hope you're keeping cool and staying safe!

Have a great week!

Getting “Them Bones” to go From Pho Duyen Mai

June 22, 2020 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Pho Duyen Mai is under new ownership and no longer serves the rib bones (Xí Quách Suon Bò)

During my recent visits to Golden City; I couldn't help but notice that Pho Duyen Mai was closed. I was somewhat concerned….in my opinion Pho Duyen Mai made one of the better bowls of pho in the Kearny/Clairemont Mesa area…..I know, that's really not saying much as I think the pho in the area ain't that great. But then again; they have "'Dem Bones" (Xí Quách Suon Bò), simmered beef rib bones that does double duty….helps to make the pho broth, then served as a side item. Though other places, like PT Eatery has tried to do this (it wasn't very good), none in San Diego compare. So, while driving past a couple of weeks ago, I saw the "We are now open" sign.

A couple of days later I called before opening (they are currently open at 10) for a takeout order, asking if they had "Dem Bones"……and yes, they did have them. I also ordered a #27……the pho with the well done steak, flank, brisket, etc….. Ready in 15 minutes was what I was told…..and yes, it was ready to go when I arrived. I did notice a couple of curbside pick-up customers as well.

So…….how was it? Well, things were nicely packed, the portion size seemed larger than I recalled, especially the broth.

And holy smokes….how did they know I enjoy bean sprouts….sheeesh…..

And of course "Dem Bones"……..

Holy smokes….this was more food than I could finish.

There was way too much broth so I saved almost half of it. While not as "sweet" as on my previous visit; it was still quite salty….though I could really make out beefiness in the broth.

All the proteins were fine; but of course I mainly focused on all that rib meat; while still not quite as tender as on the first couple of times I had it; it was more tender then the last time I had it. It was nice and beefy as well.

The noodles were terrible; just plain hard and brittle……I think they need to pack that separately.

So, the Missus ended up having a nice little appetizer of sorts when She got home that evening. I scrapped off about half the rib meat, and soaked, then simmered it in the pho broth. Man, She scarfed the whole thing down in a minute….not even once mentioning anything being too salty….. so maybe I'm the one being too picky here?

In fact, She said She might be wanting this sometime during the week….go figure?

I'm glad to see Duyen Mai back in action….I'll probably order some Nem Nuong Cuon and such for the skeleton crew at work one of these days.

Pho Duyen Mai
5375 Kearny Villa Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
Current Covid-19 Hours:
Daily – 10am – 7pm

Hope everyone had a safe weekend. What places are you happy to see opened again?

Takeout from TP Banh Bao 3

June 14, 2020 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

Since I was already posting on Bao, I though it would be a good time to get this one done. During my visit to R&B, I decided to get our skeleton crew a small snack. So, I dropped by TP Banh Bao 3 which is in the same strip mall and placed an order before heading to grab my plate from R&B.

They are in full Coid-19 mode; one customer at a time in the shop. If you have to wait for your order, they ask that you wait in your car for the 5-10 minutes. I really like the young ladies who work here; they are friendly and very pleasant. Anyway, after grabbing my lunch and putting in the car; I returned, grabbed my package on the counter, and left.

For me; there's only one way to get the Banh Bao from TP……you get it fried. Yes, it costs and extra $2.50; but it's well worth it to me. I haven't had much luck with the steamed versions that turn out too soggy/mushy for my taste.

The fried stuff though……needs to be eaten in a timely manner. My favorite is #3; the pork and salted egg yolk.

The crew at the office just loved this; crunchy, salty, porky-savory, sweet……I like mine with some Black Vinegar on it to help cut the richness…..because it is indeed quite rich. One is usually enough for me.

While I have had these bao over-fried on occasion; I'm thinking the sugar content can make it burn quite easily; on this day it was a very nice snack. And a little something always puts everyone in a better mood.

T.P. Banh Bao 3
11271 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126

Hope everyone had a nice, safe weekend!

Noodling Around City Heights, Before the (Covid-19) Storm – Minh Ky and Pho King

April 28, 2020 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

I had to go to Northgate Market on Saturday, March 14th and I was wondering how shops in City Heights were holding up with, at that time, the first positive Covid-19 in the region reported just five days earlier. So, on my way back home I decided to make a stop at Minh Ky.

It was 10am and the crazy-horrible parking lot where Minh Ky is located would usually be full; but there were a few stalls open and I found parking.

At this time of the morning, MK would usually be packed; especially on a Saturday, but for my entire meal, I was the only customer in the place.

I got my usual – the Beef Sate Egg Noodle Soup "dry" – soup on the side. And as usual, all the savory flavors, nicely prepped egg noodles, it really did the job.

Still, it felt really strange to be eating in Minh Ky, with no customers, no takeout, it kind of gave me the heebies……

Minh Ky Restaurant
4644 El Cajon Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92115

It was so strange that I decided to head back to the area the following day, Sunday, March 15th and since it was just 9am, I chose Pho King. I ordered my usual here – the Hu Tieu Mi Kho.

There were some strange things about this bowl; first the soy sauce broth lacked the usual ground pork in it; it was also more salty than usual; lacking the sweet tones that add balance to it.

Notice anything strange about the noodles?

Yep, where's the Hu Tieu?

Wait…hold the presses, I found one….strand of Hu Tieu…..

This was a rather strange bowl overall….and maybe appropriate considering how weird things felt with no customers in the place, nor the old-timers drinking coffee outside.

And perhaps it was just fate that my last meal out, before the edict came down on March 16th, was at place named Pho King.

Pho King Restaurant
4658 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

I'm not sure how the Covid-19 outbreak will change things regarding the future of the restaurant business….I'm not sure how many places that I frequent will still be around when we get to the other side of this. I can only hope that we "do the right thing" which will enable us to get past this. And perhaps my next bowl of Hu Tieu Mi Kho at Pho King will be perfect.

Be safe everyone!

Covid-19 Takeout – Mien Trung

April 15, 2020 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Vietnamese Restaurants

Or maybe I should call it SARS-CoV-2; which is the name of the virus that causes Covid-19, which is the disease caused by the virus….well, enough of that.

This past Saturday, I finished up my work by 10 and needed to hit up Carnival Market on the way home for some groceries. The Missus was busy at work and I'd be making dinner, so I wanted something for an early lunch. It suddenly dawned on me that Mien Trung is right down the street. When I've eaten at Mien Trung; I have never failed to notice the bags and pots of take-out stacked up for pick up. I guess it was my turn. I called in my order for Bun Bo Hue and drove the few blocks over after shopping; waltzed in, paid, got my order, and sauntered out the door in less than two minutes.

Things were packed nicely; man, they wrapped up the herbs and veggies in a tight bundle. It practically exploded as I started to unwrap it.

I liked the fact that they included some pretty spicy chili oil and mam tom; which added a nice funky-umami layer to my Bun Bo Hue.

The broth was quite bracing; in fact it started to pop and crackle from the chili-annatto oil as I heated it on the stove top. Lots of lemongrass tones and this was pretty spicy……not too heavy handed in terms of MSG, a nice squeeze of lime added some balance to the broth. The noodles were firm and slippery….I made sure to wear a dark t-short while eating this to avoid the dreaded "red dot syndrome".

Needless to say; it did "hit the spot"…..right between the eyes; especially since the weather, while decent on this day, had been pretty wet and cold (by San Diego standards) than usual over the week.

I'm shocked that I hadn't done take-out from Mien Trung sooner; after all, we've been coming here since 2006 and it felt good supporting a place that's been on our rotation for fourteen years.

Mien Trung Restaurant
7530 Mesa College Dr
San Diego, CA 92111

Noodling Around City Heights – Trieu Chau Revisited

March 8, 2020 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

After doing my Hu Tieu Nam Vang Kho comparison post, I realized that I hadn't revisited Trieu Chau in years. So I made it a point to revisit and have some noodle soup in over the last couple of weeks.

The service here is all business…..an older woman helps in the kitchen and busses, either a gentleman or a woman who I think is his wife takes orders, waits tables, cooks, and works the register.

The noodle soup menu is quite long. I soon realized that I had never had the egg noodle soup at Trieu Chau; so I decided to go ahead and get the House Won Ton Egg Noodle Soup ($7.50).

This bowl had way more than just won tons in it. It had some shrimp (nicely deveined and fairly plump); slices of pork (good flavor, but tough), ground pork, and a piece of rather tough chopped chicken, in addition to won tons, which were on the tough side; though nicely flavored.

The broth was salty and overly sweet; though it had a slight porkiness to it. It was delivered absolutely steaming hot with a decent amount of tongue coating richness. The lime came in handy.

The egg noodles were of the thinner type and prepared decently; it had a nice crunchy-chew to it.

A few weeks later, on a rather cooler and somewhat wet day, I decided to drop by on my way to Northgate Market.

I had my eye on the "Duck Soup with Egg Noodles" ($8.00). I was pleasantly surprised by this bowl.

The broth was much more fragrant and darker than my previous bowl. It became obvious that the drippings/sauce from the duck was used to help flavor the soup. While the broth was still on the saltier side; the added flavor boost did a nice job adding a bit of complexity and savory tones to the soup. It was also pleasantly rich.

There was a good amount of sliced duck; including the leg in the soup. All the bones and such made it somewhat ponderous to eat. The duck was fairly tender, the skin was soft, and the meat still had some gamey-savory tones to it.

There was a smaller portion of egg noodles in this bowl, but like my previous visit, it was prepared nicely.

This was not bad and I'd surely order it again.

So, it looks like Trieu Chau is on my noodle rotation in City Heights. There's still much to try from the menu. Like Lotus Garden, I need to try the Beef Sate Egg Noodle here.

Trieu Chau Restaurant
4653 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105
Hours:
Daily 8am – 8pm

Noodling Around City Heights – Lotus Garden

March 3, 2020 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

While making my way to Northgate Market to get some pig's feet, I noticed that there was a "Pho" sign on the awning of Lotus Garden. Looks like the Lotus Garden was expanding the menu from the seafood and the typical Chinese dishes served there.

Since Lotus Garden opens at 9am, I decided to visit when finishing up my shopping in the area.

As it was fairly early in the morning; it was easy finding parking in back of the building, where it shares the lot with Minh Huong Supermarket. looking at the sign above the doorway; I guess it's now Lotus Garden Seafood and Pho.

I walked in and the friendly young man directed me to a seat. It's a pretty nice dining area and I believe they have even more space in the back dining room as well.

Man, the menu here has over 120 items on it…..and there's a second menu with pho on it as well. I was going to order the pho, but noticed all the egg noodle and hu tieu items. And seeing that this place is a (sorta) Chinese restaurant; I decided to get the BBQ Duck Egg Noodle Soup ($8.99). I really didn't expect much, but was quite pleasantly surprised at what I got.

The blanched bean sprouts was a good first move. The broth of the egg noodle soup, while being on the salty side also had some savory notes to it; with a heck of a lot of oniony-slightly pungent and a light, almost seafood like flavor. The fried shallots was also a good move aa was all that scallion.

The noodles were decently prepared, with a nice pull to them.

The most surprising thing for me was the duck.

While being perhaps a tad on the dry side; the skin of the duck had been crisped up nicely, no rubbery skin here, and there was a nice salty-sweet flavor to the skin. I also enjoyed the quite gamey flavor of the duck…perhaps not everyone's cup of tea; but I enjoyed it. This was actually not bad at all and really didn't need any sauce, or jus on it at all.

I really liked the young man working; I believe his name is "Tu", he was quite friendly and we chatted about Little Saigon….I believe he's from the OC, and he even told me he knew of a place in his 'hood that made pretty decent duck…."Lien Hoa?" I asked and he seemed surprised. And then I mentioned always getting a side of the "jus" with my duck from there….he cracked up.

I decided to return the following week to try the pho….and of course, when I first try a place's pho…it's the dac biet ($9).

The basil and sprouts arrived; even though a few of the basil leaves were starting to discolor; there was enough of it so that it didn't really matter. And of course the Ngo Gai was present, crisp, fresh, like a pungent cilantro with a hint of sweetness.

The broth however, was underwhelming. It was cloudy, severely defatted, lacking in beef flavor and….as is typical in San Diego these days, too sweet and overly salty.

The rare steak was tough and dry, the flank too chewy and flavorless, though the brisket was fine, tender with a mild beefiness, the tendon was soft and buttery, and the tripe was crisp and crunchy, without any off flavors.

The typical clump of noodles was decent as well; edging on over-cooked, but okay. Still, I don't think I'll have the pho here on future visits.

I had taken a closer look at the menu on this visit and wanted to try something I saw on the menu so I returned the following week.

This time I had the House Combination Egg Noodle Soup ($7.99), which was pretty much fishball city.

The bean sprouts weren't as well blanched on this visit. The soup was also more salty; with that annoying "sweetness" to it. I needed all of the lime to help temper it.

The noodles were prepped perfectly; nice al dente pull to them.

There were some pieces of meh shrimp in the broth, fairly muddy in flavor….the item I enjoyed the best were the pleasantly toothsome and mildly funky pork stomach.

But the item I had really come to try was the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings ($8.99)….well, there's a "Doritos" version as well, but I stuck with the, ahem…"classic".

The wings were fried fairly well; being quite moist and tender. The batter was bit too soft and got soggy quickly. The garlic was burnt and bitter, not great eats in my book. It wasn't overly salty and could have actually used more seasoning….though no more of the bitter garlic. Not sure I'd have this again, but it wasn't terrible.

In the end, Lotus Garden was not bad….I mean, I'd eat here every so often if it was in my neighborhood as it's better than the options that I have near by. I enjoyed the young man who served me on my first visit and there are still items on the huge menu to try…..heck, I haven't even gotten to the Beef Sate Egg Noodle yet.

Lotus Garden Restaurant
4007 Euclid Ave.
San Diego, CA 92105
Hours:
Open Daily 9am – 10pm