Vietnamese Restaurants – Page 18

Circling Back to A Chau

July 7, 2018 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

Somehow; after completing all my grocery shopping on this still rather hot Saturday, I ended up in City Heights looking for something to eat at nine in the morning. I'm not sure why I drove up here……I mean it was over eighty degrees already, so the usual suspects were pretty much ruled out. So there I was sitting on the corner of ECB and Menlo, when a car pulled out of a true contender for the worst parking lot in San Diego. I decided to take that left turn and parked in front of A Chau. I figured it must be a "sign" of some kind….I mean; how often do you get a parking space right in front of A Chau? Plus; it had been decade since I last posted on the place, and at least seven or eight years since I last visited.

It was fairly busy and the service….well, what service…this is A Chau after all.

Prices for the Banh Mi are still good here; under four bucks, though the egg rolls, what A Chau is known for are now seventy cents a piece….I remember when they were four for a buck.

I ordered the Banh Mi Pate Cha ($3.95).

I've never been a big fan of the bread at A Chau; it's usually too chewy and doughy and lacking in that crusty-flakiness in a good banh mi. Speaking of flakey; I once went to dinner at a new place with some friends. Unfortunately one of the folks attending was from one of these "community associations", you know, "smooze", kind of aggressive, nosey, everything is good. The place tried to throw everything in a bread and call it a banh mi. When I mentioned the discord in flavor and proportion, she made some nasty comment to me…….after which I bet her that I knew exactly where this bread came from and the short comings…..which she confirmed with the owners…..I then named off several of the places, in her "area", that used the same bread. And just shut her down.

With regards to proportion; this was pretty hefty in terms of cha lua, but short on pate, which was totally wiped out by the unusually large amount of mayonnaise.

There was one slice of jalapeno in the sandwich which was positively thermal nuclear, but the other two were mild.

Can't complain about portion per price ratio; but this is still not my favorite banh mi.

I was quite excited to Cha Gio, which had always been good on previous visits….this is the type with rice paper.

I was disappointed this time around. Instead of the crisp wrapper, with a slight bit of chew; this had obviously been sitting for a while. It lacked the light crispness and was barely lukewarm; even after sitting under heating lamps. The filling was also cold and I think they've changed the recipe or where they source the pork for this as it was much more bland than I recall.

I know there are folks who just adore this place. And when those eggrolls are made fresh; for catering, it's pretty good. This time around; not so much.

And then of course, some guy decided to block me in…….

A Chau
4644 El Cajon Blvd Ste 111
San Diego, CA 92115
Hours:
Open Daily 7am – 6pm

Since summer has arrived; I guess I need to make banh mi rounds again.

It’s Fry-Day – T.P. Banh Bao and Royal Mandarin

June 29, 2018 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

Here are a couple posts appropriate for any "Fry-Day".

T.P. Banh Bao:

Have you ever headed out for lunch thinking you want something and then suddenly changing your mind at the destination? Such was the case on this day. I needed to take my lunch at a rather odd hour and thought I'd just head on over to R & B. When I arrived, I just didn't feel that hungry….nor did I feel like having any Filipino food.

Looking down the strip mall I saw TP Banh Bao….well, it had been a while, right? I could just grab a couple of Banh Bao and head back to the office.

In order to get the fried pork, salted egg yolk, and sausage Banh Bao, I had to order three. So I got three of those and two of the steamed pork with quail egg and sausage.

Returning to the office; I immediately gave away one of the fried and one of the steamed.

A lot of folks complain about the size to price ratio of these. And they may be right….to a point. You see; there's a ton of filling to the amount of bread. The steamed bao had started to go soggy; though the filling was porky, though a bit on the mealy and dry side. Not enough sausage for my taste as well.

The fried bao, was still crisp as I sliced it in half. Frying ensures that it holds together. I think the frying also intensifies the sweetness of this as well.

The filling was moist, with a decent porkiness; but man, this was so rich. I ended up giving away that last fried bao.

Now I know…at TP; I'm a two bao guy…..

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

Royal Mandarin:

At the end of one of my meetings; one of the folks asked me to come back to her office. She brought me a bag…..I immediately knew the smell of Royal Mandarin's Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings. I just started to crack-up. You see, a couple of months back, we were chatting before our meeting and she asked about what to get for an upcoming pot luck. I told her just be like everyone in National City and get wings from Royal Mandarin…..she had no idea what I was talking about! I told her she was the only person of Filipino descent in National City who didn't know about Royal Mandarin!!!!

I guess she knows now…..

She got me an order of Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings and Shrimp Fried Rice…….an nice ABCDE (American Born Chinese Dining Establishment) meal if there ever was one.

This was way to much food for me; so when I got back to my desk, I made myself a plate, and gave away the rest.

The wings looked a pale in color, but was nice and crisp. That's the thing about RM wings; the crispness lasts. The wings seemed a bit lighter than usual; though the salt-pepper-garlic "crack like" (MSG) flavor was still there. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the shrimp was cooked; plump and moist. This was typical ABCDE fried rice; fairly dry, each grain coated.

Man, has it been nine years since we did our great salt and pepper chicken wing comparison? Seems like yesterday. Time sure does fly…..

Here's to you Howie, Candice, Sarah, Jenne, Mr & Mrs Zompus, and Dennis!

Royal Mandarin Restaurant
1132 E. Plaza Blvd
National City, CA 91950

What’s My Craving? Hu Tieu Mi Kho from Pho King

June 24, 2018 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

One weekend evening, I decided to make my way up to City Heights for my annual visit to that Pxx Kxxg place. Hard to believe they've been around for over a decade. Man, I remember when this was Thien Thanh.

Last time around, they brought me the wrong item….this time I made sure to get the Hu Tieu Mi Kho.

There's something about this dish that I really enjoy. It could be the variety of textures, from the crunchy Chinese celery and bean sprouts, the stretchy hu tieu, the more firm egg noodles.

Or perhaps the flavors; the char siu here is usually on the dry side, but nicely flavored; the leafy Chinese celery adds an even more intense peppery-briney taste. The salty-sweet soy sauce based broth, studded with pork and the clear mildly beefy-salty pho type broth means that should you want each bite to be unique….well, you can do that too.

The fried shallots add some bitter-sweetness; the scallions pungency.

I do work a bit to get this thing started. First, with my chopstick and spoon, I separate and mix. I then add in the celery and bean sprouts and mix even more. The large protein items get a dunk in either the clear or soy sauce broth. I'll then start dripping the broth onto noodles while I eat. By the end of the production I actually have a small noodle-soup dish with ground pork floating around.

Like I said; there's something about this particular dish that just fits me.

Plus, the customers here are sometimes quite interesting.

The young lady's ring tones were quite interesting as well…….

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

City Heights…..

PB Pho and Grill

May 16, 2018 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

A few days after my post on Island Style Hawaii BBQ & Local Food, I was contacted by "Lurker Larry"…really, that's what he wants to be called, who lives in PB and wanted my opinion on his favorite Vietnamese spot, PB Pho and Grill. I did let him know that if I dropped by, I'd be perfectly honest in my opinion and I didn't want to hurt his feelings….or lose a reader, lurker or not. I was assured that he just wanted to know what I thought….well, I was somewhat flattered. I asked him to tell me what his favorite dishes were and after receiving that email dropped by the following weekend.

Located near the corner of Cass and Garnet, I'd really not have noticed the place if I drove by. Strangely, I found easy parking nearby…..on all my visits….even on weekends. I'm guessing that folks are still sleeping in at 11am on weekends during the off-peak season?

The interior is large, colorful, in the typical kind of hipster, modern pho shop way. The menu has a decent selection of the usual suspects…everything from Banh Xeo to Bo Luc Lac, and of course pho.

Armed with a list of Larry's favorites, I went first with his number one fave….Bun Thit Nuong ($8.49). Man, this bowl looked huge.

There's no faulting the portion size; though the amount of pork, is somewhat deceptive. Still, it is decently flavored, with fish sauce, not too salty nor sweet. The cha gio, the egg roll, was somewhat burnt, really hard, and the filling was dry. The nuoc mam cham was watered down and much too sweet for my taste.

The bun was nicely done, good al dente pull to it….and believe me there was a of bun in this dish. The only thing that was more of was the iceberg lettuce and bean sprouts

You really couldn't fault the portion size. Though the nuoc mam cham was so watered down that I asked for….and was given, very nicely mind you, a second little ramekin of it….with no extra charge.

So, I guess if you thought of this as a salad…..well, maybe not.

Mission not over; I returned the following weekend. And still had an easy time finding parking.

This time, a different twosome working, service was kind of odd…the young man wasn't very pleasant, he just seemed to want to get back to texting on his phone, yet the young woman was so nice….sort of a strange "good cop, bad cop" kind of service?

I went with the other two items "LL" told me about. The first….and the reason he found our little blog in the first place, was because of chicken wings. He often orders the chicken wings here…….and so did I ($9.99). Funny, the menu says 10 wings….but I took a quick census.

Anyway, these are basically "naked wings" with sweet chili sauce. The skin is rubbery, not fried well enough….and it's a version of sweet chili sauce. Lots of black spots on the bones….somewhat dry…….

Per my direction, I ordered the Pho Dac Biet ($8.99)….."LL" does rare and well done steak. I just wanted to get the range of proteins.

This is what I call a classic example of "Ameri-pho". It's not bad….in fact to show how far "pho has fallen" in Kearny Mesa, this place is better than Pho T Cali. But that is setting the bar very, very, low. So…..the rare steak was pretty much well done by the time the bowl hit the table. It was dry, the other proteins weren't too bad….the well done steak and flank had a decent flavor. The broth was cloudy and highly defatted….as is typical for San Diego pho, it was on the sweeter side, but actually not overly sweet. No anise tones, but a light beefiness.

Looking at the photo to the right…….as is the norm in "Ameri-pho" fairly skimpy on the basil and sprouts.

There were two little "whisps" of tripe, no complaints about texture; though the tendon was MIA. It was the typical clump of noodles in the bottom of the bowl; but it was very hot, but not over-cooked.

Well, what can I say, while his wasn't the pho of my dreams, it was actually better than the last bowl of pho I had in PB.

And so that's the way it goes, right? Well, not so fast Kemosabe……. Just for the heck of it, I decided to return for an encore. So, I returned….this time the service was so nice and friendly…..because I had seen Banh Mi Bo Kho ($8.99) on the menu. So why not?

I didn't expect; say Pho Lucky and to be perfectly honest, I didn't even expect Bo Kho on the level of Pho Saigon Bliss.

What I will say is; this was one huuuuge bowl of beef stew flavored soup. To say this is a stew is really pushing some definitions. Also, there was a layer of fat at least a third of an inch thick on top of the broth. The flavor had a strange greasy-sweet-pho-saltiness that lacked the tangy-black pepper-anise tones I enjoy. And that layer of greasiness did no favors to the broth. This was obviously pho broth with a beef stew base added to it.

On the bright side, there was a ton of beef; fairly tender, squared off pieces.

I could have used with more cilantro and onions to cut through the pure greasiness…..but perhaps nothing would have helped. The carrots were not cooked all he way thru, but the banh mi was crusty, yeasty, and nicely toasted.

Not the best….but in all honesty, I've had worse. Sorry "LL" if I've disappointed you. My wish for you is for you to take some time and visit other areas of San Diego for Pho and Vietnamese cuisine. There's much to like about PB, but as of now, Vietnamese food in not in that category.

PB Pho & Grill
1007 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109

Though I did learn where I can find parking, at least for now, in this part of PB!

Thanks for reading and giving me an opportunity to try somewhere new LL!

Revisits – Pho Lucky and Pho Cow Cali

May 3, 2018 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

Once upon a time; I considered Lucky and Cow Cali to be my favorite pho shops in San Diego. But recently, I've had some less than stellar visits. The weather had been strangely December like over the last couple of weeks; so I thought I'd drop by and see how thing were.

Pho Lucky:

After my terrible last two visits here, I mentioned that I'd stick with the Banh Mi Bo Kho, which has always been a favorite of mine. Which is exactly what I did.

Well, this did hit the spot. Though the stew is not quite as thick as it used to be. There's a light anise flavor, a decent dose of black pepper, a mild tanginess to it all. Though I'm not sure what was up with the herbs…..I don't recall getting as much of it during previous visits.

There was quite a bit more meat than I recall having before. The tendon and connective tissue looked quite tough, but wasn't. It was nice beefy goodness. The carrots were cooked decently, not hard in the center, and the standard issue banh mi was toasted nicely.

A pretty good meal overall. During this visit, I noticed that there were some new items on the menu. I specifically noticed Hu Tieu Nam Vang Kho, which got my attention as it is a dish that I usually go City Heights to get when I have a craving. So, I returned the following weekend to try it out.

So here's the thing. I found this to be quite "different" in a way. First; the hu tieu was severely over cooked and mushy. Second, there's usually some sauce; usually a combination of soy…maggi, or whatever either at the bottom of the bowl or poured over the noodles. This had nothing. I was kind of puzzled. Then, on queue the gentleman came over with a standard issue bottle of maggi sauce. Sigh……

There were two slices of leathery char siu….and a ton of really dry; leathery, and bitter tasting liver. I tried eating one piece and it was terrible.

The other thing I found different as the greasy, pork based "gravy", much like what is served with the Hu Tieu My Tho at Pho King; except it was really bland.

The best two things about the dish was the Chinese celery and the broth; which was quite rich and comforting.

I really thought they might have served me something else from the new menu, but the receipt confirmed I got what I ordered (I think).

I'm still a bit gun shy with regards to the pho here as it has seemed to have gone downhill over the last years or so. So maybe now it's only the Bo Kho?

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

Pho Cow Cali:

Speaking of pho…….I was wanting a bowl of pho and decided to revisit Cow Cali. After my last visit here, I had pretty much decided to stick to the pho.

I arrived at 10am and the place was already almost filled. I'm not a fan of the rare steak (tai) here; so I stuck with the flank, brisket, tendon, and tripe.

The amount of herbs and sprouts provided was on the stingy side. The broth, in what seems to be an increasing trend here in San Diego, was "sweeter" than I recalled. It was also not as rich. It did have some beefiness to it, with mild anise tones.

The noodles were a perfect stretchy and the proteins, as is usually the case here was the highlite of the bowl. Especially the brisket; though the flank was nice and beefy and very tender. The tendon looks really tough, but is not bad at all.

Not the best bowl of pho I've had here, but it did the trick.

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

I left wondering…..is it just me, or is the state of pho in San Diego on the downswing?

Revisits – Tu Thanh and Tan Ky Mi Gia

April 24, 2018 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

I finally had some time for breakfasts this past weekend and decided to head up to City Heights.

Tu Thanh:

This one I was actually craving for some reason.

It was a bit chilly and I wanted some noodle soup…..and not Pho nor Bun Bo Hue. It had been quite a few months since I last visited, though my relationship with this Bun Mang Vit goes back nearly a dozen years. Not as much banana blossom in the salad nor rehydrated bamboo shoot these days; though it seems like more duck. The duck had a nice toothsomeness and a nice dunk in the gingery and sweet nuoc mam gung does the trick in terms of flavor. The noodles were done right; the broth had a bit more richness than usual.

Though I think it's still that wonderful nuoc mam gung that makes this dish tick.

While working my way through the soup I suddenly had a realization. Because of what we'd been eating at home and out and our trip to Italy, I hadn't had rice in over a month! Crazy.

Even more crazy……

I wasn't craving rice at all.

Tu Thanh
4804 University Ave. #A
San Diego, CA 92105

The next day, after making my usual stop for bread at Con Pane in the morning; I headed back up to City Heights. It was just after 8 and many places were still closed. I'd recently been to Minh Ky and I wanted to wait awhile before checking out Mi Quang Mien Trung again. A place popped into my head. I hadn't been there in several years.

Tan Ky Mi Gia:

**** Tan Ky Mi Gia has closed

Like maybe over three years. Tan Ky Mi Gia is so discreetly hidden, I wasn't even sure the place was still open……

Same owner as in the days it was Tan Ky Mi Gia, then Hing Ky Mi Gia, then back to Tan Ky Mi Gia again. There must be a story here…..and I've heard one or two different one's. The place hasn't aged real well. In the past I'd go with a egg noodle soup, or a duck and egg noodle soup. But this time I went with the Beef Sate Egg Noodle "dry".

And while this didn't look particularly inspiring, it did the trick. The beef was surprisingly tender, the egg noodles cooked perfectly, there was a good amount of savory-pungent sate sauce, and the tomatoes added some nice acid. That broth was not very good though….too much MSG, not much other flavor for my taste. Still, this did the trick.

The one interesting thing I noticed was how much the prices here have gone up. This was now $8.25…..strange because down the street Minh Ky's version is $6.75. Times must be tough.

I need to return to see if the duck is still decent here……

Tan Ky Mi Gia
5237 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

To me, it's places like this that make San Diego tick…….

K Sandwiches (reopened) a quick look

March 29, 2018 Cathy Banh Mi, Vietnamese Restaurants

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Kirk has been blogging most of the year and is taking a break. Cathy is writing this post.

August 4, 2015; K Sandwiches burned. It was a sad day for many, even us here at mmm-yoso; Kirk wrote about this Vietnamese Snack and beverage corner first in July 2005 and again in November 2005. I first wrote about it October 2008 and again in 2012. There have been numerous mentions within our blog posts concerning sandwiches.

After the great fire, it took more than two years for K to re-open…January 5 of this year.

Since this was a former bank, the primary walls remained and so did the footprint; the remodel was not a complete rebuild. Now there's bit more modern feel.
The wall to the right when you walk in is Instagrammable.
The menu boards are clear and with only a few photos. Of course, prices have increased.
The grab and go area at the front has some interesting items.
Like my favorite brand of Chinese sweet sausage in links and in bulk.

As well as fancy refrigerated desserts including artistic jellied items.
The bakery area in the back carries the same items, especially my favorite item to grab when in a hurry-ham and cheese baked in bread (now it is $2.75, the price of some banh mi sold at K Sandwiches years ago)
Pate chaud and other baked items are on the counter being kept warm.
The center island is filled with various snacks and day old bread ends; easy to grab.
Opposite the counter warmer is another warmer with more fresh items and also another refrigerated area.
But, for my first visit back, the order was the same: a Number 9 (grilled pork banh mi)($4.25) and a cup of black coffee ($2.75)
The cilantro still has stems, the pickled carrots and daikon are just lightly pickled, the grilled pork is properly cooked and seasoned, house mayonnaise is just enough and the bread is so very fresh. I had been looking for these flavors for so long and only K Sandwiches seems to do it the way I like it. My comfort food is back.

K Sandwiches 7604 Linda Vista Road (at Mesa College Drive) San Diego 92111 (858) 384-7373 Open Mon-Sat 6 a.m.-9 p.m., Sunday 8-8 Website

Shank & Bone

March 22, 2018 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Chicken Wings, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

I was a bit intrigued when I first read about Shank & Bone opening in North Park. A Vietnamese place in North Park? Though this little phrase in that post caught my attention “traditional, authentic cuisine and flavors of Vietnam". Okay! You know what I think about using the term "authentic" when it comes to a cuisine. But "traditional", I can buy into that. Could it be? I decided to visit a few days after the place opened.

Traditional or not; the interior design of this shop is something to see. From the Shepard Fairey print to the bright colors and clean design.

In the category of "something to see", so are the prices on the menu; especially "that" bowl of pho…..more on that shortly.

I saw Beef Carpaccio ($12) on the menu. So I decided to start with that.

I also saw watercress; so thought the dish was perhaps a cross between Bo Xao Xa Lach Xoong and Bo Tai Chanh. Turns out it was closer to the former. I love watercress, so I enjoyed the veggies, the mint really helped; though the nuoc mam was weak on the fish sauce and too sweet for me. The beef was rolled up into balls, not the most visually appealing presentation. Upon unravelling the protein, I realized how large the four slices were. This was basically repurposing beef sliced for pho. It was a bit too thick for my taste.

Still, not a bad dish.

I also got the "Signature Pho" ($17). The bowl, sans soup was delivered to the table, and the broth poured from a pitcher tableside.

I noticed a couple of things right off. The basil and sprouts, the portion size of which was small, were starting to turn brown. The broth had a nice fat content and was dark brown, but gave off no fragrance. It was pretty weak; very mild beefiness, no anise tones, very little of anything. The noodles were too soft for my taste as well.

The two slices of top round were typical; on the dry side, though the flank and brisket were nicely done.

The biggest disappointments were the oxtail, which needed more cooking time as it was dry and tough, and the bone marrow, which sounds really good in theory, but quickly became a rather unsightly globule of fat in the bowl and for some reason had lost all its flavor.

Not my favorite bowl of pho by any means. And maybe "no MSG" might not be a good thing in this case? And I was left over thirty bucks lighter in the wallet as well.

The staff though, were a joy, very friendly, and just a nice group overall. Dishes did take a while, but I wrote that off to having just opened.

I was on my way back from Northgate Market the next day and decided to take a detour and try a couple of other dishes at S&B.

This time, I was seated at the bar. I looked over the beer, sake, and soju list. S&B does not have cocktail license, but I was intrigued at the "Old Pho-shioned" ($10). Which, while a bit on the lighter side…to be expected, was fairly decent. I enjoyed the anise-clove-burnt orange tones of the drink.

As for food; well, this time I went with the "Saigon Chicken Wings" ($10).

These were smaller sized wings; which I prefer for the skin/batter to meat ratio. The batter was a bit on the hard side and the glaze really, really sweet. The wings were also fried a bit too long as the meat was on the dry side. Not terrible.

I saw Banh Mi Bo Kho ($11) on the menu during my previous visit and was curious about that.

The beef stew, while on the thinner side had a nice amount of fat. The broth, while lacking a good amount of tanginess, had more than enough black pepper and beefy flavor. The beef was nicely done; not mushy and over-cooked, but unlike the oxtail not tough. I could have used more pungent onions and some anise tones in the broth, but this was fine. I also missed not having beef tendon. But this was, by far, the best item I had at Shank & Bone.

I was going to quit while I was ahead. But then I read Kirbie's post on Shank & Bone (please check it out) and there was a dish that caught my attention. So I decided to head on back.

The same great crew were present. I went ahead and ordered a "Plenty for All" and the Banh Xeo Tacos ($11).

This riff on banh xeo uses the "crepe" as the taco "shell". Very nice and creative. The filling is a combination of chopped pork, shrimp, bean sprouts (not enough), and jicama (not enough). It was on the mild side in terms of flavor. and the nuoc mam was low on the fish sauce and much too sweet. I liked the lettuce and mint, but missed the basil and tiet to (purple perilla) which adds a nice citrusy-anise flavor to banh xeo. Also, the crepe shells didn't hold up real well; but had a nice, light crunch while they did.

I needed a companion to my "tacos" and because that was a pretty large fat globule of bone marrow in my pho on my first visit; I decided to try the Roasted Bone Marrow and Banh Mi Crostini's ($13).

This just wasn't a good value as there wasn't very much bone marrow in these rather "skinny" bones. It was all gone with one slice of banh mi. The "chimichurri" had way to much citrus making it too sour….not a great match for bone marrow.

So that's it for Shank & Bone for now. I wish them well, but there's just so many almost $40 dollar solo mediocre lunches and dinners I can take. Still, it's a nice atmosphere, the staff is friendly…..but it's all about the food with me.

Though if you want hipster Vietnamese, well….this just might be the place.

Shank & Bone
2930 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104
Hours:
Sun – Mon 11am – 9pm
Tues – Sat 11am – 10pm

Revisits – Prime Grill and Minh Ky

March 17, 2018 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

Prime Grill:

I had seen the sign and also read that Prime Grill had gone to an AYCE format; which left me wondering if they had "jumped the shark". A friend of mine wanted to have some Korean BBQ and I wondered, even though Cathy, Ed from Yuma (oh how Ed loved his Korean BBQ), and I shared an excellent meal there a few years back. It's even a favorite of the Missus; who, while not being a big fan of Korean BBQ these days, enjoys other dishes there. I was worried about those as well……

So I dropped by for lunch. And, as you can see, at least for the Dolsot Bi Bim Bap; there's nothing to be worried about.

Fresh, bright, and vibrant colors. That egg yolk hiding under the shredded nori. The big weakness of the usual bi bim ap we have here is the meat; but it was nicely grilled this time around. While waiting for that nice crust to develop.

Waiting allowed me to go through the panchan. Which was not quite what I had enjoyed here in the past; especially the baechu kimchi (napa cabbage), which really lacked that fermented finish I enjoy.

And while the panchan wasn't up to snuff, I noticed that Prime Grill still has their "prime grade" items ala carte, separate from the AYCE. So, I'd probably be dropping by for Korean BBQ with my buddy; though I'll probably put off the Yukhoe until later.

Prime Grill
4620 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Minh Ky:

I mentioned needing to revisit Minh Ky in my last post on Tim Ky a week or so ago. This morning's wet and blustery weather was the perfect for that revisit.

So here's the Beef Sate Egg Noodle – Dry.

Man, this was even better than recalled. The egg noodles weren't over-cooked and still had a nice stretch. The sate sauce here is full of shallots and onion; it's has a bit more savory "umph" than the version at Tim Ky. The meat is also more tender, though I thought the broth during my last visit to Tim Ky was better than on this visit. While in need of a bit of spiciness, this was definitely good.

The portion size was quite generous; especially since this is still $6.75. Hard to believe I've been coming here for over twelve years now. And yes; that parking lot is every bit a horrible as it was a dozen years ago. But it ain't so bad at 830 on a Saturday morning.

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

Mi Quang Mien Trung

March 12, 2018 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Mi Quang Mien Trung has closed

I'm sure folks who read our humble little blog knew that I just had to check out Mi Quang Mien Trung when they finally opened in the old Da Nang Food To Go location. I was even more fascinated when the folks at Mien Trung told me they were not affiliated. So, two weekends ago, I drove on up to City Heights fairly early in the morning to find the place open.

I found some parking close by and walked in. Well, the place was half full! All old-timers…I guess I'm one "of them" these days, huh?

The menu is fairly tight, a good 20 items, Canh Bun, Bun Bo Hue, Banh Beo, Com Am Phu ("Hell Rice"), and of course the namesake Mi Quang ($8.50). Which is, of course what I ordered.

But first….some fairly decent tea….

I have to say, they've got the presentation done pat….this looked wonderful.

You have to love the vibrant colors and the symphony of textures; the peanuts, the crisp and sparkling veggies, the perfectly cooked, legit tumeric colored noodles. The shrimp, head and tail removed, but with the shell left on (yes!), was fresh, flavorful, and moist. I took a sip of the broth; in typical style, this had less than a cup of broth…..and how does that sound go? "moah-moah-moah……." It was so watery and tasteless; no porkiness or flavor of dried shrimp, or shallot. And that radioactive looking pork was dry and tasteless.

Man, it had started so well, and looked so vibrant. But in the end it was a bit of a let down. I'm not one who is just happy to "have something available". I'm hoping for better next time I have this here….

While eating, I noticed all the old-timers were eating the same thing. So the following weekend I headed back up to have the……

Bun Bo Hue ($8.50).

I was again taken by how lovely the bowl of soup and especially the bright and crisp veggies looked.

The noodles were cooked just perfectly and his was such a hearty and hot bowl of soup.

The broth had a nice mild porkiness, with a hint of onion/shallot, a touch of funkiness, however……

Yes…however….it lacked spiciness and that nice aromatic lemongrass flavor. Not enough annatto oil to give it that Bun Bo Hue "look" as well. It wasn't bad, but it didn't strike me as really being bun bo hue. The fermented shrimp and chili paste did help.

The pork hock was one pretty large slice of chewy-gelatinous goodness. The slices of beef and especially tendon were really rustic and thick……even chewier than Mien Trung's version. I really kind of enjoyed it in this framework.

To be perfectly honest, I might like this version more than what Hoai Hue offers, which I think is a bit on the overly sweet and lacks spice.

The gentleman working here is very mellow. I don't think the food is bad at all and will try out some other items in the future. It's nice to have places like this and Phuong Nga 2 opening up. It just makes "noodling around" that much more fun. Check them out and let me know what you think!

Mi Quang Mien Trung
4745 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115
Hours:
Wed – Mon 8am – 8pm
Closed on Tuesdays