Vietnamese Restaurants – Page 18

Banh Mi Hoi An

September 18, 2018 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

If you're headed down Rosecrans to Liberty Station, you can't miss the sign.

In fact, I first saw the "Grand Opening" sign on one of our trips to El Jardin, which I need to post on one of these days.

On one Saturday, I decided to drop by. I parked in the back and not paying attention almost walked into this guy……

Whom I also saw on my other visit as well. Very sad…..

On both visits; Hoi An was fairly empty. The guy at the counter was quite friendly, the menu had the usual suspects, Banh Mi (priced from around $4.50 – $5.50), Bun, Com (rice plates), Spring Rolls….you get the idea.

I decided to get the Hoi An Special….basically the Dac Biet ($5.50).

Now, I've heard some grumblings about folks complaining the banh mi here was on the small side……I beg to differ. I mean really, this decently sized.

The proteins in the sandwich were on the dry side; though the pickled veggies were decent; sour-sweet enough. Those huge slices of cucumber ruined the ratio of vegetables-pickles-meat-bread. I tasted the meat separately and they just about status quo. Now I know this is pretty much a "Westernized" banh mi shop; but I sure would have enjoyed a bit more pate. The bread was dry and on the stale crumbly side. I actually thought they didn't put any jalapenos in my sandwich; but I found some……for some strange reason they weren't spicy at all.

Just a so-so banh mi.

I returned a few weeks later……and really wasn't sure what to order….so I had a brain fart and ordered the "braised pork", which turned out to be barbecue pork (char siu), duh!

The bread was better this time around, though standard issue, it had been toasted well and was nice and crusty/flakey. The first thing I looked for were….the jalapenos; which again were really mild. Not sure what's going on with that.

I enjoyed the amount of cilantro in the sandwich and the pork was so dry and bland, I could actually taste the pate.

The pickled radish and carrots were crisp, with a nice balance of sour-sweet. Remember those huge slices of cucumber in the previous sandwich? Well, this time there barely a sliver. Go figure.

The banh mi here isn't bad. It just isn't worth going out of your way for.

To me; the perfect banh mi is a symphony of crusty/flakey bread that isn't too chewy; cilantro without too many stems, nice thin slices of peppers for that "jalapeno roulette". The proteins; there needn't be a huge portion, it's all about proportion, should be moist and have flavor, the pate should be somewhat rich with that touch of earth-funkiness. It's something I keep searching for.

This guy working was again quite friendly and asked me to drop by for Happy Hour….hmmm…..chicken wings……..hmmm….

We'll see.

Banh Mi Hoi An
3145 Rosecrans St
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Mon – Sat 1030am – 9pm
Closed Sundays

Revisits – Luong Hai Ky and Homestyle Hawaiian (Tierrasanta)

September 13, 2018 mmm-yoso Plate Lunch, Vietnamese Restaurants

I should actually call this "weekend procrastination lunches"……two revisits where I took the "long way" to work.

Luong Hai Ky:

On the Sunday that I took the "really long way" to work; I decided to drop by Luong Hai Ky since it had been over three years since my last visit. Let me just say things haven't changed much….the service was perfunctory at best; and that Beef Sate Noodle; well, with all that iceberg lettuce and all that basil….check out all the stems they included; would you like to eat that or perhaps reach into your bowl with your hands and remove them? Sheesh, it's pretty much an egg noodle salad these days.

And that broth that tastes like msg water.

This was basically fifty percent iceberg lettuce which made the dish get cold quickly, the egg noodles were over-cooked. Too little sate was used on the beef. Too bad, because the beef was rather tender.

I think it's back to Tim Ky for me.

This is quite sad because once upon a time before the original owner passed away, the location on Convoy did a pretty good job. But that was over a decade ago…..

Luong Hai Ky Restaurant
10606 Camino Ruiz #2
San Diego, CA 92126

Homestyle Hawaiian (Tierrasanta):

HH has spread out quite a bit since Homestyle Hawaiian opened up near Mesa College nine years ago. With 6 locations; though they disavow the Point Loma location, it's now a nice little kingdom. On a recent weekend; I decided to sleep in and drop by the office in the afternoon. It was nearly 1130 and I was starved, so I decided to take a detour, and wouldn't you know it…somehow, I'm not sure how….I ended up here.

I'd only been to this location once; but it was close to the 52……

The young lady who waited on me was a joy; she humored me when I asked that my combination plate be served in a take-out container. I knew there was no way I'd be able to finish it. I ordered the chicken katsu; Korean chicken combo. An old favorite of mine from back when I could put away a whole lot more…..

The katsu was nicey fried this time around. It was crisp, moist, the breading wasn't peeling off, and of course I do enjoy the "local-kine" katsu sauce…..I grew up eating chicken katsu with a ketchup based sauce. The Korean chicken seems to have changed over time; the sweet-salty flavors, now tend toward the sweeter side. The batter was more hard than crisp this time around and the chicken, while moist, was on the chewy side.

Like, I've mentioned before, never been a big fan of HH's mac salad, but this wasn't bad, nicely chilled, it seems to have gotten better over the years.

Of course I managed to eat less than half of this. I took the rest to work and wouldn't you know, there was someone else who decided to come in on this day…..he was rewarded with a rather hefty container of food.

Homestyle Hawaiian Pub & Eatery
10601 Tierrasanta Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92124

Pho Duoi Bo from Royal Garden

September 9, 2018 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Royal Garden has closed

I found myself back in City Heights this past weekend and decided to drop by Royal Garden to see what was going on.

I believe there was some kind of event going on later in the day as chairs were arranged, though all the tables near the window were occupied. Seems like they are doing some decent business these days.

I hadn't had a bowl of pho in a while and I recall thinking it was pretty good on one of my previous visits. So I ordered the Pho Duoi Bo – oxtail pho.

The sprouts were really fresh; though the basil was just starting to turn color. No ngo gai (cilantro) on this visit.

The bowl that arrived was quite huge.

There was one very large piece of oxtail and three smaller pieces. The texture of the meat was perfect; tender enough to be able to remove from the bone with chopsticks, but not falling to pieces. It was obviously cooked in some other liquid since it had a nice slightly sweet, winey-soy flavor, with a hint of ginger, edging almost toward a pork braise. There was also some decent slices of flank and brisket in the bowl; but it really was all about the oxtail.

The broth was darker this time around and more beefy with hints of anise…..it was also a bit on the sweeter side, but not overly salty. It wasn't quite as clear as on my previous visits either. Still; at least there was some beef flavor.

The noodles were cooked perfectly, but for some reason, there was a bunch of smaller pieces of noodles…..I'm thinking I got the "bottom of the package".

Regardless, this was a decent bowl. Looks like I found another place to get my "pho fix". And of course, like I mentioned in my previous post; there's much more to explore on the two different menus.

Royal Garden
4201 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92105
Hours:
Wed – Mon 9am – 9pm
Closed Tuesdays

No Pho at Pho 46

August 10, 2018 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

I was just about to finish up another post when I luckily checked the news and decided it wouldn't be appropriate to do that post today. So here's something I had on the back burner for a while.

When our office first moved back to the area, I started checking out a bunch of different places. I recalled having a decent meal at Pho 46 a while back, so I decided to return.

There seems to be a different set of folks working here these days. That woman who works the front of house often takes orders, buses, and delivers the food all by herself….yet she was very pleasant on both my visits.

I recalled the Shrimp Fried Rice to be decent; in an "old school" kind of way so I ordered that – it was not bad for $7.50.

The rice was not as evenly stir fried as on my previous visit; though the shrimp was nice and plump, good job there. Typical frozen peas and carrots and this needed soy sauce to ramp up the flavor a bit; but not bad at all.

I also ordered the Chicken Wings with Spicy Salt again; this one is now $4.95 for four good sized wings.

A bit sweeter than I recalled; the crispness didn't last for very long, and there was a bit greasiness to these. It was decently fried; perhaps a bit on the dry side. Again, not terrible, not great…..I'd probably not have these again though.

The menu at "46" is pretty darn large…….105 dishes at last count….enough to give you "Vietnamese Menu Overload Syndrome". On my last visit; I decided to try out the combination stir fry with XO sauce ($7.95). I kinda cracked up when it arrived at my table.

It looks like the "tai" for pho is doing double duty here. Sadly the shrimp was overcooked as was the chicken….and even the onions. The sauce was a really watered down XO sauce cut with soy sauce and sugar….I also got the "ms-heebie-jeebies" from this as well. Not good eats.

It was on this visit that I noticed Bann had opened in the structure in front of Pho 46. The food there seems much fresher and the ingredients better. Though you really can't complain much about the prices here. And who knows when I'll have a craving for "old school" fried rice?

Pho 46
9508 Miramar Rd
San Diego, CA 92126

Royal Garden

August 7, 2018 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Royal Garden has closed

A few months back I was heading to the 15 North, and much like how I've noticed many places while driving in the area, saw that the former Five Star Banquet Hall that had become a Vietnamese – Chinese banquet hall, was now serving food to the public.

So, I did a quick U-turn and drove into the parking lot to check the hours. The following weekend; after working for a few hours; I drove down to the area to check the place out.

And yes; it is indeed a banquet hall; from the dance floor, stage, and lighting…..to the pressed white table cloth.

As you can see in the photos above; I was the only customer in the place. The two women working were really friendly.

I wasn't sure if I should try the butter wings or the fish sauce version. The woman working sincerely told to try the fish sauce wings first.

The wings were of decent quality; no dark spots or broken bones. I liked the size of them as well. I did think the sauce was too sweet for my taste and these weren't fried well; making the skin quite gummy.

I had also ordered the Pho Dac Biet.

And, as you can tell by the sprouts and herbs above; was prepared to be disappointed.

But when the pho arrived at my table; I as pleasantly surprised.

The broth was crystal clear; there was even a hint of beefiness in the fragrance. It wasn't overly salty, had a hint of anise and onion, and wasn't too bad at all.

The proteins really surprised me. The tai; rare beef was nicely rare, and of better quality than the typical top round. It as quite tender. The tendon was also another winner.

The noodles were decently prepared and as a whole; I really enjoyed this bowl. Now when was the last time I had a decent bowl of pho at a new place?

It didn't hurt that the two women working were really nice as well. I'd noticed a bunch of things on the menu that I wanted to check out. A few weeks later; Calvin and I had a chance to runaway for lunch.

I had mentioned trying the Bo Tai Chanh….strange, but Calvin; whose Missus is Vietnamese had never heard of this dish before. I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised as he'd never heard of Bun Mam or even Bun Mang Vit until having lunch with me. Anyway; Bo Tai Chanh is a beef salad in Lime Juice.

This was a pretty decent version; though I wish the beef was a bit more rare. It was also a tad on the sweet side; but squeezing lime on it balanced out the flavors. There were a few hidden chilies; which added some zip to things and I loved the onions as well. The fried shallots added some sweetness and the peanuts; that earthy-nutty flavor. This was quite refreshing on a super hot day. Calvin was all over this….

I also ordered the Thit Heo Nuong; basically a marinated pork salad.

Which was fairly routine; though the pork was nice and tender, the marinade was on the salty side. Still, if you need a salad……

Calvin wanted some noodles and asked if they did Hi Tieu Ap Chao….which is how we came to find the "other" menu. Which had some interesting dishes on it.

So even if the Stir Fried Hi Tieu was bland and routine.

The noodles were nice prepared; but there just wasn't enough flavor.

That menu had my interest. Though my next visit; on the following weekend was a solo one.

I mentioned being a bit hungry and the nice lady suggested the Bo Luc Lac.

The portion size was indeed generous and the Com Do (red tomato rice) was mild in flavor though nice and moist. The beef was just barely toothsome from the stir fry at first bite; then very tender. The sauce balanced on the edge of being too salty. I really enjoyed the jalapeno peppers in the stir fry. Overall, not bad at all.

Of course Calvin just needed to have that Bo Tai Chanh again; so we headed back the following week.

This time; the meat was a bit over-done. I think I'll request this more rare next time.

The Cha Ca Thang Long wasn't bad.

As you can see; no it's not even close to being as good as Song Long, but I didn't expect that. The turmeric fish was moist and tender; with no off flavors. I missed the fried shallots and peanuts and in this case; I think more oil could have been used. It wasn't too bad overall. There was an abundance of bun, crackers, and mam nem, which seemed a bit mild in this case. There was a good amount of dill used for this dish.

We also got the Bun Cha Ha Noi.

A bit smallish in portion size; this was on the mild side with regards to the marinade and the nuoc mam cham. The meatballs were sufficiently tender as was the pork; which I think was the better seasoned of the two meats. Again, very generous with the veggies and bun. Not bad; but I don't think I'll be ordering this again.

I will however, return to Royal Garden. I think the quality of ingredients used here is pretty good and there's much more to explore on the menu. Bap Xao Tom Kho, Hu Tieu My Tho, Pho Duoi Bo, among others. Plus, I like the two women working here…..they are very nice and friendly. Yes, the food might take a while, but that's ok….it gives you more time to enjoy the banquet set-up.

Royal Garden
4201 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92105
Hours:
Wed – Mon 9am – 9pm
Closed Tuesdays

Pho Bo

July 30, 2018 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

I'm not quite sure how it happened; but it seems I'm back working weekends again just to keep up with our backlog. On the bright side; this means I can take a (usually) traffic free drive to grab an early (or late) lunch. One of my acquaintances, knowing that I really enjoy Vietnamese style Beef Stew – Bo Kho; recommended a place that recently opened in the mixed use Mercado de Barrio in Barrio Logan named Pho Bo.

Even though there's quite a few shops in the this center; parking was totally no problem. As was finding the shop; which in the typical new style has those garage like doors, and a nice modern, yet pseudo industrial (high ceilings) look.

I also enjoyed the fact that the A/C was going full blast on this very hot day. I had recommendations for three items; one of them was the Nem Nuong Cuon; those tasty grilled pork sausage spring roll that places like Brodard have made a staple. Sadly, I was told that the Nem Nuong was no longer available. I was also told that the Goi Cuon; the typical standard issue spring rolls were quite good; so I ordered it.

Sadly, this was just a whole lot of blandness as there were no herbs in the roll; the wrapper was hard and chewy, the pork was dry, and the shrimp had no flavor. The dipping sauce was your standard issue toung cham; hoisin-peanut kind of thing.

I hoped the Banh Mi Bo Kho would be better.

As you can quickly tell; the beef stew was on the thinner side; but man, look at that layer of oil on the top. Sometimes, it can really help a rich, hearty broth, but in this case, it just made the whole thing greasy. The broth was pretty salty; but lacked the pepper-tangy-anise tones I enjoy in the good Bo Kho. I used up the lime and all of the basil provided to help boost the flavor, but it was still mainly just salty.

The bread was interesting; I'm wondering who provided this as it was more dense and chewy than other banh mi I've had around San Diego.

There was a generous amount of tender beef; but no tendon provided.

Well, at least the service was fairly friendly.

I decided to return the following weekend to try out the other item that was recommended; the "Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings with Butter". Basically Butter Wings.

The amount of wings, 8 was decent for the price. These were on the smaller size; which I actually prefer for the good batter/skin ratio. Overall, these were on the bland side when it comes to butter wings. And the batter didn't have the crispness I enjoy; rather it was hard and got rather gummy quickly. There were several broken bones and a lot of blackened meat as well.

I also order the Pho Dac Biet.

As you can see; a nice portion of basil; but it was turning black and there were holes and tears in the leaves.

The broth wasn't overly salty, but still had that odd "San Diego Pho sweetness" that I've been tasting over the last couple of years. Clear, not very beefy, lacking in anise – oniony tones.

The noodles were nicely done; though in the typical clump at the bottom of the bowl.

As for the proteins; the rare steak was the typical top round; which gets tougher the longer it "cooks" in the broth. Luckily, it arrived before being well done. Both the flank and the brisket were fine, nicely done, not tough, nor falling to pieces, good beef flavor. Surprisingly, the meat balls weren't too rubbery or hard. Not bad in terms of protein. But you can tell who the target audience of this bowl is just by what was absent. Tendon and tripe….

In then end; this was basically "pho not to offend", not my favorite. It's fine if you like your basic, generic, pho shop.

Nice service, very clean and modern.

Pho Bo
1985 National Ave (In the Mercado de Barrio)
San Diego, CA 92113
Hours:
Open Daily 9am – 9pm

I did like this location; really interesting. CC has a post on Oi Asian Fusion which is next door.

Man, it looks like things are really looking up in this area!

Revisits – No Pho at Pho Hiep and Grill (Linda Vista) and Pho SaiGon Bliss

July 19, 2018 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

A couple of revisits for you…….

Pho Hiep and Grill:

My dry cleaning lady who lives in City Heights always mentions the Bun Man Vit at Pho Hiep. While she does agree that the best in the San Diego area is Tu Thanh, in spite of not serving much shredded banana blossom with the BMV these days……..though she tells me that the version at Pho Hiep is in a strong second place in her opinion. And while I really didn't care for the Bun Mang Vit the last time I tried it. I was kind of hungry after picking up my dry cleaning and decided to head on over and have it again.

In some ways this was much better than the BMV I had the last time. The broth was full of the earthy-woodsy bamboo shoot flavor; like the dried shoots had been steeped in the broth. The bun was cooked perfectly. I enjoy the peppery-citrusy rau ram (Vietnamese Coriander) that crowns the bowl. The veggies were sparkling fresh; though no banana blossom here either. I'm not a big fan of the overly sweet dipping sauce. And there were only two-three pieces of bony duck and the rest was chicken livers which kind of ruined things for me.

Enjoyed the broth, noodles, herbs, and veggies. Hated the dipping sauce and chicken livers.

Pho Hiep & Grill
6947 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Pho SaiGon Bliss:

**** Pho SaiGon Bliss has closed

Right before all this hot weather arrived, I had to take the Missus's car in for a smog check on a Sunday. One of the few places open within a reasonable distance was on Murphy Canyon Road. Man, those guys were super fast and efficient. Once things were done; I wanted to grab a bite to eat. I decided to return to Pho SaiGon Bliss. Man, the place was quite busy when I arrived.

I decided to order what I thought was the best item I had during my previous visits; the Banh Mi Bo Kho.

I'm not if it was because the place was so busy, I didn't mind waiting thirty minutes for my Bo Kho….I understand. But man, this isn't what I'd call anything close to a stew. Beef maybe since there was a ton of fairly tender beef in the bowl; tendon was MIA. On this visit; the broth was super thin, it lacked enough tanginess, spice, or black pepper flavor. It was….basically……pho broth with beef stew seasoning and not enough of it at that. I had remembered when the nice young man told me this was his "grandmother's recipe". But I guess that was then……

The banh mi was nicely toasted and hot….not sure about the typical sprouts and basil that's served with pho.

This is totally "Bo Kho not to offend".

The service; in spite of being super busy was very nice. Too bad about the beef stew.

Pho SaiGon Bliss
3755 Murphy Canyon Rd
San Diego, CA 92123

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…..