Vietnamese Restaurants – Page 26

Spotted Cow Viet Kitchen Revisited

April 3, 2016 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Spotted Cow has closed

Spotted Cow Viet Kitchen:

I'd had a really good bowl of Bo Kho from Pho Lucky while doing my errands for the Missus. The following weekend, I had to get something from Zion Market and was hungry. Spotted Cow opens early, it had been a while since my last visit so I thought I'd grab a bowl of the Pho Bo Kho, which was the the best thing I had during my previous visits to Spotted Cow. The drill ended up being kind of strange; I ordered, the gentleman then went to the back of the shop and carried a Styrofoam container to the kitchen area. He set the container down out of sight and about thirty seconds later I heard a "ding"….sure sounded like a microwave to me. Meanwhile, my noodles were heated fresh in front of me, the contents of the container were poured into a bowl and additional broth added. I guess they don't sell enough beef stew?

I thought this was a rather odd bowl of Pho Bo Kho. The broth was barely past lukewarm. In fact this is the first time I can ever remember having a bowl of noodle soup where the noodles were actually hotter than the broth! The broth was very mild, in need of a bit more anise tones and beefiness in my opinion. At least it wasn't too salty. The carrots were nicely done, very tender. Cilantro and onions are quite important to the bowl in my opinion….adding an additional pungency to cut the richness and in the case of the cilantro, that extra anise and almost citrus like tones of cilantro (nope, I don't have olfactory receptor genes OR6A2) really add to the flavor.

As you can see…..I think it's the cost-cutting trend these days, barely any bean sprouts and basil.

The meat was provided in nice squared off chunks. It had probably been cooked separately ahead of time, not a bad thing, then chopped into chunks for serving. It was not bad….though I was looking for some tendon, which I love with my Bo Kho, but none was to be had.

The noodles, the thinner type of Banh Pho, was perfect in texture……there was a huge amount of noodles in the bowl.

But noodles are but one component of Pho Bo Kho. I'm kind of on the fence about this one; the broth was a bit too mild and the temperature was off…..it was kind of made "not to offend", not something I enjoy when having a meal.

Spotted Cow Viet Kitchen (in the Zion Market Food Court)
7655 Clairemont Mesa Blvd

What’s My Craving: Banh Mi Bo Kho from Pho Lucky

March 31, 2016 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

I look forward to those "San Diego chilly" days; you know, what we here consider cold, the low 50's, a nice chill in the air…..and weekends are even better. The Missus sleeping in, I set out, "honey-do" list in hand, and this time decide to make a short detour….to Pho Lucky, for the Banh Mi Bo Kho.

And while I have been disappointed on occasion with the beef stew here, it will hit the spot more often than not. As it did on this day….perhaps not quite as thick as I prefer, but full of tangy, beefy, slightly anise flavors. The tendon with just the right amount of toothsome versus buttery. The bread is standard issue, but is warmed and who cares after you dip….nay, drench it in the "gravy". The onions add a bit of acidic pungency teaming with the cilantro to cut the richness and revive your palate a bit.

Need to cut the salt and richness even more? Add a squeeze of lime. For me, this has become comfort food. The only sad thing is, I still had all my major shopping to do after this……

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

Midweek Meanderings: Banh Mi Bakery and Cafe Coming Soon, Boiling Passion Replaces Pho Paradise, and Mekong Cuisine Replace Sang Deuan

A new shop coming soon and two new places for hump day……

Banh Mi Bakery and Café:

For some reason, this strip mall on the corner of Clairemont Mesa and Ruffin Road always eludes my attention. But on this past weekend, a sign with "Banh Mi" on it caught my eye, so I drove into the parking lot to check it out.

This is the strip mall with Giovanni's. This shop is right next to Palomino's #2, which Cathy has written about a couple of times.

9353 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92123

Boiling Passion Replaces Pho Paradise:

You can find my post on our visits to Boiling Passion here.

I noticed the sign when driving to pick-up a bento at Nijiya. I noticed that Pho Paradise had closed back in January. Boy did they turn this place around quick. But did they really want to name it "Boiling Passion"?

When I sent off a photo and text to my friends; "John" quickly texted me back asking if this was a massage parlor. I quickly sent off a string of texts about "meat" that isn't really appropriate for this blog…..I'll let your imagination go with that one!

3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Mekong Cuisine Replaces Sang Deuan:

I went up the parking lot to turn around and noticed another change.

I hadn't even noticed this one! Sang Deuan sure didn't last long. Well, another place to try. They kept the "Lao & Thai" portion of the old sign, so I'm thinking the menu is probably similar to Sang Deuan's.

3904 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

So there you go….have a great week!

Revisits – Pho Cali and Coastal Crave

March 14, 2016 mmm-yoso Burgers, Gastropub, Pho, Pubs and Pub Grub, Vietnamese Restaurants

I know, rather strange bedfellows, but here goes.

**** Both this location of Pho Cali and Coastal Crave have closed

Pho Cali:

A recent weekend morning found me in Mission Valley. It's kind of interesting, when we first moved to San Diego, our condo was in MV, but these days, other than the Missus enjoying a shopping day, we almost try to avoid Mission Valley!

The last time I'd been to Pho Cali was back in March of 2006. They've survived the test of time, though their shop in Kearny Mesa didn't last, eventually becoming Pho Nhu Y. Still, 10 am on a Saturday morning……. I thought it would be interesting to drop by Pho Cali.

Funny thing, the service is totally like any pho shop on University….as in, "what you want"……..

Haven't not been here in 10 years, I took the #49, regular, which was $7.69. Basically the proteins minus the rare steak, which I didn't think was going to be too good. What was really interesting was the plate of herbs and sprouts, which has got to be, the most stingy plate I've seen to date.

It was so amazingly stingy….I enjoy bean sprouts in my pho and have requested more on occasion, but this seemed a bit absurd. So, while waiting, I decided to count the bean sprouts…..which barely filled the palm of my hand. There were exactly 27 bean sprouts on that plate. Perhaps I could have requested more…..but really, should I have to beg for my sprouts?

So, lets get to the pho. The broth had nice hints of anise, but was lacking in richness and had way too much msg, the tendon and all the other proteins, including a decent amount of tripe was good. The noodles were a bit over cooked and mushy, but overall, it was hard to over come the amount of msg.

The service is typically perfunctory…..

Such is the state of pho in Mission Valley.

Pho Cali
1400 Camino De La Reina
San Diego, CA 92108

Coastal Crave:

So, I did Mike's BBQ, where I mentioned the beer offerings were much better than Coastal Crave's, which meant I had to return. I try to do a bit of due diligence when possible. This time, I avoided any of the dishes I had before and went with a simple burger.

But first, I can still say; there's not much craft beer here….they count Shock Top as a craft beer….

The Coastal Crave Burger?

Well, this was interesting. The burger was made to a nice medium, but the exterior was almost burnt and quite tough. Really sad, because this could have been a decent burger. Instead, it came across as being a bit bitter. The brioche style bun was good, the fried onion rings ditto….so close.

The young lady working on this evening was a joy; I believe her name is Kristin, or something like that. So maybe, maybe, since it's up the street……though they've got to step up their beers….

Coastal Crave
3065 Clairemont Dr
San Diego, CA 92117

What’s the Missus Craving? Mien Trung

March 6, 2016 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Vietnamese Restaurants

It's taken awhile, but the Missus is slowly getting back to Her routine as well. This morning, in the midst of the downpour, while shopping at Whole Paycheck, the Missus said, "let's go to Mien Trung…it's been a while and I'm craving some Bun Rieu." Now this was interesting. As I noted before, the Missus hasn't gotten the Bun Rieu at Mien Trung in a while; rather sticking with the Hen Xuc Com (spicy baby clams over rice), since they changed up the noodles and weakened the broth for the Bun Rieu.

So this was going to be interesting…..

The verdict? Well, this was a mere shadow of the Bun Rieu the we recalled . It was not bad, just not as good. The real problem for us, besides the use of the "wrong noodle" (per the Missus) was the lack of crab and tomato flavor in the broth. The Missus ave me a taste and I had to concur, it was quite bland, something that bun rieu should definitely not be.

As for my Bun Bo Hue; it was better than I'd had here in a while. The broth was very hot, the noodles firm and slippery, with a strong lemongrass flavor, and the effect of MSG a bit muted.

And while I wouldn't count it among the best bowls I've had here over the years, it did the trick.

As for the Missus, I think She'll stick with the Hen Xuc Com……

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

Circling Back to…Pho Van and Pho Ca Dao (El Cajon Blvd)

February 22, 2016 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

Here are a couple of places I haven't been to in ages…..

Pho Van:

Man, would you believe the last time I was here was back in "the 'aughts"! 2006 to be exact……talk about a loooong time.

I ran around doing a ton of shopping during my first weekend back from our trip. I thought I should go ahead and visit this place since I pass it all the time and say to myself "I need to do a revisit".

So I parked in back of the place, walked in, had a seat, and ordered #4………I saw the "Tai" (rare steak) on the way in and decided to pass.

The veggies and herbs were pretty fresh, even the two small leaves of Ngo Gai. The broth was actually better than I had here on previous visits…..no good mind you, but better. It wasn't too salty, but had a slight bitterness to it, had to temper with all the basil, which helped a bit. There was a very slight flavor of beef, but not much else. The noodles were decent, in the clump at the bottom of the bowl, edging on starting to get mushy, but not cold. The proteins were a mixed bag, the brisket tasted off, the flank very tough, but tripe was nicely prepped. Not much tendon.

Typical old school pho shop service, perfunctory, quick, and to the point. Not quite sure when or if I'll return……but hey, if they're still around in another 5-10 years, who know?

Pho Van Restaurant
4233 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92105

Pho Ca Dao (El Cajon Blvd):

While never a big favorite, I always enjoyed the tendon here, while the Missus used to enjoy the Bun Bo Hue here. I knew I hadn't been here in a while, but looking back at my old posts, I believe it's been almost 6 years! How quickly time flies!

The interior look pretty much the same as is the service, which wasn't bad….typical pho shop, but perhaps a bit nicer. The young man who seated me was pretty friendly.

Let's get straight to the pho….#4 here as well.

Man, I still love the tendon here; it's just the right texture for me, slight chew while still being very tender. In fact, all the proteins were good, in terms of flavor the flank, while stringy and falling to pieces had a nice beefy flavor. The broth on the other hand was quite bad….as in "where's the beef"…..flavor. It's like they don't even use beef bones to make pho here anymore. Along with being too defatted it was also MSG heavy…..such is the state of pho in San Diego.

Sad because the pho banh was prepped well with a nice pull. Sad that the broth just didn't do it for me…….in spite of the tendon, it's the broth that's most important part of my bowl of pho.

Pho Ca Dao
5223 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Pho Pasteur Anh Hong (revisit)

February 12, 2016 Cathy Salads, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Kirk is on (another) vacation, Ed (from Yuma) is enjoying Yuma and Cathy is writing this post about food for mmm-yoso!!!

The weather in San Diego has been unusual so far this year, from freezing temperatures to heavy, flooding rains, damaging winds and then yesterday, temperatures in the 90's. It's confusing on how to dress-layering a sweater over a long sleeve t-shirt over a short sleeve shirt seems necessary. Then 'what's for lunch' diverges into thoughts of both warming soups to refreshing salads. A recent solution was found at Pho Pasteur, which I've written about, several times.
Not much here has changed over the years; still the same glass top over pink tablecloths and consistent food. The mall, however lost its anchor business on August 4 last year and it seems that permitting to rebuild has taken a very long time.

Since I am the 'always chilly' person lately, a bowl of my favorite Mien Ga (bean thread with chicken soup) ($6.99) was the plan for this meal.The add-ins were used for the 'second half' of this bowl, making the flavor profile a bit different, like a new bowl of soup. Both The Mister and I enjoy trying various versions of Banh Xeo ($5.99) and the pancake with its light turmeric flavor and crunchiness with fresh fillings of pork, shrimp, bean sprouts and mung bean was just right when wrapped inside pieces of lettuce and mint and dipped in the bowl of Nuoc Cham (sweet, salty and sour!).Two summers ago, I was in search of the best version of Goi Bo (beef salad) ($10.99) and after much comparison shopping, the final determination is that my favorite version is made at Pho Pasteur Anh Hong. The slices of cooked marinated beef mixed with the thin, thin uniquely sliced (regular and pickled) vegetables, chopped peanuts and basil combine to make this salad so satisfying as a meal.

All in all, a really good hot/cold meal.

Pho Pasteur Ahn Hong 7612 Linda Vista road San Diego 92111 (858) 569-7515

Noodling Around: Tim Ky versus Minh Ky

January 31, 2016 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants, yoso-silly

Man, it's really blowing outside. Cathy sent me a message saying the power out in her part of San Diego. I hope everyone is keeping warm and out of the wind!

Two weekends ago, I went up to Mira Mesa to get a haircut. I'll usually hit up a place for breakfast before my haircut; Pho Cow Cali or Pho Lucky. This time around I thought it was time for a revisit to Tim Ky which I thought was pretty good when I first visited, but was quite pedestrian on my last visit. It was fairly early, so just simple won ton and dumpling egg noodle for me.

This was pretty good, Better than what I had the last time around. The broth was light, pork-chicken, with just a touch of oil, savory, and not overly salty this time around. The charsiu was on the bland side and the two won tons were on the tough side, the 4 dumplings were also kind of chewy. The egg noodles were quite nice, good chew. Nice and simple, a nice breakfast. This got me wondering if this might be better than the version at Minh Ky.

Tim Ky Noodle
9330 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

So yesterday, before the storm moved in; under the overcast sky, I headed up to Minh Ky.

And while I usually order the Beef Sate Noodle – Dry here; I went with the won ton and dumpling egg noodle soup. Which, while packed with stuff, looked quite light.

The differences were quite striking. The egg noodles here were not quite as yellow as the version at TimKy and also thinner. It was also nice and al dente, the noodles probably went to MK as did the charsiu, the dumplings, and the won tons which were much more tender that I ever recalled having here. Perhaps getting here before the crowds descend (0830) makes a difference?

I think the broth at Tim Ky was slightly better, mainly due to the richness, but overall, I still think Minh Ky is better overall.

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

It was fun doing a nice simple comparison which started with going to my haircut appointment. My hair didn't fare so well. The guy who's been cutting my hair for ages; I'd followed him all over the place, Mission Valley to Serra Mesa to El Cajon to College to his uncles house (during a bad spell he was pretty much homeless) to Rolando, to Oceanside, then most recently Mira Mesa. Unfortunately, he had just quit the day before….and I needed to get my hair cut, so I had one of the other guys cut it…..so I now have quite the buzz. The Missus gasped when I got back home….but hey, it's hair, it'll grow back. One of the guys at work asked me why I just didn't shave my head…..looking at him (balding), I just said, "hey, I get to prove that I actually have hair…."

COMC Noodle Soup Edition: Revisits to – 777 Noodlehouse, RakiRaki, Santouka, and Sushi Yaro

January 26, 2016 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen, Vietnamese Restaurants

Yeeesh….it's been a tough week and it's only Tuesday. I need my sleep and some time to regroup, so here's a Clearing Out the Memory Card Post for ya……. Not much verbiage…..mostly photos.

777 Noodlehouse:

While I think the Hu Tieu Nam Vang at Ly Heng has surpassed 777, you can't deny this is a good deal for $5.77……though the portion is a bit smaller now.

777 Noodle House
4686 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105

RakiRaki:

Can this place even serve the noodles cold upon request? The noodles a bit overcooked….the place a lot over-hyped…..still, if you must, I think the Rikimaru Miso Tonkotsu Tsukemen might be the way to go. I will say, there's much more pork these days and the egg, while still overcooked wasn't tragically dry.

RakiRaki Ramen and Tsukemen
4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Santouka:

Because I had to after checking out the Flagship Store in Asahikawa….yes….we caught the train there.

While the broth and the pork didn't come close to what we had (no Santouka effect this time); I still think this is the best that San Diego has to offer when it comes to ramen.

Santouka Ramen
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd(In the Mitsuwa Marketplace)
San Diego, CA 92111

Sushi Yaro:

**** Sushi Yaro has closed

Not for sushi…..but I needed a break and dropped by to see Sam and grab a bowl of Soki Soba.

Nothing earth shattering mind you, but I like this style of broth….though it could be a bit richer.

Being really busy means I'm not able to hang with my friends…..I am so looking forward to doing so again soon.

Sushi Yaro
7905 Engineer Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Hope you're having a great week!

Revisit: Song Huong – Mira Mesa

January 17, 2016 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** This location of Song Huong has been replaced by Saigon Corner

Time sure does fly, doesn't it? It's easy to forget about places you mean to revisit when they are tucked away from the main drag; such is the case with Song Huong almost hidden behind Vinh Hung Market. In fact, I'd totally forgotten about the place until someone mentioned that Chibugan, which had once occupied the Song Huong space; then moved next door had closed. It had me wondering about how Song Huong was doing. Then, as chance would have it, I heard someone recommending the Bun Bo Hue at Song Huong; I did recall it being decent, but nothing special. Still, you didn't have to remind me a third time…..

I had decided to go into the office on a recent weekend to catch up on things, so I decided to take a little detour to Song Huong.

Not sure if it was the strange set-up of the tables, which stretched from the booths…sticking out with four to six seats added. Or the sticky floors and tables. Or perhaps the overall mustiness of the place. It did seem that time has not been to good to Song Huong.

The women working here are very nice; though communication was a bit difficult at times. I did manage to order the Bun Bo Hue, now $7.

This was kind of an odd bowl of BBH. First off, no pork hock. The flank was super tough and the small slices if what looked like pounded beef tasted a bit off and was very tough. No cha lua, just some fish cake. The broth seemed to be dressed up pho broth, with mild hints of spice, but almost no lemongrass or even that quick fixer upper mam tom flavor. It was scalding hot though.

I'm not sure what to say about the noodles, which were different from the bun I'm used to having in BBH. This was hard and very, very slippery….more like undercooked wheat based noodles. The greens and herbs were plentiful, but starting to discolor and mostly comprised of lettuce.

I really don't know what to say about this bowl of soup. Maybe it was an off day? I gotta say, this was a rather strange bowl of Bun Bo Hue. It just seemed thrown together. It's been five years since I'd last visited….I don't think I'll be back anytime soon.

Song Huong
10550 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126