Vietnamese Restaurants – Page 29

Another Revisit: Que Huong Nearly a Decade Later

April 22, 2015 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Que Huong has closed

I'm enjoying getting back up to City Heights again, so here's another revisit post.

Can you imagine that it's been nearly 10 years since I first walked through the door of Que Huong. Little did I know that "Jay" and his sister had just taken over the spot. I've revisited quite a few times over the years, though strangely, the visits always seem to be spread apart. I will say that the place sure looks a lot different these days.

There sure aren't specials written on the mirror anymore!

If you're going to have one item here, it should be the fish sauce wings. Since I first tried them in 2008, it's been a beloved item. In my article in the Reader, I noted how Jay told me he was going through as much as a thousand pounds of wings in a month.

It's still a wonderful, sweet, salty, and sticky…….

The Jackfruit Salad is another standby.

Over the years, I've noticed that they've somewhat refined their dishes a bit. In this salad, I noticed that the whole, hard peppercorns were gone and on this visit the nuoc mam cham was more savory, heavier on the fish sauce than sweet and watered done, which was a welcomed change. Nice amount of veggies, the somewhat citrusy-pungent-cilantro tones of rau ram, shrimp, and pork.

This made for a very satisfying meal.

It's good to know that the food here was just as good when Jay wasn't on the premises. It's also good to see Que Huong last when so many haven't.

Que Huong Restaurant
4134 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Tan Ky Mi Gia (City Heights) Revisited

April 21, 2015 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Tan Ky Mi Gia has closed

Yes indeed, Tan Ky Mi Gia did indeed close. However, there's still a Tan Ky Mi Gia around…..

Of course, this used to be Hing Ky Mi Gia, but before that, it was Tan Ky Mi Gia. Then it became Tan Ky Mi Gia again in 2008.

Now that things are settling down I can make more trips up to City Heights. And revisit Tan Ky Mi Gia.

Man, this place is looking a bit run down.

Still, the place has outlasted the pool hall next door.

Still, the prices are still good….$5.75 for basic egg noodle soup. However, on this visit I saw Bot Chien posted on the wall. It was breakfast time, so there was no doubt I'd be ordering it.

While not in the class of Kang Lac, this was not bad. The crisp parts were nice, though there were some kind of gummy parts to it. It was also pretty big, I ended up taking a good part of it home…the Missus, who basically never saw an egg dish She didn't like enjoyed it. Loved the dipping sauce as well. Overall decent.

A week later I returned in the morning and decided to try the Won Ton and Dumpling Egg Noodle Soup ($5.75).

The broth is not quite where it used to be…..a bit more salty, less body, cloudy. The egg noodles were perfect. I didn't care for the hard as rock dumplings and won tons. It's not like I'm expecting amazing for under six bucks. But this just didn't do it for me.

So will I be back……yes, I've got see what the state of the duck egg noodle soup is like. Plus, it's hard to complain about meals like these…….and heck, there one Tan Ky Mi Gia left.

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

Revisits: Pho Ban Mai and New Mandarin Canton

April 13, 2015 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

Here's a couple of places I haven't been to in a while.

Pho Ban Mai:

A couple of weeks ago, when it was super hot, Lily and "YZ" wanted to grab some lunch. Everything just seemed a bit "too much" for the heat and this being a Monday, places like Sab E Lee were closed. We ended up going to Pho Ban Mai, which I seem to visit about once a year. I ended up doing the ordering and we started with the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings:

While the seasoning wasn't bad; I thought these were greasy, the bones in several were broken and the meat tasted a bit off like it had been thawed and then refrozen. Not good eats.

I also went with what I call the "Brodard South" dishes; the Nem Nuong Cuon and the Chao Tom Cuon. Like I mentioned before, these were right out of the Brodard playbook.

As before the Nem Nuong, the pork "sausage", was much better, more flavor, nicely grilled, and the addition of a touch of herbs along with the scallion complements the flavor of the meat. The Chao Tom, is a bit too rubbery and "squeaky" for me and is quite bland….which comes to the sauce….I keep on meaning to just get nuoc mam cham, the sauce here is not very good, very bland, lacking in flavor.

I've always enjoyed the banh xeo here; I think it is crisp and light, and I appreciate the ratio of fillings to the crisp "crepe". It's all about proportion to me when it comes to banh xeo.

Lily and "YZ" had never had banh xeo before, so I thought this would be a nice introduction. Man, Lily went after this like there was no tomorrow…..apparently, she loves bean sprouts, and the combination of the light crunch of the crepe with the crisp lettuce and herbs, dipped into nuoc mam cham was just what the doctor ordered for a hot day. This was a nice specimen, perhaps as good as what I had here in 2011.

Overall a decent meal; though there's one area that seemed lacking. When Pho Ban Mai first opened, the folks seemed friendly and attentive, during my last visit, the guys seemed more interested in socializing. This time around, they seem to want nothing to do with customers. In other words, it's getting almost borderline rude here. Not a good trend. I hope the next time I get my banh xeo fix, the pattern will be reversed.

Pho Ban Mai
8991 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

New Mandarin Canton:

Speaking of salt and Pepper Chickens Wings….we've been eating pretty good for a while and just needed to get our ABCDE (American Born Chinese Dining Establishment – "ab-cee-dee) fried food fix. It had been a while since we indulged in one of our guilty pleasures.

I'd always thought the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings here were pretty good and was disappointed that they weere closed during our Salt and Pepper Wing Challenge. Though we were even more disturbed that the owner had been stabbed and beaten to death.

As far the wings go, they've never been quite the same, but were still good, and usually held up well. The Missus had always enjoyed the salt and pepper shrimp without shell here as well. Which is what I ordered.

Man, what is going on here? The chicken, while crisp, had basically no flavor…..I had to roll it in the garlic-scallion mixture to get any flavor at all.

It had also been fried to death……dry as a mouthful of sand. Kind of sad. Looks like I'll have to start making the rounds searching for some good S&P wings.

To make things worse, the shrimp were even more pathetic.

Very bland, under fried and gummy batter….this was pretty bad.

It's quite sad when an "old standby" doesn't deliver….

New Mandarin Canton Chinese Restaurant
543 Telegraph Canyon Road
Chula Vista, CA 91910

Pho Hung Cali (Chula Vista) and Pho Saigon and Grill (Rancho Penasquitos)

April 6, 2015 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

"What's this thing with you having pho for breakfast every Saturday?" Asked the Missus. My reply; "well, some of these errands I have to run for you mean a bit of a drive and pho is always easy, plus these places open rather early, 8 or 9 am, and aren't crowded at that time."

Which is how I came to have two bowls at almost opposite ends of the map the last two Saturdays.

Pho Hung Cali:

I'd heard some good things about this place from folks who live in the South Bay. "Buddha" who often comments also mentioned the place to me in an email. So since I was in the area, I thought why not?

the place was very easy to find; basically katty-corner from Aqui es Texcoco. Strange, I'd never even noticed the place before.

The interior is much larger than it looks from the outside….though a lot of the space is empty.

The service is typical pho shop…perhaps a bit more friendly, but mostly all business.

I went with the #18 – Rare Steak, Flank, Brisket, Tendon, and Tripe ($5.95).

I think I've had too many bowls of pho…I recognized the pattern on the bowl; it's the same as the bowls at Pho Cow Cali and Pho Hiep and Grill. Sheesh. The broth though, being on the "sweeter" side reminded me of Pho Fifth Avenue. It wasn't quite as beefy, though it had some anise tones. A decent broth, a bit too light, but not overly salty. It was also a bit on the cloudy side.

I appreciate the generous amount of nicely prepared tripe; though the rare steak was totally cooked by the time the bowl reached me and rigor mortis had set in. The rest of the meats were meh……tasteless, much of it falling apart, the tendon tougher than I prefer.

The noodles were overdone and mushy.

Overall, not a bad bowl, possibly the best I've had in the area. If I were in the area, I'd stop by again. The broth wasn't bad, the prices decent, and one other thing….the hot tea was free….I know, it's usually only a buck…..but for some reason I appreciated an ok pot of tea gratis.

Pho Hung Cali
1060 Broadway Chula Vista
Chula Vista, CA 91911
Hours:
Mon – Sun 8am – 9pm

Pho Saigon and Grill:

**** Pho Saigon and Grill has closed

This place is located right across from 24 Hour Fitness on Carmel Mountain Road. The place I needed to be at wasn't open until 10 am so I decided to grab some breakfast here.

The folks here were really nice.

I got the Pho Dac Biet (small – $6.95), which arrived super piping hot. The presentation reminded me of Pho Paradise.

The herbs and sprouts portion was on the small side.

The broth was highly defatted, but had a nice dark hue. It didn't quite deliver on it's color being very light in flavor and quite salty.

The tendon, as you can tell was good, as was the brisket, which had kept a nice beefy goodness. The flank was too tough, the rare steak cut too thick, and the tripe MIA.

The noodles were dead on perfect. Not sure why all places can't do it this way?

Overall a nice experience with regards to the staff. The pho was decent, but nothing worth going out of my way for.

Pho Saigon & Grill
9975 Carmel Mountain Rd
San Diego, CA 92129
Hours
Mon – Sun 9am – 9pm

Of course, the underlying question is; which of these two bowls did I enjoy more? I've got to say Pho Hung Cali, based on the broth, which was more complex and had more flavor.

Midweek Meanderings: From Mignon Pho + Grill to Lucky Crab to Mignon Pho + Seafood in three weeks and Taisho closed until April 5th

April 1, 2015 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants, yoso-silly

From Mignon Pho + Grill to Lucky Crab to Mignon Pho + Seafood in three weeks:

I usually stop by Nijiya a couple of times a week. Once for shopping and once or twice to pick up a bento rush for lunch.

Imagine my surprise when I found that Mignon Pho + Grill had become something called "Lucky Crab"?

So, yet another one of these Cajun/Creole Crawfish/Seafood places?

Not so fast Kemosabe……..two days later I'm at Nijiya again, and it's no more crabs?

Now it's sort of back to Mignon Pho….minus the "grill" plus "seafood"…… How's that for commitment to a "brand"?

This might set the record for most name changes in 2 weeks?

At least they just had to buy 7 letters for the last name change.

Still owned by the same folks…….

Restaurant name this week
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Taisho is closed until Sunday April 5th:

So no Taisho stop for us this week. The Missus is having withdrawals…..

Yakitori Taisho
5185 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

Breakfast of Champions – the Noodle Soup Edition: 777 Noodle House, Minh Ky, Tu Thanh, Pho Paradise, Pho Lucky

March 24, 2015 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

I've gotten into a habit of having noodle soup for breakfast. Check that; I crave noodle soup for breakfast on weekends. It's something that happened over time, but has become a bit of a habit. I'm not the only one with a weekend routine. When I rise and leave for work during the week, while it's still dark out, Da' Boyz won't even budge. They go outside, do their thing, and then it's back to sleep. During the weekend however, it's light and bright, they have a routine of their own. Most weekend mornings, I'll go for some of the quick errands; gas up the car, the ATM, Catalina Offshore, etc……and I'll take them with me. It's gotten to the point of them knowing and expecting this to take place. Sammy will sometimes stick his nose in the shower, with Frankie running around in the bathroom whining demanding their weekend "car ride". After that's done, I go for more of the errands, the "honey doo" things farther afield while the Missus is working or still sleeping. My reward? Some noodle soup. So here's a few recent bowls….I've posted on these places already, but thought it was time for another. No Mien Trung, even though they open at 9. I'm getting old, Bun Bo Hue is a bit too much for breakfast these days.

777 Noodle House:

My favorite $5.77 bowl – either Hieu Tieu Nam Vang or in this case Mi Trieu Chau. Basically the same dish, except one is with egg noodles.

777 Noodle House
4686 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105

Open at 8am

Minh Ky:

My usual, the Beef Sate Noodle "dry".

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

Open at 8am

Tu Thanh:

My favorite bowl of Bun Mang Vit.

Especially since I found out where the parking lot is.

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

Open at 9am

Pho Paradise:

**** Pho Paradise has closed

A newbie that makes a passable bowl, not the best, but better than anything else in the area. I avoid the rare steak.

And only for the pho. Other items I've tried here just haven't cut it. A close option for those mornings I shop at Nijiya.

Pho Paradise
3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Open at 9am on Saturdays, 10am on Sundays.

Pho Lucky:

Yep……yes again. There are those rare mornings when the Missus joins me and is in the mood for some pho. This is where we'll go.

Maybe one day Tim Ky will join the list.

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

Open at 9 am

When you have a place in your regular rotation you sometimes notice things. Like the pair of pooches in the photo to the right. I've seen them at Nijiya a good half dozen times now. I have no idea who they belong to, but they sure are "regulars".

And then there are the odd things. Like the colander/strainer I saw in the men's urinal at Zion Market one morning. I'm sure it was doing a "similar job". I just hope it wasn't doing double duty.

Needless to say; I wasn't feeling like having anything to eat in the food court that morning. I also waited until I got home to use the restroom…..

Soup Weather Returns: Revisits to Mien Trung, Pho Paradise, and Pho Nhu Y

March 2, 2015 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

We just got back from an overdue visit to Portland over the last couple of days. The very busy Cathy was kind enough to cover (as usual) for us. The somewhat ironic thing being, the weather when we returned from Portland, was more like Portland than Portland was….or something like that! Anyway, after feasting on foie gras and bone marrow (posts to come) having some soup was quite nice. So here's where I've been since we got back.

Mien Trung (of course):

Ah yes, any hint of rain means a visit to Mien Trung.

Something I've noticed over the last couple of years. As "Mom" gets older, the broth for the Bun Bo Hue sometimes is rather heavy handed with regards to MSG, or even spiciness. Such was the case on this day….not to say I didn't finish every lemongrass tinged drop of soup.

The Hen Xuc Banh Trang however, was a spicy-peppery-savory joy to devour.

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

Pho Paradise:

**** Pho Paradise has closed

I know, they've just opened and I'm doing a revisit post already.

Call me cynical, but I've been kind of down on pho in Kearny Mesa for a while so when I actually had what I thought was a decent bowl here, I had a hard time believing it wasn't a fluke.

So, on my return, I didn't order the rare steak, which was cut to thick, making it quite dry the last time, and just went with the brisket, flank, etc….. the brisket and flank were dry and tough; but the tendon was quite nice as was the tripe.

Of course, there was the broth…..for me broth is the key. This time it was a bit different; not quite as rich and still a touch too salty. The flavor however was pretty much the same mildly beefy, faint anise, strong shallot-onion. Not bad at all. The noodles were even prepared better this time and there was a more generous (and better quality) amount of herbs and sprouts.

So maybe there's decent pho to be had on Convoy after all…..

Pho Paradise
3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Pho Nhu Y:

**** Pho Nhu Y is now Pho Duyen Mai

The weather had got me craving Bun Mam for some reason. I really didn't feel like heading to City Heights. So I headed over to Pho Nhu Y on Clairemont Mesa, which is run by the original owner of Nhu Y. I even went after the 3pm Bun Mam hour. They had declared Bun Mam off limits until after 3pm as to not offend their gringo lunch crowd. Anyway, I found, much to my disappointment that Bun Mam is no longer offered. Bummer……. So what to order? Heck, wanting some noodle soup, I went with the Bun Rieu ($8.75).

The bowl arrived scalding hot….and the positives stopped there. The soup was tasted like pho broth with a touch of tomato and a tiny bit of seafood flavor, but not enough to make it proper bun rieu. There were little crumbs of a meat paste which had no flavor…this was mainly cha lua and fried tofu. I call this "shadow soup"…where a noodle soup; like Bun Bo Hue/Bun Rieu/Bun Mang Vit is made to barely reference the true flavors.

Well….at least I wouldn't be "offending customers" right? I know this place can do better….

Pho Nhu Y Vietnamese Grill
5375 Kearny Villa Rd
San Diego, CA 92123

And finally:

So I've got a kind of new reader….I think. At least the person has been emailing me…..very entertaining emails……telling me I really don't "represent" what true San Diegans eat, or want to eat. Which perhaps is the point of the blog, right? Anyway, I got sent some photos of what, according to this reader, "real San Diegans" eat. And was asked why I don't post on stuff like that……. Great thing is, I can just use the photo sent to me:

Hot Dog….mmmmm. I actually enjoy hot dogs. Heck, I have a whole category devoted to them. Still, perhaps not this one; though it's a good bargain (much better when it was Hebrew National)….maybe one day, never say never, after all, I've had worse at Costco. Still, this makes me chuckle because it reminds me of my good FOY's (Friend of Yoso) "Xiang Jiao" (you can see her here taking a cleaver to a whole roasted pig we snuck into a karaoke room - as if you could really sneak a whole pig into one) road trip with "friends"….very frugal friends, who insisted on eating at every Costco they could find (they had it mapped out) along the way. Personally "XJ" is too sweet and patient….I would have mutinied….friendships would have been ended and blood (perhaps mine) would have been shed. But that's just me…….

Pho Paradise

February 23, 2015 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Pho Paradise has closed

I was thinking of doing my post on Sang Deuan tonight, but the weather just seemed right for a post on the recently opened Pho Paradise, which is located in the same strip mall. I first noticed the change of business back at the end of the year. I really haven't had a good bowl of Pho in Kearny Mesa/Convoy is ages. So I was curious to see how this place would be.

As I said before; that logo looks a bit familiar, but I just can't place it.

In addition to the décor; the menu is typical of your neighborhood pho shop…pho, bun, rice……

I went with #3, rare steak, brisket, tendon, and tripe ($6.75). Man, when did pho hit the seven dollar mark? The Dac Biet here is like $7.75. Regardless, I liked the look of my bowl when it arrived.

Kind of sparse on the sprouts and herbs….but is that Ngo Gai I see? A rarity on the Mesa…..

The broth looked dark and rich, flecks of oil dotted the surface….the fragrance was quite "onion-ny". Nice first impression. The broth was mildly beefy, faint anise, onion-forward, though, as is the norm in San Diego, a bit heavy handed on the MSG. It was also super scalding hot.

The noodles were over-done and on the mushy side.

As for the proteins; the tendon was good, decent texture; the rare steak was cut too thick and dried out quickly in the broth. This was the most tripe I've seen in a bowl on the Mesa since forever.

The flank and brisket were unremarkable, both flavorless and on the dry side.

Still, it seems that these folks aren't just going thru the motions and are really trying to put out a good product.

A few days later I returned and tried the Banh Mi Bo Kho ($6.75). Man was this super dark.

This was too salty for my taste, it was also very thin, lacking in anise tones and any vestige of tomato flavor. The meat was on the tough and dry side.

I'd probably stick with the pho.

The young man and young lady who served me were very nice. I know I've been around a long time when I recognized Her from Van Hoa and K Sandwich…sheesh. The service here seemed a level above your typical pho shop. I like the hours, since my schedule often calls for an early lunch. This location seems to have some bad juju; in the course of two years it has been Viet Bakery and Pho, then V Bakery. I hope the place can break that spell. I also hope the pho is just as good, or heck, let's shoot for the moon, maybe even better next time around. You see, I'm not looking for a "pho paradise" here; just a decent bowl.

Pho Paradise
3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Mon – Sat 9am – 10pm
Sunday 10am – 9pm

Clearing out the Memory Card: Do you know these places?

February 4, 2015 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Burgers, Chicken Wings, Filipino Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen, Sisig, Vietnamese Restaurants

Here's a bunch of photos that have been languishing for a while. Not much else to say today!

And a couple more.

Hope you're having a great week!

Revisits: Pizzeria Bruno and Pho King

February 3, 2015 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Pizza, Vietnamese Restaurants

Hmmmm Bruno and Pho King, there's surely a joke in there somewhere. Can't think of one right now, so onward with the post.

Pizzeria Bruno:

*** Pizzeria Bruno has closed

It had been almost a year since I'd been here and I was really wanting a pizza….the Missus is still not doing the bread thing, so I was on my own. I held out for a couple of weeks before giving in.

They must be doing well, as there were at least 5 people working on a Sunday, at 4pm.

My memory must be going as I don't recall seeing Belgians on the drink list before. I was quite happy to order a La Chouffe, mild spice, yeasty, just boozy and sweet enough for me. My server was a very chipper young lady…quite enthusiastic and all…..

Being a creature of habit, I ordered the Diavolo, subbing soppressata for pepperoni. It arrived in all it's yeasty charred glory soon after.

I must really be getting old because this just seemed larger than I remembered…ah, this cursed old age thing.

Man, loved the smoky charred crust, the slightly spicy and vinegary goat peppers….I did notice that the soppressata tasted a bit different, not as rich and full of lovely oiliness as before….but it could be that old age thing, right?

I could only finish half the pie and took the rest home. The Missus got home from work and said "that smells so good…." Knowing that She doesn't do the bread thing I told Her, "help yourself….he-he-he…."

I got out of the shower and She had a smug smile on Her face….so I headed straight to the pizza box and opened it….yikes!!! She had cockroached all the toppings! Teach me to tempt Her, right?

Pizzeria Bruno
4207 Park Blvd
San Diego, CA 92103

Aaah, I know why I put these two together mentally. While at Bruno, these two huge Italian guys walked in, pinky rings and all. Man, they had it down, talking to each other in Italian….until I was walking out and they were having a little "PDA"…..

So maybe they should have gotten a room or at least gone to….

Pho King:

Yeah, yeah….ok, enough with the jokes. I don't think I've posted on the place in over a year, so I'm due right? Man, they were pretty busy…..

I decided to order my usual and get some wings as well……

In retrospect, not the best move….these tasted of rancid oil, were fried "naked", but were on the mushy side, and really lacked flavor. Very large, meaty, and moist though. Ah yes…Pho King Wings….

My usual Hu Tieu Mi Kho did much better.

I love the sweet-porky soy and the combination of noodles on this. Which I've done posts on several times.

And on the good side, no one asked me for money. Like I noted in my Tu Thanh post, on my last visit in August, some dude asked me for money twice, once when entering and once when leaving the place…then I saw him looking into my car windows…sheeesh. Happy not have to deal with that, which kind of kept me away from the place. Guess I'll head back again soon.

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