Vietnamese Restaurants – Page 30

Lavang Restaurant

February 2, 2015 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Lavang has closed

Funny, I always almost say "lavage" when I read the sign….not the most appetizing word. A couple of weeks ago FOY "Janfrederick" mentioned that Pho Viet Cali was no more in the comments of this post. I had always thought Viet Cali really made a mediocre and over priced bowl of pho. One day I had meetings fairly close by so I decided to drop by.

I forgot how large the restaurant was.

I liked the menu; which seemed to have quite a few dishes that I enjoy. On this visit, though, I decided just to go with the pho. As I usually do, I just went with the dac biet since it gives me a nice picture into how the various proteins are prepped. At $6.95 for a small bowl, it ain't cheap. It was even smaller than Viet Cali's seven dollar pho. The herbs were really skimpy and the lime had brown spots as did the basil. Also take a look at the size of the bowl of pho in comparison to the little plate of garnishes.

All comparisons to Viet Cali stopped at the price. This was a pretty good bowl. The broth was fairly dark, yet clear. It had decent fat/oil and a very light anise flavor, with a more pronounced onion thing going on. Not quite as good as Pho Lucky on a good day, but ok.

The meats were fine, one piece of the rare steak had a metallic taste to it. Most of it was unremarkable and there wasn't much of it either.

The one thing that was a pleasant surprise were how the noodles were prepped. This wasn't your usual clump of mushy, over cooked noodles. No, the noodles had been separated and were just perfect in texture.

Also, the folks who run this place; I'm thinking it's a family of four are really, very, very, nice. It made me want to return in spite of the rather low value level. So I dropped by the next chance I had and tried a couple of the appetizers I'd seen.

The Lavang Fried Chicken Wings ($8.95). It was a pretty little plate.

The sautéed peppers and onions brought very little to the dish in terms of flavor. The wings were he small type; which I actually kind of like since it makes for the perfect bite; a combination of crisp batter/skin/meat. This was adequately fried, but the sauce was way too sweet for me, without a nice savory punch that I would expect.

I also tried the Nem Nuong Cuon ($3.95). Much like some other places in the area, this place is trying to take a page out of the Brodard playbook.

Wrapped too tight and hard, too much filler, the nem nuong was very bland and lost in everything. Could have used more herbs….oh and that sauce was watery and bland as well.

One evening a week or so later, I decided to drop by. The special that evening was one of my favorite dishes; Banh Mi Bo Kho ($7.95).

In some ways this was a pretty good version; lots of meat, the baguette nice and warm, the carrots perfect, not overcooked and mushy. I would have enjoyed a bit more anise tones and tanginess, but I know folks who don't. A good amount of black pepper in this and the broth was on the thin side….again, personal preferences at work. Like I said, tons of meat, cooked well, but not enough tendon for my taste. It is perhaps a bit more refined than the thick, rustic version I prefer.

But heck, this isn't bad by any means.

The owner told me to come back and try the Bo Luc Lac, so of course one evening, when the Missus was working, I dropped by to try it ($11.95).

Like some of the other dishes; the ingredients are done fairly well, the beef was adequately tender, but this fell short in the flavor category. I prefer mine with a more assertive sweet-savory flavor and this was really mild. Strangely, the rice was terrible…very hard.

The best part of the whole meal was the broth, which had such nice depth of flavor.

Just enough salt…this had that aaaah appeal. I guess I better return for other soups in the future.

I did return one more time for the Grilled Beef spicy Mango Salad ($9.95).

Again, nice try, but no cigar. The beef was tender, but on the mild side……the flavor of sesame oil was a bit too strong. The salad portion was nice, but again too much sesame flavor. I'd have enjoyed something with a stronger fish sauce flavor.

Like I said, the folks here are very, very, nice. I can see that they are trying for a more refined product, and while it shows in some of the prep, things just seem to miss the mark. I did notice that the two customers on the table in back of me were whining about how "greasy" the pho looked (meanwhile the Vietnamese on the table next to them just laughed – gringos wanting gringo pho)….I guess folks are really getting used to the MSG loaded, totally defatted, mediocre pho like they serve on Convoy. And while I admire the effort, the place just kind of falls short……

Lavang Restaurant
6755 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92121
Hours:
Mon – Fri 10am – 9pm
Saturday 10am – 10pm
Closed Sunday

Tim Ky Noodle

January 20, 2015 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

I was a bit sad when Tan Ky on Mira Mesa closed down. The place wasn't amazing, but they did serve some pretty solid dishes. So of course when I saw Tim Ky Noodle was taking its place, I made sure to check them out. And you know how that goes…….I try to check places out a couple of times whenever possible.

They've done a decent job of freshening up the place. New lighting, wood paneling….though you can still recognize it as Tan Ky.

The menu is typical of these type of shops, a million and one combinations of Hu Tieu or Mi noodle soups, fried rice, all the usual suspects.

I had been craving Beef Sate Egg Noodle – dry and my lousy visit to Luong Hai Ky did nothing to diminish things. So of course I had to try it here, right?

First thing I noticed was…this place was into that "big bowl" facade thing. The portion was noticably smaller than what Tan Ky delivered. On the good side, the egg noodles were done adequately….I like mine with a bit of crunch still in them, but not raw with a powdery edge. There wasn't enough sate in this as things were too mild and the beef "fair to middlin". The broth that accompanied the dish was much too light and plain bland. I'll probably not order this again.

The young man who served me was very nice and friendly. I asked him what he thought the specialty of the house was. He said it was the Bun Suong, which was surprising. If I recall, it was a noodle soup that looked a lot like Bun Rieu.

The folks here were very nice, so I came back to try the Bun Suong, which ain't cheap at $8.45.

This was pretty good. They used the thin bun for this; the type that would be appropriate for Bun Rieu. There were 8 shrimp "meatballs" that weren't too squeaky and still had some shrimp flavor. The annatto oil did make it look like bun rieu a bit, though the broth was milder. Liked that fact it wasn't loaded with MSG and the broth had a decent flavor which kind of reminded me more of chicken than pork.

This was not bad. I'll have it again.

It would only be a matter of time before I tried the Won Ton and Dumpling Egg Noodle soup ($6.49).

This was the best bowl I had here. It's been so long sonce I've had a decent Won Ton/Dumpling egg noodle soup that I'd become jaded….so perhaps that amplified my enjoyment? There were only 2 won ton and 2 dumplings in this, the dumplings were definitely superior to the won tons. But I gotta say, instead of the usual hard as rock fillings, these were adequately tender.

The broth had a nice flavor to it and even some decent richness as you can tell by the dots of fat floating around. I do wish the soup were a bit hotter.

This was a nice bowl.

I might have pushed my luck a bit when I returned and had the Duck Leg Egg Noodle Soup ($7.49). I actually wanted the roast duck version, but they were all out. The broth reminded me a bit of a watered down Thai style duck noodle, with dark soy sauce giving it a deep, dark color and the shiitake mushrooms in the soup.

There were faint hints of flavor….the mere wisp of star anise, but just not enough oomph for me. The duck, though tender, had a bit of a stale, refrigerator flavor to it. No complaints about the temp of the broth on this one as I had to figure out how to break down that duck leg floating in scalding broth.

I'd like to try the roast duck version next time, but otherwise will stick with the dumpling egg noodle soup. Plus, it looks like they have chicken wings on the menu as well.

I like the folks who work here….even the kind of serious server, who, while not too friendly, is nice enough. So of course I'll be back.

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

Luong Hai Ky (Mira Mesa) revisited

January 13, 2015 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

Working late one evening, I was craving some Beef Sate Noodle…..of course Tan Ky Mi Gia has closed (I've been to Tim Ky – that post is upcoming), so despite some pretty unimpressive visits, I decided to give them another shot……you know, the place that claims to be the "The Original Chinese Noodles"……which means they'd have been around for like 4000 years, heck this isn't even their original location.

It's was prime dinnertime, but the place looked kind of empty. There I stood, promptly ignored by the three guys milling around, when the young guy practically screams at me "SIT!" pointing to one of the booths. And just in case I didn't hear him, he goes "SIT!" again. Now I may talk this way to Sammy and Frankie once in a while; but they have four legs……

Menu promptly flies onto table and the guy hovers over me. Now the last time I was here, I looked high and low for Beef Sate Noodle and the Server who was hovering over me just like this guy practically ordered me to have something else. This time I was going to find that damned dish even if took all night. Much to the dismay of the guy hovering….who finally let out a sigh and left me to concentrate on my meal. And wouldn't you know….I finally found it on the bottom of the menu. So the guy comes back and simply says "what???" Man of few words, or would that be word……

Anyway, here it is in all it's glory Beef Sate Noodle – Dry ($7.30). By the way; it's on the bottom of the noodle soup page.

It looked pretty decent; until you went to mix it and found all that iceberg lettuce hidden by the noodles, which were basically raw and still sort of powdery. There was not enough sauce and the beef was tough.

The broth was basically MSG water….really salty.

Sad really, since in the good old days LHK did a pretty good job. However, since the MM location opened and the failed attempt at reopening on Convoy, it seems the prices have gone up rather quickly, the flavors have gone down, and the Servers here only speak in monosyllables. Actually, the young man spoke perfect California English….there was a table with a couple of guys whom I'm thinking were his friends….they were talking about football. Which was great for his buddies…..though perhaps I would prefer just single word sentences from him……

So this is my third post on the place. And unless someone has some compelling dish to try, I think that's it for "The Original Chinese Noodles".

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

Pho-raging around UTC: Pho UTC and a revisit to Pho La Jolla

December 29, 2014 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

I received an email after my post on JK's Burgers and Hot Dogs asking me what I thought about the Pho at the shop in the same mall. Pho shop? Same mall? I did a short search and by golly, there was Pho UTC and Grill just a few doors down……Man, I'm losing my touch in my old age……. Anyway, I decided to stop by on the way back from a meeting a couple of weeks back.

Pho UTC & Grill:

**** Pho UTC & Grill has closed

The place was really quiet when I arrived.

Clean and fairly non-de-script, in a modern pho shop kind of way.The service was adequate, not surly, not friendly, also quite generic. Things move along quite quickly…at least it did for me as I was out of the place in 30 minutes.

Which should kind of be the theme as the broth of the Pho Dac Biet was very "San Diego generic"……in other words, not beefy, lacking in anise, or any other real flavor, other than a mild onion and being quite salty.

The broth was on the "thin" side, lacking any richness. The color was nice and the broth clear.

The noodles were horrendously overcooked and mushy.

Surprisingly, the beef tendon was quite good with a nice mildly chewy, yet not hard texture. The rare steak was way overcooked and hard by the time the bowl made it to my table. There were meatballs in this version, typical, "squeaky" texture. All the other proteins were fine.

As you can tell, this wouldn't be a first, or even fifth or sixth choice…… though if you're in the area and absolutely needed a bowl….well even then. As MrZ and other "pho punners" would probably say, "not aw-pho, but totaly pho-gettable".

Pho UTC & Grill
8915 Towne Centre Dr
San Diego, CA 92122

This kind of had me wondering. What was happening with Pho La Jolla since I last visited 6 years ago. So guess what…..

Pho La Jolla:

Well, the place looks the same…….

I went with the usual #1 one kinda thing since I wasn't sure what to get…….

The bean sprouts were terrible, with brown spots on them and a few that were kind of slimy. The jalapeno looked like it had been around the block a few times too.

The broth was very light, slightly cloudy, though I could make out a light anise fragrance.

It was, alas, very weak, salty, lacking in fat and richness.

Loved how the rare beef arrived not totally cooked, but it had that metallic flavor of beef headed downhill. Not much else in terms of protein.

The noodles were prepared perfectly, but that was of little consolation.

I couldn't help but think that the students and faculty of UCSD deserve better. Though perhaps folks just want pho not to offend…..

Pho La Jolla
3211 Holiday Court #102
La Jolla, CA 92037

Sunday Stuffs: Pho Paradise coming to Convoy, The Original Tofu House to Mira Mesa, and other stuffs…..

December 28, 2014 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, Vietnamese Restaurants

Here's more stuff that I've seen recently.

Pho Paradise opening on Convoy:

Man, V Bakery barely lasted 6 months. Viet Bakery and Pho for not that much longer. So now, it's back to Vietnamese, something called Pho Paradise.

The "Pho" portion of the logo looks strangely familiar, but I just can't place it. I'm still hoping for decent pho in the Convoy-Kearny Mesa area……… I'm hoping this will at least be decent.

3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

The Original Tofu House opening in Mira Mesa:

I saw this a couple of days ago and drove by yesterday to take a photo.

Quite a few Korean food places opening around Mira Mesa.

I believe this used to be Arby's????

9089 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Casa Medina has moved?:

I noticed that Casa Medina had closed on the way home the other day. So I dropped by after work today to check it out.

So it looked like the place has closed, until I turned around and saw the sign for Casa Medina along side that of the old Bismallah Restaurant above World Market & Produce.

So unless the market likes to collect signs of defunct restaurants, you can now get your Halal tacos inside of World Market & Produce.

5440 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Was it cold enough for you?

I thought it was pretty chilly this morning and checked my weather app. And did a double, no triple take….

Must be a malfunction, right? This would be the weather in the Bay Park area……and would also be colder than what we experienced in Seattle!

My Christmas dinner:

Both the Missus and I have been working quite a bit. She had to work on Christmas and after grilling a ton of chicken for Her potluck and making Her a separate lunch/dinner, I really didn't feel like doing anymore cooking. So I decided to head over to Sushi Yaro and Sam put together a nice sashimi combo for me between the zillion rolls.

It made for quite a feast. It was also nice seeing Sam; it had been a while. As a bonus, a couple of the "old-time" regulars whom I haven't seen in ages also dropped by, before the place got totally swamped. Sam mentioned that I've known him for about eleven years now! Time does fly…….

Sushi Yaro
7905 Engineer Road
San Diego, CA 92111

I hope you're having a great holiday season!

Monday Meanderings: Jin’s Pot appears empty, Tan Ky will become Tim Ky Noodle, the Missus favorite coffee, and other silliness.

December 22, 2014 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants, yoso-silly

During this time of the year, folks are usually quite busy, so here's something short and sweet for Monday.

Jin's Pot appears empty:

Slight pun intended, though I'm not quite sure what to make of the Notice of Non Responsibility….I'm guessing there's a possibility of a lien against the business that the property owner is protecting themselves from. Doesn't sounds good.

It's too bad they weren't even able to last a year.

4690 Convoy St. Suite B109
San Diego, CA 92111

The old Tan Ky Mi Gia will become Tim Ky Noodle:

At least that's what the sign says…..

Cathy mentioned some new signage was up to me in a text, so I went to check things out. Tim Ky?

Anyway, I know quite a few people were a bit shocked when Tan Ky closed at the end of August.

The sign says they are reopening this month…so we'll see. Notice how they kept the same color sign?

9330 Mira Mesa Blvd #A
San Diego, CA 92126

The Missus current favorite coffee:

While doing a short Trolley Brewery crawl with Candice; we stopped at Bird Rock Coffee Roasters in Little Italy. They had an interesting v60….with Haraaz Red Maraqaha. At almost $9, whew was it pricey.Though after tasting it; the smooth, berry flavors, the tongue coating richness with a nice clean finish. It's really a bit too smooth for me, but this is exactly what the Missus loves…..so I bought 8 ounces of beans – $21.95! Ouch!

That's ok though, since She really, really enjoyed, well I should say enjoys this as She's sent me back to pick up more. I'm sure She'll savor it while it lasts.

Bird Rock Coffee Roasters
2295 Kettner Blvd
San Diego, CA 92101

And then there are the signs…….

Here's the ATM at Toronado.

This sign always makes me smile………

Everytime I see it I wonder…. "Do two-Rongs, do it right?"

And just because….one of my favorite music videos that uses nice mirror work.

2015 Rose Parade float decorating and a lunch at Brodard Restaurant

December 21, 2014 Cathy Festivals & Events, Orange County, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog of food, events, events with food and other reasons to share what we (Kirk, Ed (from Yuma) and Cathy) eat. Today Cathy is writing about an event and also a meal, which did not occur on the same day…

Last Saturday, The Mister and I once again volunteered for "dry decorating" some of the floats which will participate in the 126th Tournament of Roses Rose Parade. A variety of materials are used…
Covering every exposed part of every float with organic material is achieved with various glues… Really, the day is more "Detail Decorating"…

Peas, lentils, beans, poppy seeds as well as bark, pulverized dried flour petals and cinnamon are the majority of materials used on these decorating days-December Saturdays before Christmas Day.

Long day, with much accomplished by about 450 volunteers and yet so much more to do. Intensive decorating with live flowers begins December 26 and goes through until the morning of December 31, just before judging.

Of course this blog is about food, but this day was not very interesting… Stopping at Cream Pan in Tustin before 7 a.m., for some karaage, an orange cream roll, a cheese crisp and, of course, a ham and cheese croissant. Bringing our own lunch this time, we ate on the hood of the car… Getting ready for the drive home, we heard traffic reports on a major accident on the 210, another one on the 5, two on the 101 and others on the 57, 71, 91 and 15, so we tried to avoid it all and ended up getting home in about four hours after having not stopped for dinner, made grilled cheese sandwiches at home and slept deeply.

So, to have some sort of interesting food for this post, The Mister and I drove North during the week…stopping for a late breakfast/early lunch in Garden Grove at Brodard. When you walk in, there is an area to order 'To Go' items and snacks…
Along the side of this ordering area, you can see the ladies making the famous nem nuong…

Which we, of course, ordered after being seated in the already crowded restaurant…

"Mixed order" of Nem and Chao Tom- Two pork paste and two shrimp paste ($8) Spring rolls were brought out almost immediately.What makes these Spring rolls special is, that in addition to the fresh lettuce, cucumber, carrot, daikon, cilantro and mint wrapped tightly in rice paper, there is a folded piece of crispy fried egg roll skin in the center of each fresh roll. The 'house special sauce', served warm (I believe it is made with pork and pork broth and maybe some honey) also make these Spring rolls unique.

Another item ordered was the simple and tasty Gou du du bo kho, Gan Chay (papaya salad, $6). Made with both beef jerky and smoked pork liver, the version here is a favorite. The two sauces, one a spicy vinaigrette and the other more soy based, are served on the side and mixed to our preference when we eat the salad…

Again, we try a 'new to us' item at most restaurants and this time it was… Banh Hoi Chao Tom (angel hair vermicelli sheets topped with grilled shrimp paste and served with greens and a lime chili fish sauce) ($8.95)
This was a delightful surprise! The dry, delicate noodles were just the thing to go with the various wrappings and good amount of grilled shrimp paste. We could have ordered this with whole shrimp, BBQ pork, grilled beef or nem nuong, or (as we will do next time) order the Banh Hoi Brodard- the toppings are grilled chicken, BBQ pork, grilled whole shrimp, grilled shrimp paste, pork sausage and egg roll, for only $2 more.

Brodard Restaurant 9892 Westminster Ave Garden Grove, CA 92844 8 a.m.-9 pm. daily Closed on Tuesdays

2015 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade float road tests: #1 Test #2 Test #3 Test #4 Test #5 Test #6 Road Test 7

Midweek Meanderings: Pho DaKao, Hana Mart, and Voltero’s (I think) closes. The sign for Dumpling Inn and Shanghai Saloon is up and other stuffs….

December 17, 2014 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, Pizza, Vietnamese Restaurants, yoso-silly

A fairly large collection for a SoCal winter Wednesday.

Pho DaKao and Grill Closes:

I drove by and noticed the parking lot was totally empty so I drove in. The Eviction Restoration Notice was posted on the door. Man, this place didn't last very long. I think I visited soon after they opened….so they pulled the plug pretty fast.

5296 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Hana Mart officially closes:

Speaking of pretty fast. No surprise really, after seeing how empty the place was. I guess the new owners couldn't pull it off. Too bad the place couldn't gain any traction. I drove past and noticed an auction sign and a couple of days later, the place looks abandoned.

I'm wondering what happened to Happy Family?

4611 Mercury St
San Diego, CA 92111

Is Voltero's Closed?:

I'd driven past a couple of times and the place looked closed so I stopped by earlier in the week.

This former Balboa Avenue institution moved to this location back in the summer of 2013. It's too bad that the renovation and creation of chain restaurant hell drove them from their old location and it seems that they barely made it past a year here. Though never a destination for me, I'd eaten at the old location a couple of times and thought it decent…….

So hopefully I'm mistaken? But it sure looks like they've shut down….

4344 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

So here comes the "New" Dumpling Inn and Shanghai Saloon:

Hopefully better than the "old" Dumpling Inn, but I doubt it.

While never great shakes, the place really "jumped the shark" in my opinion after the owner got involved with The Dragon's Den and Del Mar Rendezvous, both of which have been sold. So now we get this…….. I'm told he has a taste for "fusion", which is great, remember, I'm from the home of Pacific Rim Cuisine, so I love fusion…..but it's a thin line between fusion and "con-fusion".

In the old First Korean Market location.

4625 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Other stuffs……

We had some much needed rain over the last two weeks……..and we're kind of enjoying the nice sleeping weather, which would be great if I wasn't working so many long hours.

Still, I actually saw a double rainbow while driving to Target on the way home yesterday. Pardon the bad photos.

Seeing a rainbow in San Diego is rare enough….a double rainbow, well I don't ever recall seeing one here.

So I took a photo….then took photos of other folks taking photos of the double rainbow…..like I said, this is like an event.

Or maybe a celebrity? This guy is having his picture taken "with" the rainbow! No selfies here….though I did pass two couple taking selfies with the rainbow.

You gotta love it!

I hope you kept dry and safe during the rain!

Noodling Around: 777 Noodle House and Minh Ky revisited

December 2, 2014 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

Well, like I mentioned a couple of weeks back it's finally starting to feel like soup weather…..San Diego soup weather that is. And if any day this year felt perfect for a bowl of noodle soup it was today.

From the angry clouds early this morning.

To the rain, which was falling pretty heavily this evening. Now why did I feel a bit uncomfortable seeing a car from the "Governor's Office of Emergency Services" in the next lane? I dunno…..

In need of some noodle soup I headed off to….

777 Noodle House:

Instead of going for my usual Hu Tieu Nam Vang Kho, I went with Pork Intestine Egg Noodle Soup, a relative bargain at $5.77.

This looked good, but the broth was a bit weak this time around. Lots of nice, funky, pork intestine though and the noodles had a nice chew to them. I'm not sure when it happened, but somewhere along the line over the last 9 years, pork intestine has become comfort food for me. Go figure……

777 Noodle House
4686 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105

A few days back I was craving some Beef Sate Egg Noodle "dry". My usual "go-to" would have been Tan Ky Mi Gia in Mira Mesa, but of course, they've closed down. So instead, I headed over to….

Minh Ky:

It had been over a year since I last visited. I'm not a big fan of the parking situation, nor the crowds when the place is busy, but I had to have my Beef Sate Noodle with soup on the side.

The portion size just seemed to be much larger than I remembered. No surprises here except the bowl of soup, which is usually fairly salty, seemed even more so today. In fact, one of the guys on the table to my right ordered the same thing and poured half his glass of water into the broth to water it down….which I think would really make it kind of yucky. I just ended up dipping my noodles into the broth tsukemen style at first, then puring off small amounts over the oodles and meat at the end. The sate could have bit more "umph", but it was adequately tender, more onion-shallot-nuttiness in flavor, but pretty much just what I wanted on this day.

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

I hope everyone is safe and dry this evening.

Pho Hut and Grill

November 4, 2014 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

It seems that Pho Hut opened while we were away on vacation. Didn't hear much…..or make that nothing about the place. I guess folks are just plain focused on all the places opening on the blocks East of here. Well of course I had to check them out….

This used to be Quiznos, which I don't has fared quite well over the last couple of years. I believe we need some good independently owned west of the 805, so this was, at least for me, a welcomed sight. The interior has been redone, in what I call "modern pho"…..that is, it is clean (should be because it's new, right?), simply done, sort of like Pho 46 or The Pho Shop. Of course, the standard issue televisions were present and accounted for as well.

I believe the owner also owns Pho Nam Cali in National City.

You know what I ordered, right? Looking at the location and then the menu I knew that this shop catered to more western sensibilities with regards to pho….in other words you won't find every combination of protein for pho on the menu. It's basically 8 variations, including Pho Filet. i just went with the Dac Biet. A small will set you back $7.50.

I didn't anticipate much in the way of garnishes and my expectations were met.

The broth looked disappointing, fairly cloudy, a bit too defatted. Almost no nose to speak of, very faint beef, no anise, savory-onionyness. The flavor was quite salty, but very flat after that. The portion looked quite small, which is fine since the broth was too salty to finish, even after touching it up with lime to cut the sodium.

The clumped noodles were quite good with a nice stretch.

As for the proteins….tripe MIA, the rare steak really tough and overcooked by the time the bowl hit the table….need to order this on the side. The tendon was good, soft and close to that buttery texture I like. The brisket was tasty and well prepared. Not much meat in the bowl though.

Not really a good value in my book. The guy running the front was very nice though. Quite friendly and efficient.

Since the place is close to home and work, it was easy enough to make multiple visits. Wasn't sure what to order on my second go around. I saw the Goi Cuon on my previous visit and it really didn't seem like something I'd enjoy here.

So I started with the Bò nướng hành ($6.50) – basically Grilled Beef Rolled around onions.

The fragrance was nice, the beef a bit on the tough side, but well flavored – sweet-salty, very straight forward teriyaki/bulgogi like. The onions were mild and overall this was a pretty good choice. The nuoc mam cham was on the mild side and the portion is gringo sized.

I also ordered the Bun with Pork, Shrimp, and Cha Gio ($9.95). Again, this seemed a bit on the pricey side.

Too much filler in the standard issue egg rolls, but the grilld pork was nicely flavored and not too tough. The shrimp seemed a bit overcooked. This looked like a pretty large bowl and I thought it was going to be a total carb bomb. However, half of the bottom was filled with lettuce. So in terms of being a salad…..well, this was pretty good. The bun was prepared perfectly as well. I did have to ask for more nuoc mam cham for this. A fairly expensive lunch, but not bad.

As I mentioned earlier, the guy working here was very nice and service was fine. So…….third time's the charm, right?

Plus, I did want to try the Fried Chicken Wings ($6.95), actually butter wings.

Not quite top notch, the fry job wasn't perfect and the skin wasn't as crisp as I would like. The seasoning left a bit to be desired, more pungent flavors, even, gasp, more salt! It was super hot, though there seemed to be a bit of "seepage", that is a lot of the meat had dark pigment, which made me wonder about how this was handled when freezing.

I finally took a good look at pages other than the first two on the menu and noticed Phnom Penh Noodle Soup ($7.95) under "Specialty Noodle Soups"….wow, one of my favorites. So I ordered it.

In retrospect, I sould have known better. I mean, how many Pho shops do you know that serve a good Hu Tieu Nam Vang? From the unblanched bean sprouts…..a good indication of the portion size is the bean sprouts in relation to the soup spoon.

The noodles were Banh Pho, not Hu Tieu. The meat, what what there was; was dry and flavorless chicken breast, standard issue meat balls, and shrimp, which actually wasn't bad. I actually had to bust out the chili paste to dip the pieces of chicken in.

The broth was terrible, bland and insipid. Bad move on my part. Lesson learned.

So there you go. New place, nice and clean…..really nice folks, but "pho not to offend". Honestly, there are worse places for pho in the area, but that's not really a reason to laud yet another mediocre bowl, right?

Pho Hut & Grill
5252 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92117
Hours:
Open Daily 10am – 9pm