Vietnamese Restaurants – Page 37

Pho Nhu Y – Clairemont

April 30, 2013 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Pho Nhu Y has closed

Just a couple of weeks after my visit to Pho Cali in Clairemont for my Kearny Mesa pho round-up, FOY (friend of yoso) MrZ told me that the place was under new management. I wasn't quite sure what they meant by "new management"….was it the same name, just new folks, or what. So imagine my surprise when I drove on over and saw a very familiar name.

Of course that location became Thuan Kieu, then turned back to Nhu Y again. Of course, the first thing I thought about was the Bun Mam. We're sorely in need of something other than Pho in the area…..heck even the Pho isn't very good around these parts. A friend of mine, when mentioning another Pho shop linked a comment from that four lettered site. Basically that poster said something along the lines of, "I know good Pho, I worked in the mecca of pho in San Diego…." wait for it, wait for it…. "Kearny Mesa….." yikes, really? Wrong Mesa……

Anyway, if you just took a peak into the restaurant, you'd never have realized that an ownership change had taken place.

Much like the other Nhu Y, there are specials listed at the front of the menu. Unfortunately, the dish I wanted wasn't on the menu. The young man working here was very friendly, perhaps a bit too much for me, but I'm sure other folks appreciate him.

So I decided to settle for the Bun Cha Hanoi which was priced rather nicely for San Diego at $7.95. I was really interested to see how this would turn out.

As a whole, this barely passable. Actually, the best part of the dish was the mildly spicy pickles. The pork meatballs were bland and the marinated pork slices, though better in flavor was on the tough and dry side. Everything else was fine, the greens and herbs fresh, etc, etc……

Still, I wouldn't have been motivated to return if hadn't seen the greaseboard specials……where Bun Mam was prominently displayed.

So I returned a couple of days later and ordered the Bun Mam……and time seemed to stand still. The young man looked at me and really didn't seem to know what to do with me. So he walked over to the older gentleman eating at a nearby table….returned and told me, "sorry, no Bun Mam until after 3 pm." Say what? "Oh, okay, why not?" Reply: "because the smell disturbs our lunch customers…." Really? Bummer……

Let's call that strike one.

Strike two was when the young man told me, "I didn't know Korean's like Bun Mam!"

Strike three was Com Tam Dac Biet, the House Special Broken Rice ($9.95).

You can tell by the photos how this was, right? A symphony of dry; the com tam (broken rice), bi (shredded pork), and the pork chop. Greasy; the Tau Hu Ky (bean curd wrapped shrimp paste) and the shrimp. Bland; the cha (steamed egg and pork). Perhaps I should have complained and sent this back…..so in the end it was my fault…for:

1 – Ordering the Bun Mam before 3pm

2 – Looking (at least to the server) Korean

3 – Ordering the #1 item on the specials menu.

Still, I left on a mission. I was now determined to get that Bun Mam, or die trying……. I explained my mission to the Missus, who thought I'd gone nuts. But I'd be damned if I didn't get me a bowl of that Bun Mam. So I returned about a week later…….after 3pm……. The friendly young man remembered me. and so I finally did get my Bun Mam ($10):

The Bun Mam at Nhy Y/Thuan Kieu on El Cajon Boulevard had changed over the years. It had gotten much more sweet and spicy. This was the version I had back in 2006. Pungent and savory with a touch of spice….it was very hearty. The Bun and the vegetables/herbs added a nice texture and took a bit of the edge off the fermented fish flavor.

There was a generous helping of eggplant and more important pork belly.

Overall, a nice and hearty meal. I explained to the server that I really enjoyed the complex flavors, the combination of salty-sweet-spicy-pungent…umami in this dish. I'm even willing to suffer through the catfish that is served in it. I order stuff that I'm curious about, or enjoy, and I do like the Bun Mam at Nhu Y and recommend that folks give it a shot. Dont take my word for it Ed from Yuma enjoys it too. Apparently other folks do as well. A couple seated behind me ordered a two-fer…Bun Mam and Durian Shakes!

I'd found out from my good buddy "YY" that the older gentleman is actually Nhu Y. So when I went to pay at the register I asked him how his other restaurant was doing. He told me he had sold that restaurant ans was now here.

I guess one day I'll have ot try the pho here. I'll probably do it if I decided to have a meal here before 3pm.

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

Hours:
Daily 9am – 9pm

Saturday Stuffs: Moby Dick gets harpooned, what’s up with Viet Bakery and Pho, and Paris Bakery and Thanh Son Tofu do the shuffle

April 27, 2013 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants, yoso-silly

Haven't done one of these for a while, so I thought the time was right.

Moby Dick is now "70 Bobcha – Taste of Korea?:

Whatever that is…..

From the day I first saw the sign to actually eating there, I just had a feeling this incarnation was doomed. The owner seemed to have a thing about creating and opening places. The menu was all over the place, the quality of the seafood was decent during my visits….it should be, the guy who owned the place also owns Ocean Harvest, a seafood wholesaler. The spot was humongous and rather difficult to maintain, even with Kazumi manning a sushi bar in the back.

I have no idea what's up with this place now….I'll have to find out soon.

As for Kazumi. He was last sighted at the Snooty Asian, per Eater San Diego.

4805 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

What's up with Viet Bakery and Pho?:

It's actually kind of spooky. I first mentioned noticing this place in the same post as Moby Dick.And just like Moby Dick, this place just didn't do it for me. The dishes were uneven, as was the service, by the time I actually had a chance to try the pho the entire menu had changed. Everything that made the place seem special was gone.

The place isn't "officially closed" though, as you can see by the sign. I know for a fact that at least one offer was made to take over the spot, but it seems that the owners want to try again. They are currently using the kitchen for catering and such. As for the "we'll be opening soon", I wish them the best, but we know that this is often the kiss of death.

3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Paris Bakery and Thanh Son Tofu does the shuffle:

So I'm having a really lousy bowl of Bun Mang Vit and notice that Kien Giang has been replaced by Thanh Son Tofu?

5296 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Which got me wondering…..what's going on with the (former) Thanh Son Tofu spot. So I actually drive all the way down there to see. And to my surprise……

I see the Paris Bakery coming soon sign. So either Paris Bakery is moving here, or this will be a second location. There's a good deal of space in this place, so I'm sure they'll be cranking out banh mi and baguettes like crazy. The parking kind of sucks though……

4616 El Cajon Blvd Ste 15
San Diego, CA 92115

Roadtrip two-fer part 1: Song Long Restaurant – Westminster (Orange County)

April 25, 2013 mmm-yoso Orange County, Road Trip, Vietnamese Restaurants

Time sure flies. Back in mid-February, the Missus and I did a two-fer road trip to Little Saigon. Both destinations were recommendations. The first was made by "Kha" commenting on this post. It was in regards to Cha Ca Thang Long, which is basically fish which uses two items not often mentioned with regards to Vietnamese cuisine; dill and tumeric. The dish is a specialty of Hanoi and we ate it at Cha Ca Thang Long Restaurant in Hoan Kiem District. We've had it at what I thought were the two, Vien Dong and Ha Noi best Cha Ca restaurants in the Little Saigon area. So when Kha mentioned a place called Song Long, which someone else inquired about before, mt curiosity was piqued. Kha then added that he'd had Cha Ca Thang Long at the namesake restaurant in Hanoi as well and his parents thought the Cha Ca at Song Long was better, well…….

Song Long Restaurant:

The interior of the place look like a diner/coffee shop and there was a funny combination Tet/Valentine's day display that was hilarious.

The menu is French influenced Vietnamese, with Bun Cha on one page and Nicoise Salad on the next. Since this arrived just after we sat down, I guess everyone get some bread.

Of course we got the Cha Ca Thang Long ($16.95) and guess what?

This was really good. The fish, which we were told was catfish, something that I usually won't order in the US, wasn't muddy tasting in the least. Tender and moist….and with a lot less oil than the stuff in Vietnam which is literally swimming in two inches of oil, topped with a liberal amount of fried shallots and dill, and a base of onions was delish with the huge amount of the usual suspects of bun, fresh herbs, and vegetables. The mam nem, a heady and wonderful mixture of fermented shrimp paste, a touch of chili, a sweet component, and acid was addictive and the Missus couldn't get enough.

So Kha, as far as we're concerned, your parents are totally right about the Cha Ca Thang Long.

Curiosity got the better of me as along with the fish I ordered the Escargots de Bourgogne ($6.95). Vietnamese love their snails and whelks so I expected this to be pretty good, but it was not.

This was rather cold, the herb butter greasy, and the snails were beyond rigor mortis. This was not good eats.

Overall, the service was decent, not particularly attentive, but this was Bolsa Avenue, so I didn't expect much. I'll be back for the cha ca thang long…..and I saw a bowl of Banh Mi Bo Kho walked pass me that was calling out to me. No more snails though.

Song Long Restaurant
9361 Bolsa Ave Suite 108
Westminster, CA 92683

Hours:
Open Daily 9am – 10pm

Thanks for the recommendation Kha! Thank your parents as well, they know how to pick 'em.

As you can tell, we really didn't load up here as we had another stop after this one.

Stay Tuned!

Soup weather returns, time to head back to Mien Trung

April 14, 2013 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Vietnamese Restaurants

What the heck is going on with the weather? Overcast for this time of the year is semi-normal, though it usually doesn't get that way until the end of April. But what's with the morning drizzle? It's not "cold" per se, but the breezes kind of chilly…..at least to my wimpy San Diego bones.

The Missus was craving some Banh Nam and I some Bun Bo Hue, so we headed on over to Mien Trung, which was doing pretty good business on this Sunday morning. Seems we weren't the only ones craving some soup.

We've really come to enjoy Mien Trung over the years, it's been a good seven years since we first visited. There are some inconsistencies we've noticed over the years. Sometimes the Bun Bo Hue will be too MSG heavy, at times too spicy, but for some reason, the place never fails to satisfy.

I gotta say, by my reckoning, some of the dishes have improved. Specifically the Hen Xuc Banh Trang, a chopped spicy clam dish that has evolved from somewhat fishy and gritty, to a spicy Cinderella of sorts.

This dish has definitely improved over the years. Served with Banh Trang Me, sesame crackers that have been slightly toasted this is delish, salty-spicy-pungent-savory. It doesn't look like much, but there quite a bit of in the little bowl. I especially enjoy taking the left-overs home and having it over rice.

For some reason, the Missus has been craving Banh Nam.

Ever since we visited Ngu Binh back in February (I know, I'm really late with that post), She's been asking for this every other week or so.

This one is a bit on thicker side and is more tender and less elastic than most versions. The Missus loves the light smokey flavor that banana leaves impart. It's also a plus that Mien Trung doesn't water down their Nuoc Mam.

The only complaint the Missus had about the Bun Rieu is that Mien Trung changed their noodles maybe a year or two ago. It's now ultra-thin noodles, not the thin rice noodle that is standard for Bun Rieu. Not sure why…..

And of course, my Bun Bo Hue. Didn't get the Dac Biet this time, we had the other stuff.

There's nothing to add that I haven't written before about the Bun Bo Hue on this blog, or elsewhere. There's something very comforting about this soup that just gets me going "aaaaah".

It's always fun watching folks who enjoy spicy food have the bun bo hue here for the first time. Recently, my co-worker YZ joined me for lunch at Mien Trung. She mentioned that the Bun Bo Hue (Dac Biet) was too large, but proceeded to finish everything off…..down to sucking out the marrow from the pig's feet! Now here's someone who can eat with me anytime!

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

Roadtrip: Brodard Restaurant – Garden Grove (Orange County)

April 7, 2013 mmm-yoso Orange County, Road Trip, Vietnamese Restaurants

The Missus and I got up pretty early after spending the night in Hacienda Heights. After some contemplation, we decided to head on to Little Saigon for some breakfast then head on home. The Missus was missing Da' Boyz and all that.

We decided to stop in at a place we hadn't been to in years, the renowned Brodard's.

We always think about stopping in when we're in the area, but the place is usually packed to the gills with several lines, folks practically tripping over each other, the service being very perfunctory as the folks working here often seem like they are just trying to survive. Frankly, I'm too old for the circus.

But, since it we got there right when they opened (8am), the place looked like this. I bet you've never seen Brodard's this empty, have you?

There used to only be one reason for coming to Brodard's. It was for the Nem Nuong Cuon and the Chao Tom Cuon, the pork sausage and the shrimp paste spring rolls.

It had been years and I wondered if Brodard had aged well. We ordered the combination ($7), which included two of each.

There was of course, the signature crisp egg roll wrapper in the center of the spring roll, which adds wonderful texture and is also a sign that these are made to order. The wrapping is done perfectly, neither too tight and stretched like Joan River's face, nor too loose and falling apart.

There was one thing I did notice. For some reason, both the shrimp paste and the nem nuong seemed really bland. It seems like something had changed over the last, oh, almost a decade. I can't put my finger on it, but these were nowhere as tasty as I recall.

The Missus really wanted to try the Banh Khot ($6.95) and I'm happy we did.

The Banh Khot were light and crisp, the shrimp moist and plump. The Missus went crazy with the greens and herbs and really enjoyed Herself. I thought this was an enjoyable version of Banh Khot. I'd gotten used to dry and tired looking Banh Khot and this was definitely not that. I'm thinking that arriving before the mad crush of bodies may have been to our benefit this time around.

We had a decent meal and made it back home before lunch.

Brodard Restaurant
9892 Westminster Ave
Garden Grove, CA 92844

Hoai Hue Revisted

March 11, 2013 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Vietnamese Restaurants

It had been a while since we'd visited Hoai Hue Restaurant, and a good amount of time since I last posted on the place. The Missus was craving some Banh Nam, so we decided to return to see how the place was doing. Business looked good as the place was half full when we arrived and filled up totally by the time we left.

I can't help but remember how the original Hoai Hue Deli used to be.

The folks here have always been nice to us and today was no different. The older gentleman brought over extra bowls for us to share everything.

The Missus got Her Banh Nam.

Loved the flavor imparted by the banana leaves. The Banh Nam seemed pretty thin, but the texture was very good. This was the best item of the meal.

We also quickly noticed that the fish sauce here is super watered down.

I went with the house version of their special Bun Bo Hue…..can't call it Dac Biet, because there is already a Bun Bo Hue Dac Biet on the menu. This is called the Bun Tom Hoai Hue.

This has basically stayed the course over the years….you gotta give it to them for consistency. THe meatballs are still on the bland side, as is the Cha Lua. The other cuts of meat are a step above Mien Trung, the thick cuts of pork more tender, the pork hock has nice flavor, and the tendon chewy, but not too hard.

As for the broth, it still doesn't bring the heat and is lacking in the lemongrass tones as well. They seem to serve it a notch below what I think is optimal BBH temperature. The broth just seems kind of timid….something I'd usually never think of saying with regards to Bun Bo Hue……

It's not a bad bowl, just not quite up to Mien Trung.

The Missus also ordered the BanhIt Ram, basically glutinous rice dumpling on top of a fried glutinous rice base "dumpling" two ways.

The Banh It, the top "dumpling" was not bad, decent texture, slightly elastic, nice shrimp, though I'd like more pork, pretty good overall. The Banh Ram was not very crisp and much too chewy, even for Banh Ram, which really doesn't have much flavor anyway….if it's even harder then what we deem as normal, then yikes. Add to that lousy nouc mam cham. This stuffs sinks to the bottom of your belly and stays there.

I still think Hoai Hue has the (very distant) second best Bun Bo Hue in San Diego and the flavor and the rest seem pretty consistent. And the Missus enjoyed the Banh Nam, so we may be back sooner than I think.

Hoai Hue Vietnamese Restaurant
4660 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Pho Ca Dao Santee

February 27, 2013 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

It was fairly cold and rainy a couple of weekends ago and I found myself in Santee. It was still too early for Sab E Lee 2, but I was kind of hungry. So I decided on heading down the street a bit. I had never been to Pho Ca Dao in Santee, so I thought "why not"? Though I didn't make that decision without some hesitation since my recent luck, with pho hasn't been that great. Still, there wasn't much else that I really wanted in the area at 9 in the morning.

The place was a lot larger than it looked from the outside and the fragrance….or should I say the pho-ray-grance of soup hung in the air. Nice,bright and clean. The young lady who showed me to my table was very nice as well.

I decided on the eternal #4….everything but rare steak.

Though there was but a single sprig of basil, there was Ngo Gai (Culantro), and the young lady told me if I wanted more basil.

The broth was pretty neutral, slightly beefy, not as much anise and clove hints as I had experienced at the other locations. Still, it was not bad.

The noodles were fine…typical clump and all.

What was really surprising for me was the amount of tripe….well prepped tripe, crunchy, without soapy or foul flavor. The tendon was good, though not quite as tender as the ECB location.

All in all, I thought this place better then the Mira Mesa location. Even more surprising…..I thought this was better than any Pho I've recently had on Convoy. Kind of sad actually……

Pho Ca Dao
9535 Mission Gorge Rd
Santee, CA 92071
Mon-Thu, Sun 9am-9pm
Fri-Sat 9am-9:30 pm

Revisits to Da Nang Food to Go and Pho Viet Cali almost seven years later….

February 18, 2013 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

It's quite easy to fall into a routine, going back to those places that have proven to be "tried and true" or convenient. This year, I'm trying to make it a point to revisit some of those places that had kind of slipped from my mind for one reason or another. Here are two places that I last visited in….are you ready? 2006……man, I've put a whole lot of miles on the odometer since then. What were you doing in 2006?

Da Nang Food to Go:

**** Da Nang Food to Go has closed

It's easy for this place to just kind of slip your mind. Located in a teeny spot next to a 7-11 and a jewelry store on El Cajon Boulevard, it's one of those blink and you'll be past it kind of places. Add to that the fact that there now only seem to be five parking stalls(down from 7) now available…….

The place looks just about the same as our visit back in 2006. Same wood siding, same tables, same chairs…..

Menu prices seem to have gone up about a buck….not bad really.

The food is based on Central Vietnamese specialities; Bun Bo Hue, Banh Beo, Banh Bot Loc, that kind of thing. Feeling kind of hungry I started with some Banh Bot Loc ($4); which I thought were pretty good all those years ago.

These were huge by Banh Bot Loc standards and the tapioca flour based wrappers were way too gummy for my taste. There was a nice piece of shrimp inside, but these dumplings were just too much wrapper.

Of course I had to try the Bun Bo Hue ($5.95), which arrived appropriately steaming hot.

Strange, but I noticed that the usual pork hock was MIA in this bowl. The noodles were pleasantly slippery and firm, and the herbs, sprouts, and vegetables were fresh, though it was mostly bean sprouts, lettuce, and cabbage.

The soup seemed a bit odd to me; it was very sweet and lacking in spice. The thick cut meats were in attendance, but there was nary a piece of tendon to be found…… I wonder if they "gringo-ized" this? I still enjoyed the Gio Lua here, the nice peppery flavor and meatyness makes it one of my favorite versions.

I do want to try other items on the menu, if I can remember to return. Funny thing, I mentioned this place to MrQ…..even though he grew up near by, he hadn't a clue this place existed. Da Nang Food to Go is funny in that way I guess.

Da Nang Food to Go (aka Quan an Da Nang)
4745 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Pho Viet Cali:

*** Pho Viet Cali has closed

Here's another place that I visited back in 2006. I really didn't care for the Pho, but I was on the West side of Mira Mesa Boulevard, so I thought why not?

Like Quan an Da Nang, this place looks just like it did in March of 2006.

Pho Viet Cali has remained in my memory because it was the first place where I saw Pho for over six bucks….a threshold that's long been passed by most places. So now a $6.95 bowl of pho doesn't faze me.

I got the #4 – Well Done Steak, Flank, Brisket, Tendon, and Tripe.

Man, other than the noodles….and the soup being hot, this was pretty bad. The soup was on the unpleasant side, bitter, and quickly gave me the MS heebie-geebies…..I've got a decent tolerance of the stuff, but this was too much. I recall the bowls having a good amount of meat, but things have apparently changed.

I guess the tripe and tendon were out sick on this day and the flank had that stale "ice-box" flavor that made it inedible.

Instead of going through this in excruciating detail….I think I'll stop here. I'm sure you get the picture, right?

Pho Viet Cali
6755 Mira Mesa Blvd. #113
San Diego, CA 92121

I'm hoping for better luck next time……

COMC: Never made the cut edition

February 8, 2013 mmm-yoso Hot Dogs, Korean Restaurants, Thai Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

Just C(learing)O(ut the)M(emory)C(ard) time again. Here are a bunch of dishes that never quite made the cut for one reason or another.

Along with not making the cut for a post, these were rather "undelicious" if there is such a word.

Anyway, here goes……

This Banh Xeo looked plastic……

And pretty much tasted it……

Since folks already know I'm not a fan….I don't feel like rubbing it in.

Even one of our favorite Korean Restaurants is not immune. This Kimchi Pajun was greasy, soggy, and tasted off.

So is our favorite Thai place…. This Spicy Shrimp Fried Rice was indeed spicy; more like 10 then the 5 I ordered.

It was like the rice had just been passed quickly through oil….though the shrimp were very nice.

They called these "Italian Ribs".

They were as tough as they looked……

This Combination Egg Noodle Soup cost eight bucks………and was quite bad.

Even beyond looking like stuff was just thrown into the soup, the broth was lukewarm and the noodles strangely mushy.

Meet a $7 TJ Hot Dog.

So much stuff!

This Bo Luc Lac, was Beef no luck….tough and really salty.

Well…..that's it…..not much, I know.

I hope everyone had a great week!

I think it's time for a "guilty pleasure" run.

Pho-raging around Kearny Mesa: Pho T Cali, Pho Mignon and Grill, Pho Cali, Pho Fusion, Phuong Trang, Pho Convoy Noodle House, and Viet Bakery and Pho

January 13, 2013 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

A couple of months ago, I was having a particularly terrible bowl of Pho in the Kearny Mesa area. Thinking I'd try to be especially witty, I texted "aw-pho", sorry, it was a bad pun exacerbated by bad soup, to a bunch of my friends. Which started a terrible round of bad phopuns lasting almost two days….I think it ended when I texted something using "pho-lam-bouyant", yikes! The one sane person in all of this, "Yummy Yummy" set me off on a mission with one profound statement, "yes,it's sad that there's no good pho in Kearny Mesa." Really…..really??!!?? Then I stopped and thought about it…..perhaps she was right. I had to find out for myself. So I ended up going to seven different pho shops in the next two weeks….sorry, at the end, I just couldn't see myself going to Quoc Te….I was "pho-ride"…my apologies for that one!

After all of this, I had to think about how to do a post……I mean really, there was the possibility of maybe 2,000 words (I'm alread past 170). So pardon me if I just kind of blaze through these, ok? Plus, I'm still suffering from P(ost) T(raumatic) M(SG)D(disorder).

Pho T Cali:

**** Pho T Cali has closed

This is the place that got me posting "aw-pho".

Broth that looked, and sort of tasted like dishwater…..salty dishwater, with very little beef flavor, and not much else. Mushy overcooked noodles. Though the cuts in this, flank and brisket especially were decent, but I had to send out a search party for my tendon. Oh, let's add insult to injury, the scallions in the broth were turning brown as well.

Actually, this is almost exactly the same as my last bowl here, so this can't really be a fluke, right?

Formula in the perfunctory service. Sad….

Pho T Cali
7351 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Pho Mignon + Grill:

I gotta say, the service here is nice….perhaps not efficient, but very nice. Still, I haven't had much luck here. It's kind of bad when the best item you've had from a shop with Pho in it's name are the french fries. I've struck out twice on the filet pho, so I went with the "trolley bowl", which according to the menu is "flank, well done steak, tripe, tendon, and meatballs".

Man, there's something about this broth that I find strange, beyond how it's totally defatted. This time around it had a burnt shallot flavor with a "tinny" finish.

The noodles were fine, the proteins mediocre, except for the tendon which was pretty good, and I still haven't figured out why the ngo om with pho? I'm missing something here.

Sorry, I just couldn't do the broth at all……I hate to waste, but this just doesn't agree with me.

I love the idea of craft brews…..the service is sometimes a bit scatter-brained, but always nice. But man, I just don't like that pho.

Mignon Pho + Grill
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Pho Cali & Grill:

**** Pho Cali and Grill is now Pho Duyen Mai

Man, it's been a while since I've been here.

This would have been totally MOR (middle of the road) pho, if not for the super salty broth…..super salty, as in there wasn't enough lime to cut the salt. And the meat being on the dry and tough side.

The noodles were clumped, but fine….but man, this was salty.

Pho Cali and Grill
5375 Kearny Villa Rd
San Diego, CA 92123

Pho Fusion:

Man, here's another place I haven't been to in a while.

This really looked like a lighter version of Pho Mignon….I really didn't have high hopes for it. The broth had a very mild beef flavor and was pretty weak overall. The noodles were done well and I gotta say, this was the best tendon I had while doing this. The rest of the assorted protein wasn't too bad, though the flank cuts are on the dry and tough side.

I also should say that the service I received was very good. My water refilled twice and when I looked at the rather skimpy amount of herbs and bean sprouts, the young man told me, "please let me know if you want more, we'd be happy too…."

Pho Fusion
8038 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Phuong Trang:

What to say about the poster child for MOR (Middle of the Road) Pho, other then man, has it really been three years since I had Pho here?

This place has usually been consistent, though on this visit the broth was rather cloudy. The broth is rather light on the beef, but at least you can make out hints of anise-onion-clove. Noodles were fine.

The meat was meh…….flank tough, tripe soapy tasting and scant in quantity, tendon tough and not much of it….you get the picture.

The older gentleman who always used to make me laugh wasn't here. In his place was a very friendly young man……..who I thought was quite charming….until he brought me a fork for my pho? Lets call it what it is….a "pho-pa"….

Phuong Trang
4170 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Pho Convoy Noodle House:

**** Convoy Noodle House has closed

This used to be a dependable stop, but I was sorely disappointed on my last visit. I wondered, was that a fluke? So I had the same thing, #2, well done steak, flank, fatty brisket, tendon, and tripe.

And while the broth had recovered a bit…..slight beef flavor, mild anise, still a mere shadow of what I recalled; the meat, especially the already chewy flank….was almost inedible and without flavor.

The noodles were fine….but I still remembered the pho being much better here. I'm not sure what happened.

Pho Convoy Noodle House
4647 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Viet Bakery and Pho:

*** Viet Bakery and Pho has closed

Based on my previous visits, I really wasn't looking forward to having pho here. But since the place had "pho" in its name (though probably based on pho ga), I thought it only proper to grab a bowl here. The shop had undergone a major overhaul with regards to looks since my last visit. It looks less like a bakery and more like a proper restaurant.

There really fussy menu has been replaced with something perhaps a bit too spartan, but perhaps that's the right fit. And i'm sure you can get any combination of items you really want. I went with the "Pho Viet", with rare beef, brisket, and meat balls.

I really don't like having preconceptions when having a meal at a restaurant, but based on history, perhaps I expected the worst. This was actually not bad….not good, but not bad. The broth was on the cloudy side, but had a decent beef flavor. It was light with regards to the anise-clove component, but at least wasn't too salty.

The meat, being the rare steak or the brisket didn't appeal to me, being tough and dry. The meatballs tasted exactly the same as what Mignon Pho served. The noodles were a bit overcooked for my taste.

Still, this was much better than anticipated.

Viet Bakery & Pho
3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

So there it is…….. and after having all these bowls of pho, I can only conclude that "YY" is pretty much correct. And after thinking about it; whenever I think about having a nice bowl of pho, places in Kearny Mesa never come to mind.

What do you think?