Vietnamese Restaurants – Page 39

More Noodling Around – 777 Noodle House, Pho King, Santouka, Yakuyudori Ramen and Yakitori, and Yum Cha Cafe

August 27, 2012 mmm-yoso Ramen, Vietnamese Restaurants

Ooodles of noodles in mostly photos for Monday.

777 Noodle House:

This place seems to be doing some pretty good business, I love the diverse crowd. Had my usual simple bowl of Hu Tieu Nam Vang – dry. Did have a fairly lousy bowl of Egg Noodle Soup with Roast Duck Leg recently, but the Pork Intestine Noodle Soup was interesting. Intestine was prepared fine, though on the chewy side….this really smelled funky, but the flavor was good…..the broth did take on some of the intestine flavor.

777 Noodle House
4686 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105

Pho King:

Hadn't been back here in a while. So had my usual Hu Tieu Mi Kho….man am I getting boring and predictable.

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

Santouka:

Talk about predictable….yep, Shio Toroniku style.

Though I don't feel so bad, since a couple of weeks later I ran into Dennis here and he got his ramen…yep…toroniku style! Dennis also said he just knew he'd run into someone that day…..I guess he was getting readings on his "blog-dar"???? Funny….

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

Yakyudori Ramen and Yakitori:

I gotta say….this bowl of shoyu ramen was probably the best I had here. Balanced in flavor, not too salty, the noodles were perfectly prepared….just good stuff.

Yakyudori Ramen and Yakitori
4898 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Yum Cha Cafe:

**** Yum Cha Cafe has closed

I feel the place has kinda gone downhill since they opened and have not visited very much recently. However, I was in the area and hungry after shopping next door. I'd always wondered about the $3.99 rice noodle soup with BBQ pork, so I decided to get that.

I was pleasantly surprised. At least in terms of portion size. There were at least 6-7 slices of BBQ Pork, the noodles were nicely done. The soup was a step above MSG water….but in terms of value, I'd say this is pretty good.

Great stuff for the starving student set…..

Yum Cha Cafe
6933 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Ed Noodles around San Diego

July 25, 2012 ed fromyuma Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Most days, Kirk posts about adventures and food here at mmm-yoso!!! Often Cathy blogs about foody events as well. Some times Ed (from Yuma) has a post. Today is one of those times.

While Tina was stuck in Yuma working, entertaining international visitors and amusing our dog, I was looking forward to a few days in San Diego. Not wanting same ol’ same ol’, I carried a list of some of Kirk's favorite Vietnamese dishes with me. Of course, one place was closed for remodeling, and I ran out of time before I ran out of restaurants, but I had three interesting noodly adventures.

Chinese Kitchen

All I have is an exterior picture:

The folks at the restaurant were amazed that someone who looked like a total gabacho knew to order the duck soup, Bun Mang Vit (thanks, Kirk). The folks at one of the tables in the tiny, shabby little restaurant said "yeah, that's what we’re all having." Anyway, I was conspicuous enough without taking pictures, but Kirk is right about soup – the duck is good, the noodles are plentiful, and the dipping sauce perfect and full of ginger. I have had more flavorful duck broth, but it's hard to complain about a $6.50 meal as good as this one.

Lucky Seafood

Here I have no exterior picture because I forgot. No interior shot either. I ordered pho # 4, flank steak, tendon, tripe, and brisket (thanks again, Kirk). The garnish showed up first:
Look at that wonderful abundant fresh basil. Perfect. Notice the sawtooth leaf underneath it. Four thick slices of jalapeño and perfectly fresh bean sprouts.

Then came the soup:
Both the flank and brisket were melt in your mouth tender. A little more tendon and tripe would've suited me, but it is hard to complain about a soup this good. The broth in particular was extremely rich, spicy with anise, and deeply and profoundly beefy. I cannot remember a better pho stock.

The noodles were truly outstanding. They still had some toothy pull and separated nicely instead of balling up:

And when I looked at the noodles carefully, I realized that some of the noodles were wider than others, and I wonder if mixing two gauges of noodles helps keep them more separated. In any case, this is my new standard for a bowl of pho.

Thuan Kieu

Years ago, Kirk and I had some Bun Mam (pungent catfish and pork belly noodle soup) at Nhu Y, which used to occupy the space now named Com Tam Thuan Kieu:

On his last visit, Kirk thought Thuan Kieu’s version was still the best in town, but that it seemed to be changing. If my visit is any indication, the evolution of Bun Mam here is continuing.

First came the garnishes:
Notice that everything is mixed up together – as if the restaurant is saying, we know the right proportions of mint leaf, shredded red cabbage, shredded regular cabbage, beans sprouts, lime juice, and fresh jalapenos. I honestly don't know what the long green grass like leaves are, but they went into the soup anyway.

The noodles that showed up on this occasion seemed better than the ones that Kirk describes on his visit:
They are not watery at all. They were hot and had a nice bite.

And this is how the soup looked:
The broth certainly was less pungent than the version at Nhu Y, if my memory is accurate. In fact, it does not look as dark and funky as the version in Kirk's post. Otherwise the visible contents seemed about the same, except for that odd green thing at the back of the bowl that looks like some sort of a strange vegetarian clam.

Here you can see the chunks of eggplant (cooked soft and buttery), decent sized shrimp (a little overcooked), a one of the few pieces of squid (pleasantly tender), and some of the pork belly:
This picture shows more of the pork belly (rich and flavorful and slightly chewy). Notice also the flecks of red chilies in these pictures:
There were two thin slices of excellent, clean flavored catfish:
And that strange green clam thing? Actually, it was a jalapeño stuffed with Vietnamese white sausage and then roasted whole before going in the soup:
This was something new to the soup and was an excellent addition, providing green chile spice and sausage flavored pork in every piece. And it did add an interesting visual as well.

Overall, this Bun Mam was, for my taste at least, truly outstanding. It had a greater interplay of flavors than I remember from the version at Nhu Y. In fact, it reminded me in some strange ways of the complexity that I love in the Bun Rieu at Mien Trung – perhaps my favorite Vietnamese soup in all of San Diego. Well, it used to be my favorite.

Some Noodling: Pho Convoy Noodle House, Lucky Pho, and Pho Cow Cali Express.

July 12, 2012 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

Funny thing; much like last year, the only thing I really craved while on our trip was noodle soup….really. Not rice, but noodles. So of course when we returned I really needed to scratch that itch. Here are some of those v(re)visits.

Pho Convoy Noodle House:

**** Pho Convoy Noodle House has closed

One of the most convenient with regards to location from work. I've had some fairly decent Pho here before, so this was an easy choice.

It was kind of strange when I arrived. It was already past 11am, yet it looked like the place had just opened. I believe they open at 10? Chairs were still stacked up and the guys working here looked like they just woke up. I should have taken this as a bad omen…..

I ordered the #2 regular (well done steak, flank, fattybrisket, tendon, and tripe $5.65). Second bad omen, the first plate of garnishes arrived and looked like we were suffering from a basil shortage here in San Diego…….really, I got more basil and bean sprouts with my pho in Madison Wisconsin! So I asked if I could have a bit more basil and perhaps some Ngo Gai. The guy grunted and removed the entire plate……

Meanwhile, my bowl of Pho arrived.

It looked really light, like bad dishwater, and man was it salty. The noodles were adequate, the protein mediocre, with just one tiny little dime sized piece of tendon. Meanwhile, I'm still waiting for my basil….which finally made it's appearance about five minutes later. In retrospect I should have taken a photo. It was a brand new("different") plate which I guess they switched out. Still no Ngo Gai, blackened basil, and this time the bean sprouts were brown….taught me for asking for something here. Perhaps all their energy has gone into the second location in Chula Vista? Or was it a bad day? I dunno……

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

Lucky Pho:

Always one of my favorites, I decided on going here early one weekend morning.

I went with the flank, brisket, tendon and tripe….spelled "stripe" on the menu……

The broth looked nice and dark, not too salty on this visit; mild beef flavor, with hints of onion, a bit lighter in the anise than I recall. On my last couple of visits, they had gotten into the habit of overcooking their noodles; bot on this trip…it was nice, firm with a bit of stretch.

The protein was a bit scarce, but was never their strong point. Still, one of my favorite bowls…….

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

Pho Cow Cali:

Mean, on the other hand, has never been an issue at the competition right across the street at Pho Cow Cali.

Man check out how much basil they gave me! Looks like an entire bush! Talk about the opposite of Pho Convoy…..

Some of it was going kind of brown, but you enough to choose from that it wasn't a problem.

Basically the same item as Lucky; but of course it looked like twice the meat.

The last couple times I've been here; the broth has been kind of weak, though it does let the flavor of the cilantro and scallions come through a bit more. I do prefer something a bit more beefy and assertive in flavor. I'm thinking that's not a big deal for a lot of the customers here, like the three Korean guys on the table next to me who almost used up the entire bottle of Sriracha and Hoisin, then asked for onions. Pho Jjim I guess? Or perhaps some hamajang ganjang?

I think folks at "Da' Cow" do a really nice job with tripe, as it's usually quite good, nice crunch with no off-tasting soapy flavor. The flank and brisket are usually good as well, full of flavor and just tender enough. Not my favorite tendon, but still good.

Still in my top three……

Pho Cow Cali
9170 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Still, even Lucky and Cow Cali had me wishing for a bowl from say……Pho 86, Pho Kimmy, or Pho Thanh Lich. Which had me wondering; most of the Pho places make their broth very mild, except for salt and MSG. Do you think this is specifically done this way in San Diego? I realize that there's a bit of a chasm in terms of flavoring in San Diego. The older Vietnamese prefer something a bit stronger in flavor; the younger generation goes for something more hip, lighter in flavor, and focus a lot on decor. So is San Diego creating it's own "pho not to offend"? Or am I just going crazy?????

Pho Hiep & Grill (revisit)

June 10, 2012 Cathy Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Well, you've found mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog. Kirk is busy recovering from the last leg of his vacation, ed (from Yuma) is busy recovering from events occurred in Yuma and Cathy, recovering from a sunburn, is able to blog a short post today.

Hi. The other day, it was chilly and The Mister and I both wanted noodles and broth. We could not agree on the type of broth, nor on which the animal we wanted to eat. It occurred to me that we hadn't had any Vietnamese food lately and so we headed to Linda Vista and Pho Hiep & Grill, which I've posted about, and so has Kirk. This location has been here more than 20 years (it originally was Pho Hoa Hiep and the first place The Mister and I ever ordered pho). It is our favorite place, with Pho Lucky Seafood being a very close second.

Not much has changed in all these years.

The condiments on the table are standard. The tables are highly laquered. There are two televisions and on this day, both were playing a black and white Mexican (not translated) Cowboy movie.

The Mister's Dac Biet (small, $5.50)- a rich beef broth, noodles, onion, herbs and thin cut rare lean beef, rare brisket, fatty brisket, flank, tendon and tripe.

The pho add-ins at the top, which includes sawtooth. The Mister and I shared that plate. The ginger sauce is to add into my to my Pho Ga ($5.50) -a very rich chicken broth, noodles, onion, fresh herbs and -my reason for eating here- you are asked if you want only chicken breast meat, or "all of it". Of course, since The Mister got just about every part of the cow, asked for every part of the chicken. As you can see, there was chicken liver and also heart with dark as well as white meat from the bird.

A favorite place where each of us can get exactly what we want, when we want everything. I hope everyone is having a good weekend and will have a nice week.

Pho Hiep and Grill 6947 Linda Vista Road (at Ulrich) San Diego 92111 (619) 268-8406

open 7 days, 7:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.

This location has no website, but the other two locations in Chula Vista share This Website

Revisits: Bun Mam from Thuan Kieu and Sab E Lee 2

May 7, 2012 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

Com Tam Thuan Kieu (San Diego):

The dry cleaner lady told me that Thuan Kieu had changed the recipe of the Bun Mam here, probably my favorite dish at this restaurant. It made me a bit worried as I actually enjoy it….but she did say it was even better now and the cooking was more polished. So I just had to see for myself.

It’s still priced well at $7.50. The portion size is fairly large………

First thing I noticed was that this wasn’t quite as funky and the previous version. It also was a tad sweeter and more tangy. The flavor is still a “umami bomb”. I think they’ve cut back on the fermented shrimp sauce and added a bit more tomato. It was also a bit more spicy than I recalled….or perhaps my tolerance is bottoming out?

I didn’t like the way they prepared the bun, it was “water-logged”, H2O still dripping off the noodles which were also over-cooked.

There were two thinner cross slices of fish, rather than one. And a whole lot more pork belly that I recalled. The eggplant was very tender, almost buttery. This was also a bit of a change since it was usually a bit undercooked.

And I guess that whole funkiness issue is relative as well. For the two women who stopped and sniffed the air and the one kid who actually whiffed his armpits when I walked past you at Nijiya after my meal. It was just me….’ol Mam Tom breath……….

Com Tam Thuan Kieu
4712 El Cajon Blvd Ste A
San Diego, CA 92115

Sab E Lee 2:

**** This location of Sab E Lee has closed

Man, I think it’s been almost two years since I’ve eaten here. The Missus has gone with Her friends, but I’ve just been too darn lazy…..terrible excuse, I know. The weather this past weekend just seemed right for Thai and the Missus was craving the Signature Fish.

Nice to see that not much has changed.

The Signature Fish was nice and crisp…..

Though it was smaller than I remember for $15.95 and a tad overcooked. Still, the Missus wasn’t complaining.

The Shrimp Plaa was nice and refreshing. Though thinking my heat tolerance had gone down a bit I only ordered a ‘7’ which was too mild. I’ll bump it up next time.

Of course, we had garlic rice as well.

Overall, this was a nice light meal….well, perhaps my breath wasn’t that great after chowing down that rice…..hey, I guess there is a tie in between these two meals, huh? Not that I’m especially proud of noticing it…….

Sab E Lee 2
9159 Mission Gorge Road
Santee, CA 92071

Chicken Wing Thing: 777 (redux), Luong Hai Ky (Convoy), and Pho Mignon + Grill

April 25, 2012 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Vietnamese Restaurants

Man, I've been doing Chicken Wing posts for so long that I'm starting to do revisits already! So anyway, here we go……

777 Noodle House:

Though I enjoy visiting here quite often, I really wasn't a big fan of the chicken wings. But, for some reason, I decided to try them again during a recent meal.

Whereas the coating was on crumbly and oily side before, this time they were fried to a crisp perfection. They look a bit darker than I remembered. Still delivered sizzling hot, but also still in need of a bit more seasoning. Still, much better than before.

777 Noodle House
4686 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105

Luong Hai Ky:

**** This location of Luong Hai Ky has closed

I've been underwhelmed during my vists to Luong Hai Ky since they've returned to the Convoy area. The food hasn't been consistent. Still, I hadn't even had the chicken wings here so I thought I'd give them a shot. So here are the Canh Ga from LHK.

The wings were very low quality, many of the bones were broken and splintered and the flesh near the bones blackened. Not much in the way of real flavor other than some bits of bitter burnt garlic and a couple of slices of serrano that really hadn't been able to impart it's flavor to the wings. The skin was on the gummy side too. Pass……

Luong Hai Ky Restaurant
4633 Convoy St Ste 107
San Diego, CA 92111

Pho Mignon:

I'd had the "Saigon Wings" before and thought they were gummy and bland. Still, I thought I'd give them another shot ($5.95 – 6 wings). These were better than my first experience with them when they first opened. Still, very mildly flavored they just don't stand up to the wings at Que Huong, not enough sweet-salty-spiciness, almost like they're afraid to commit themselves.

It's sad when the best thing I've had at a Vietnamese Restaurant is their french fries.

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

Man, three strikes and I'm out I guess. Bummer, I guess I'll be needing a fix of this soon.

Viet Bakery and Pho

April 9, 2012 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Viet Bakery and Pho has closed

Viet Bakery and Pho opened pretty quickly, at least I thought they were open before they actually were. The Missus was in the mood for something new and She wanted to check this place out. Located in the same strip mall as Izakaya, Sakura, The Original Pancake House, Swabummm Shabu World, and Yokohama Yakitori Koubou, among others, this place is literally bursting at the seams and now has a parking problem to boot as the Missus and I parked on street a few yards away.

I really didn't know what the "bakery" portion of the name of the place meant….would it be a Banh Mi and Pho joint, or what? Well the bakery really does sell Vietnamese baked goods, though there are just four shelves lining part of the wall on the west side of the place.

To my surprise the menu was full of interesting items like Banh Cuon, Banh Bot Loc, and Banh Beo in addition to Pho. Unfortunately, they didn't have a couple of things on the menu, the nice young man serving us had to check to see if they had the items we ordered. I finally relented and took his advice for what I ordered. The folks looked confused and for a good amount of time were gathered around the cash register….I'm guessing trying to figure out how it worked I guess? They were constantly looking at the rather small menu, trying to remember dishes…..things that should have probably been worked out before actually opening to the public.

Luckily they had what the Missus wanted, the combination of appetizers – Banh Beo, Banh Duc, Banh Bot Loc, and Banh It ($5.99). When it arrived we were a bit puzzled by the look of some of the items.

We especially found the Banh Beo, something we've had many times, both in San Diego and in Little Saigon were just plain odd to us. Not enough dried shrimp for a nice savory flavor, the usually toothsome discs were gelatinous, like eating plain rice cake. The Banh It, which I haven't had in a while had a greasiness to it. The best of the lot was Banh Bot Loc the tapioca flour dumpling stuffed with shrimp, which was still on the bland side and missing the smokey, tea like flavor of being steamed in banana leaves. The best thing was the nuoc mam cham, which was surprisingly spicy with a nice fish sauce kick.

After going back and forth a couple of times I settled on the Com Goi Ga, the Rice with Chicken Salad – Com Goi Ga Xe Phai (Ga Xe Phay – $6.99). This came with some broth and supposedly garlic rice.

I say supposedly, because that has got to be some of the worse rice I've had in a while. I ended up pouring the broth over the hard and dry rice, then stealing the Missus's nuoc mam. The chicken tasted, well not to be insulting but the only thing I can really think of is…….dead, it really was bland and not very pleasant. On the good side, the salad was full of banana blossom that was fresh and shiny, likewise the rau ram and other herbs. It did have too much onion in it, the Missus kept telling me to eat breath mints the entire way home….but it was good.

In the end, I didn't think it was good to not visit again….we could possibly write this off to opening jitters; the young man who brought me my order was shaking so bad we thought he was going to drop everything……when I tried to pay with a twenty they suddenly found themselves without changet. I can only imagine how stressful it was….we saw customers coming back in with orders that were incorrect or missing items.

So I decided to return and this time got what I had wanted in the first place, the Banh Cuon Dac Biet ($6.75). This time, even though the place was pretty much full, things were moving much better, but alas, what I ordered was not.

Everything fried on the plate was dry, limp, and greasy, like it had been fried at the wrong temperature. The Cha Lua, defatted pork sausage was chewy, but had a decent flavor. The Banh Cuon were on the thick side and fairly dry. Unfortunately, I'd place Quoc Te and even Song Huong ahead of this. Heck even a middle of the pack Little Saigon joint like Banh Cuon Tay Ho is miles beyond this…to say nothing of what we had in Vietnam.

It's kind of sad, the young folks working here are really nice, ut they don't seem to have any restaurant experience or someone to train them. We really do need a place in San Diego that does the type of dishes we tried well. Hopefully, they'll get better…..

Lunch and dinner is now 30% off so you may want give them a shot and let me know what you think. After I sent a text to my good FOY "Xiang Jiao", she asked me if I tried the Pho. The only reply I could send to her was, "right now, I'm not brave enough……."

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

Roadtrip: Touching bases with Beach – Pho 86 and Kang Lac Bakery – Westminster (Orange County)

April 3, 2012 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Orange County, Vietnamese Restaurants

Man, it had been quite a while since I had a chance to visit my good FOY (Friend of Yoso) "Beach". It had been over three years since I last saw the man who introduced me to the joys of Binh Dan. We'd tried meeting up a couple of times before but something always seemed to come up. Last week, I had a day off and I wanted to make sure to drop by and see him, just to touch bases since it had been so long. As usual, Beach was ready with a handful of places…..but I really just wanted to see what was up, so we ended up hitting two of his recent favorites. Places he'd drop by for breakfast…….

Pho 86:

This location of Pho 86 is squeezed in next to Pagolac, another place Beach took me to several years back…..never posted because my photos didn't come out. I'd really never noticed the place even though I've driven past it quite a few times.

The tiny restaurant was fairly busy when we arrived, so we ended up sitting at one of the larger, almost communal tables that you'd end up sharing with other customers as they straggled in. Beach has a good understanding of my tastes and preferences, so of course he ordered…the guy taking his order knew him pretty well….he told me he stops by two or three times a week.

As to be expected in the highly competitive world of Pho in Little Saigon, things had to be pretty good. The sparkling herbs, bean sprouts, peppers and lime were a testament to that.

And the Pho was also lovely……

The "Tai", rare steak was especially impressive since I'm used to the thin, dry, and cardboard-like stuff that is the norm here in San Diego. The broth is clear, very balanced and mellow, with decent fat, mild anise, and not overly salty.

Of course, I was soon distracted. I was looking at the guy behind the window to the kitchen area lifting out two delicious looking leg bones and putting them in a bowl. Beach turned, took a glance, and told me, "don't worry, that's for us….." And indeed it was.

I wish I took a photo of the bones lengthwise so you'd get a better look, but I just wanted at the tendon and all the beefy goodness. Man, this was like a tendon lover's dream. You just keep cutting pieces of tendon with meat off the bone and keep eating. It was, without a doubt, delici-yoso…… I only wish I knew how to order it since it's not on the menu. I'm sure Beach will let me know.

Nothing like hole in the wall Pho with Beach….

Pho 86 Restaurant
14576 Brookhurst St
Westminster, CA 92683

Our next stop was a little further down…..all that tendon just kinda sits and I just can't eat like I used too. I needed to make one short stop (a later post) and Beach had just the place for a small "snack" right next door.

Kang Lac Bakery:

I do have a special place in my heart for those "old school" places that may have a large menu, but do certain things well. According to Beach, Kang Lac makes a good Bot Chien, which I'd never had before.

The dish is basically cakes made of rice flour that are pan fried till crisp, then eggs and scallions are added, much like the Chiu Chow Turnip Cakes with scrambled eggs. The bot chien had attained that wonderful crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside texture and the eggs added a richness, the scallions a mild pungency.

Beach proceeded to pour some fish sauce into a small dish and added some Sriracha and told me to dip the bot chien into that. I loved the fish sauce, which added a nice salty-savory component to the dish. I think I'll pass on the hot sauce next time…no need for that. Actually, this dish is right up the Missus' alley, She loves stuff like this. I'll make sure to bring Her here next time.

Kang Lac Bakery
9301 Bolsa Avenue
Westminster, CA 92683

I had to be back in San Diego for an appointment, so I had to leave sooner than I wanted. Still, the morning was full of lively conversation. I noticed something as we were chatting….it used to be so much about food….now that we're getting a bit older it was about other things, travel, how well Beach's children are doing in their career and school, life in general….yes, we still talked about food, but there was so much else. As always, I had a great time. I've got to make sure that it's not another three years before meeting up again.

Thanks for another great day Beach!

Pho-raging around Escondido: Pho Saigon Express and Lena Pho and Grill

April 1, 2012 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

Looking back, I guess I do about one of these a year. In 2009 it was Pho around Rancho Bernardo in 2010 it was Oceanside. 2011 just came and went so quickly, so to get back on track, I decided to drive up to Escondido to try a couple of places a few folks, like my buddy JohnL and occasional commenter DavidD mentioned.

Pho Saigon Express:

This is probably the one I hear about most often. I'd actually been here before, but my photos didn't turn out. So it was time to head back here again.

Having been here before, I knew that the "Tai", rare steak was pretty much the standard for the San Diego area….tough and dry. So I went with the Flank, Brisket, Tendon, Tripe. A small bowl here runs $5.99.

I was a bit surprised when my herbs and bean sprouts arrived…actually, it was more like herbs and bean sprout. Who hit the tightwad button? I asked for more sprouts and never got them. Sigh….also whats's with the lemon instead of lime? It's kind of sad thinking that I got more basil and sprouts in Madison than here.

The Pho itself is not bad.

The noodles were quite mushy, but other than that, this was a decent bowl. The broth was light and could have used a bit more beef flavor, but it wasn't too salty. The various cuts were the highlight, well flavored and tender. Against stereotype, there was also a good amount of tripe in this as well.

Overall decent Pho, lousy service…….

Pho Saigon Express
605 N Broadway
Escondido, CA 92025

Pho Lena & Grill Vietnamese Restaurant:

****Pho Lena has closed

A bit further East on East Valley Parkway is Pho Lena and Grill Vietnamese Restaurant….man, that's a mouthful. The restaurant looks quite new and compared to Pho Saigon, the place was empty when I arrived. Looking at the menu, I noticed something strange……the exact item I ordered at Pho Saigon had exactly the same number (P4) and price ($5.99) here……

The plate of herbs and sprouts was much more than Pho Saigon and there was even a sprig of Ngo Gai, albiet a pretty old looking leaf…..

The broth here was much darker here, though still on the light side with regards to oil. The portion size was quite large for a small bowl.

The broth was pretty salty, good thing they actually have lime here. I got a strong onion flavor along with a sort of burnt flavor from the broth. The rather large portion of noodles was prepared well. The meat wasn't quite up to what I had at Pho Saigon in flavor a texture, though as you can tell by the amount of tripe, there was a decent amount of it. The one item that was better here was the beef tendon, which was sufficiently tender.

Overall, I tihnk it's a bit of a wash between the two places in terms of broth. Meat goes to Saigon, portion size to Lena. Service was much nicer at Lena.

Pho Lena & Grill Vietnamese Restaurant
1535 E Valley Pkwy
Escondido, CA 92027

So there you go, two more down…… so where to next? Vista? I know there's Pho San Marcos? You tell me……

Sunday Stuffs: Sakura opening another restaurant and revisits to Pho Lucky and Pizzeria Bruno

March 25, 2012 mmm-yoso Italian Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Pizza, Vietnamese Restaurants

Well, it was pretty nice there for a couple of days. Anyway, here's something short for a wet Sunday in San Diego.

Owners of Izakaya Sakura opening a new restaurant:

I was quite surprised when I heard this. But according to my sources, the owners of Sakura are taking over the Chilies Thai location for a new restaurant.

Folks might be wondering what gives since it's in the same strip mall as Izakaya Sakura. Well this place is going to be Italian-Japanese. Probably something similar to Spoon House and Akane Chaya in the Gardena area. Not my favorite style and i'm wondering if there's a market for it here, heck even Curry house couldn't cut it. When I asked Dennis for his opinion, he had his doubts too. Time will tell. One more thing I heard is that Kazu will cut down his sushi bar time to oversee this new place…….don't think that's a great idea either.

3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Banh Mi Bo Kho at Pho Lucky:

After a terrible version of Vietnamese style Beef Stew at Pho Mignon, the sudden change in weather, and feeling a bit under the weather I decided to grab some Banh Mi Bo Kho from Pho Lucky. Funny thing is, Cathy mentioned that I've only done one post on the place. I swear I've done more than that. I did find a couple of posts including one on the Banh Mi Bo Kho. I think my Google search is doing weird things…..

The flavor was spot on as is the norm, but the stew was on the thin and soupy side. Lot's of nice tendon hiding on the bottom, though. What's up with the thin stews I've been getting recently? At least this one tasted good.

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

Pizzeria Bruno Napoletano:

*** Pizzeria Bruno has closed

Man, it was almost like spring for a couple of days there, wasn't it? And the weather put the Missus in the mood for sitting outside and having a pizza from Bruno. Over time, the Missus has settles on the Marinera ($9) being Her favorite:

She usually orders it with extra olive oil…….

I got my favorite, the Diavolo ($15), with soppressata replacing the pepperoni.

The goat peppers add some nice spice and mild sweetness to balance out the salt from the salami-ish soppressata. Great char on the crust and I've gotten used to eating this with a knife and fork…..

Can't wait until we get more consistent warm weather, we'll be enjoying this more often.

Pizzeria Bruno
4207 Park Blvd
San Diego, CA 92103

My previous post on Bruno can be found here.