I mentioned in my post on Pho Hoa that I needed to start doing my "pho-raging rounds" again. And the recent rather chilly weather seemed like a reminder that I needed to keep my word. So, I managed two revisits last week. My impressions were rather interesting.
Pho Cow Cali Express (Mira Mesa):
Man, has it been nearly seven years since my last visit to "Da Cow"? Man, does time fly! The main catalyst for my revisit to Cow Cali were the huge lines I saw during my two visits to Mom Kitchen. Sheesh! Keeping that in mind, I timed my weekday visit for an early lunch at 10am.
And there was no line. The host stand with the "please wait to be seated" sign is something that wasn't there before. I'm guessing it's probably due to the crazy lines?
Even though I could see that the restaurant was fairly empty, I decided to wait. Then two young guys walked up and basically brushed me aside and just walked into the restaurant….. Sigh…you gotta love manners these days, right? Anyway, the gentleman saw me waiting and waved me in before the two rude dudes. One of them gave me the finger and I just smiled…..
Like on my previous visits; I just stuck with a small #4. I was shocked when my order came out in less than four minutes!!! Do we have a new contender for the "fastest pho in the west"? Perhaps this is why they added the "Express" to the name?
First thing I noticed was how "clear" the broth was. Second thing was how the basil was starting to brown. Well, at least there was some ngo gai, a rarity these days it seems. I enjoy the more intense the peppery-cilantro-ish-slightly bitter flavor it provides. Even this leaf was starting to go south as well; I could use most of it.
As for the broth…can you say MSG water? With a dose of that sweetness that has been pervading pho in San Diego over the last decade or so. The soup was quite thirst inducing; or perhaps I'm just more sensitive to the stuff as I get older?
Which led me to wonder why the lines during certain times of the day? I think it's because of the proteins. I enjoyed the crunchy tripe. The tendon was not cooked to the soft, almost creaminess I enjoy, but was still good. The flank was nice and beefy, along with being fairly tender.
There was a good amount of meat in this "small bowl". So perhaps that's the calling card?
The noodles were in the typical clump at the bottom of the bowl; but the portion was plentiful, and it was perfectly prepared, not hard nor overly mushy.
This gave me a more clear understanding of my preferences when it comes to pho. I guess for me, the soup is the most important.
The service was much better than I recall it being before.
Pho Cow Cali Express
9170 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126
Pho Hiep and Grill (Linda Vista):
During my meal at Pho Hoa, wondered how Pho Hiep and Grill, which is in the same strip mall was doing. It had been over six years since my last visit and even longer since I last had a bowl of pho here. So, I decided to drop by, again for an early lunch.
I was surprised to see how busy the parking lot was at 930 on a weekday!
The restaurant itself was pretty sedate at least compared to Pho Hoa which I drove past in the parking lot.
I ordered the #4 here as well. And within a few minutes the herbs and veggies arrived. I was pleasantly surprised with how fresh and plentiful everything was. And yes there was ngo gai here as well….heck, Pho Hoa had none on my last visit!
And soon later the soup arrived.
The soup, while being a bit overly defatted had some beefiness, mild anise-oniony tones, while it still had that "San Diego" sweet flavor. It wasn't overly salty. This was better than I recall having on previous visits.
The noodles were in the typical clump at the bottom of the bowl and a bit under cooked.
The proteins, while not as well prepared as "da cow" were fine, though there was no tendon to be found! The flank and brisket were cut a bit on thicker side, but the beefiness came through. The tripe was a bit more "hard" than crunchy.
Still, in contrast to my expectations, I preferred this bowl to what I'd had at Cow Cali and might have even enjoyed it more than Pho Hoa! What the pho???? Again, perhaps I put too much emphasis on the broth.
Pho Hiep & Grill
6947 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111
I actually enjoyed this comparison, though the results were not quite what I thought they'd be. It could be that I had chosen the "right day" for one and a "bad day" for the other?
What do you think?
The soup was lip meltingly hot, with mild anise-beefy tones, but it had that attribute of a lot of the pho in San Diego; the "mild sweetness". It was msg heaven cause I was chugging water like crazy when I got back home.
But, any doubts were soon dispelled when I started mixing things and eating. The shrimp was decently plump with no off flavors. There was more ground pork than on my previous visit. Of course the sliced pork is chewy and quite rustic, but it flavor. There was still only a single lonely fishball in the bowl.
The pork hock has gotten smaller over the years, but the meat on this one was more tender than on my previous visit and the soup, while still heavy on the msg, had a bit more flavor and a dose of white pepper.
But a quick bite of the "fatty" intestine assuaged my doubts. It was tender and full of "bungy" goodness. Don't stare at the intestines too long; you might start seeing things…. Nice mild funky-savory tones.
This was a pretty large portion. I was a bit puzzled by the bean sprouts as I don't recall those being provided before? Not sure about all that stringy crunchy stuff and also that it was ice cold which dropped the temperature of the beef stew.
The crust was thin and crisp and that interior so airy! It might have been my favorite part of the meal!
All-in-all, not bad. Granted, it's a bit thinner, but the flavor was decent. It's better than I thought it would be and I'd gladly have this again. Though I will be on a search for better versions.
While this might have been the smallest in terms of portion size thus far, it was the Missus's favorite to date. The broken rice was very fragrant and moist.
While veggies and herbs were very fresh, the crepe was on the soggy side. The fillings were even worse; first off, there was barely any shrimp in this. What was present was a ton of raw bean sprouts. What shrimp there was tasted on the muddy side. 
This delivered as usual. The tortillas were still warm when we got home; such very nice corn flavor, pliable, yet hearty.
It is so hearty and comforting. It really has that "aaah" appeal. Nothing like rich, beefy, soup dripping out of a maize-y tortilla down your arm and then your throat on a chilly day, right?
The Bun Rieu is now $13.99, but is totally worth the price. A generous amount of very fresh herbs and veggies. And look they still provide a good amount of shredded morning glory, though there's a bit less banana blossom these days. 
So savory, with nice porky-seafood tones. The tomatoes added a perfect amount of acidity. The pork ribs were quite swiney, though a bit more chewy than usual. And the Missus enjoys the tofu a lot. The broth just seemed so good, perhaps it's because we hadn't been back here 
Which the Missus didn't care for. The noodles used were those for the Bun Bo Hue, not the typical thin bun used for Bun Rieu. The broth lacked the crabby savoriness and mild sweet-acidity of tomato the Missus enjoys. It was fairly high in the MSG department. Other than the saltiness, it was quite bland.
This was as expected, the broken rice was hard, not fragrant. Well, if you think about it, it probably fills the traditional definition of broken rice; the damaged, "inferior" rice. The thit nuong, the char grilled pork was flavorful, but quite chewy, the bi, the shredded pork and skin was cold, though it had a decent amount of roasted rice powder and a nice stretchy texture. The "cha" the egg-pork "loaf" was also cold, mushy, and bland. The bean curd with shrimp paste wasn't crisp, but at least it tasted quite good; a nice savory flavor.
The shrimp were actually decently grilled, fairly plump, and not rubbery. The flavor was quite muddy-fishy though. The pork was the same as what the Missus had. The bun looked like it had been sliced up and were short strands.
I know that Elle said that the portion sizes here have decreased, but I thought this was pretty generous. Lot's of bun and a good amount of lettuce and herbs,
