Recently, during the short stretch of warm weather we had here, I decided to head on over to Paris Sandwiches for a banh mi. While driving thru the parking lot I noticed a new sign posted.
I made a mental note to return to check it out and wouldn't you know, that very afternoon I get a text from Calvin with a photo of what looked like Hu Tieu Mi Kho. So, I made it a point to check the place out.
A few days later I returned. I entered thru the Vinh Hung Market just to confirm that yes, Saigon Corner had replaced Song Huong.
And yes, as I walked past Ngon Ngon, there stood Saigon Corner. "Authentic Southern Vietnamese Food" the sign says.
The dining room looks quite clean and spacious and three a sign for ordering over the counter.
An older gentleman was going back and forth from the kitchen and a really nice young lady brought me a menu.
I had to laugh….I've always joked about Vietnamese menu syndrome….you know, those menus with every variation of every possible dish that ends up being 20 pages long. Well, this is a more abbreviated version of that with everything from Oc (snails) to chicken gizzrds to Hi Tieu and Banh Canh to Banh Cuon to even hột vịt lộn….think balut!
I was actually interested in the Oxtail Noodle Soup, but they were out of oxtails, so I went with the Banh Canh Tom Cua ($16.50), basically the shrimp and crab tapioca noodle soup and because I was curious, I got the Chicken Wings ($9.50). The young lady recommended the "Tomyum" flavor.
The older gentleman brought me various condiments which actually wasn't needed as the soup really had enough flavor. The broth was slightly thick and hearty while also being as hot as molten lava…this really did warm me up!
This was quite the bowl! There was shimeji mushroom, quail eggs, fish balls (not my favorite thing), some ground pork, a couple of slices of char siu-ish pork, fairly tender shrimp (not deveined), and two, really tasty fried crab.
The noodles weren't the typical "udon style" banh canh that I'm used to, but more like a tapioca based Silver Needle Noodles. Small and hard to wrangle with chopsticks, but they had a nice chewy texture.
The broth was fairly thick, molten hot, quite savory. I enjoyed this bowl and would gladly have it again.
The Chicken Wings were another story.
The skin hadn't been fried crisp and were rubbery. The "tomyum" was a a packaged powder that was overly salty. The wings were moist and tender, but the drumettes really dry and tough.
I'll pass on this in the future.
The gentleman swung by as I was finishing up and dropped off a rice pudding dessert. So very nice!
I decided to return a few days later, with some hints as to the menu. I had sent out some text messages to friends and was warned about the Oc not being up to snuff. As for the hột vịt lộn, well, I had a nice chat with the young lady before leaving mentioning what we'd had in Sapa and she laughed and said that their version is not as "old" (as in it doesn't have feathers and feet yet). Still, I think I'll pass on that; for now.
On that visit to Paris Sandwiches when I first saw the sign for Saigon Corner, I noticed the "old timers" weren't outside drinking coffee. Well, I figured out why as I entered the restaurant from the parking lot. There were three tables of guys getting their coffee and conversation.
I was seated and handed a menu….in the short few days between visits; there were more items on the menu. Like now they offered Banh Mi.
The one thing that was the same was that they were still out of oxtail. So I went with the Hu Tieu Mi Go Sai Gon ($14.75), a very popular street noodle dish. It's basically named "knocking noodles" I've heard because the street vendors used to knock together sticks while walking the streets to indicate their presence.
What struck about this dish were the noodles, both the hu tieu and the mi (egg noodles) were prepared perfectly, the hu tieu had a nice pull, the mi a pull with a bit of "crunch". The soup was a bit on the salty side and there was a little bit of everything in this, some shrimp, fish balls, slices of pork; though no little fried crab and shimeji mushrooms.
Overall, I actually prefer this to any of the noodle soups LHK makes.
I like the folks working here, there is quite a variety of dishes on the menu so I will definitely return. They have some Com Tom dishes so I'll probably drag the Missus along. They have outdoor tables, so maybe JJ might join us. I know my friend "CY" said we'll grab lunch here in a couple of weeks. With Saigon Corner and Ngon Ngon basically next to each other, things are looking up in this little corner of Mira Mesa!
Saigon Corner
10550 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Thurs – Tues 9am – 9pm
Closed on Wednesday
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?
There was a good amount of meat in this "small bowl". So perhaps that's the calling card?
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 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.
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.