Vietnamese Restaurants – Page 41

Que Huong revisted yet again…….

September 20, 2011 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Que Huong has closed

It had actually been a while since we've been here…… a couple of weeks ago I met PeterL and his lovely wife Ange for dinner at Que Huong. Strangely, Peter nor his brother John had ever heard of this place. We had a fine meal and there was something I noticed that evening at Que Huong. I've been coming here since 2005, when the current owners had just taken over the place. (Geeez….I've been doing this blog for waaay too long!) Because I'll usually visit in flurries, with long gaps between visits, I've started noticing something about Que Huong….a good thing. The place has slowly evolved from mainly a hot pot, drinking place, with karaoke and all that stuff, to a place where folks still come to drink a bit later on in the evening, but with more of a dinner crowd. I've seen birthdays and other events; one of the owners, a burly young man named Jay, told me he's even done a couple of weddings! Good for them. It's nice to see a place hitting its stride…there's no more "specials" haphazardly written on the mirrors.

You just have to take a dish like the Ốc len xào dừa, the snails braised in coconut milk. The presentation of the dish is not much…well, prettier.

It's now a totally different dish. less sweet, a bit more spicy, you're not overwhelmed with too much "coconut water". Because they serve mainly Vietnamese, the cook is not afraid to provide a nice amount of Rau Ram.

Jay told me that they went through several cooks before finding good matches who could make the dishes of the Central Vietnamese Coast the way he and his sister wanted.

On this evening we had both the Jackfruit salad…..

And the version with Wild Boar……

And a dish I used enjoy, but with some hesitation…the Catfish Clay Pot. You see, I love Nuoc Mau, Vietnamese Caramel sauce, one of "mother sauces" of Vietnamese cuisine. It is sweet-salty-savory-pungent….you name it. I also love the slices of pork belly used to line the clay pot and how it basically bubbles with joy as it arrives at your table.

What I didn't enjoy was the muddy flavor of the fish…….but on my last two visits there was nary a hint of muddy flavor. Yes, it's not a huge dish, quite small honestly, but there's a lot of stuff going on here, most of it good.

And of course there are those Fish Sauce Chicken Wings, as I've mentioned before, flavorwise, these are my favorite wings in San Diego hands down.

It doesn't matter who I bring here one taste of the wings and they're sold (right Dennis, Peter, Candice, Josh, etc, etc, etc……). I'm glad these haven't changed.

I guess because the place is tucked away behind Burger King on University, it just kinda slips my mind….it really shouldn't. My bad……..

Que Huong Restaurant
4134 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Postscript: A couple of weeks later, Peter took his brother John, to dinner. I received a text message that evening "Wow, fish sauce chicken wings….delicious!!!" He didn't even need to tell me where he was….

Pho Ban Mai

September 6, 2011 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

On one of my "morning drives" a couple of weeks ago, I drove into the strip mall that houses Seafood City and noticed a new Vietnamese restaurant had opened next to Siam Nara. Even though the weather had been pretty warm at the time, I thought that a nice bowl of Pho would be just the thing. It was not quite 10am, so the mercury had not yet quite reached an uncomfortable level for consuming Pho.

A very friendly young man seated me by the front window and I looked over the menu which was filled with all the usual suspects (Pho of course, various egg and spring rolls, Bun, Banh Mi, etc…). The interior of the restaurant was very nicely done….not gaudy, but clean, spacious, and comfortable.

So of course I ordered some Pho…. and as is my usual M.O. I went with the Dac Biet (the special), which is a good way to find out what, if any of the meat items a particular Pho shop does well. Feeling hungry, I went with the large ($6.95)….maybe I haven't been paying much attention….but when di Pho pass the $7 mark?

The garnishes, save for a thin, withered, leaf of Ngo Gai was impeccable, the bean sprouts were so white they almost reflected the sunlight. The broth was slightly cloudy and on the mild side for my tastes. Very faint anise and beef, low on salt, as if afraid to offend the eater. It wasn't bad, but by no means good. Protein was on the sparse side, though the flank had a nice flavor. Again, as if a "Pho focus group" had gotten together and determined that tendon and tripe were persona-non-grata, I found one thin strand of tripe, finely prepared and two small strips of beef tendon.

What amazed me was the huge clump of noodles in this bowl.

I don't recall having this much Banh Pho in any bowl in recent memory. Sadly, the noodles were severely over-cooked and mushy; not very pleasant to eat.

If I discounted the noodles, this would have been a decent bowl, but nothing to make me stop going to my other favorite Pho shops in Mira Mesa.

It's become a habit of mine when visiting restaurant for the first time to walk to the restrooms, especially if they are located in the rear of the restaurant as is Pho Ban Mai's. This is not because of any pernicious bladder problem, nor is it because, like some folks I know, do I usually feel the need to check out the state of a restaurant's lavatory. Rather, it allows me a chane to check out what other folks are eating…..and sometimes, as in the case of Pho Ban Mai, it pays off. There were several dishes that looked promising. So the Missus and I returned a couple of days later.

On my previous visit, I noticed how crisp and light the Banh Xeo ($7.50) looked and it did not disappoint.

Thinner than most, the crepe was very crisp and not as greasy as many we've tried. Although it didn't have a whole lot of filling, the thin slices of pork were very tender. The flavor wavered was a bit heavy handed with regards to "coconutiness" but that was balanced with the nuoc mam cham which was (surprisingly) not watered down and stood up well. The lettuce and other garnishes were bright and fresh.

I'd also noticed that the Fried Rice, not something I'd usually order in a Vietnamese restaurant looked quite good. So we decided to order the Fish and Squid ($7.95) version.

Even though the portion was on the small size, this photo does not do it justice, as there were at least six or more shrimp (albeit a bit over-cooked) and a good amount of squid hidden in the rice. The rice also had a bit of a mildly smokey "wok-hay" thing going on which made it a pleasure to eat. Even though both items were on the small side with regards to portion size, they were both well prepared.

I thought the service at Pho Ban Mai was quite good; the Servers were friendly and attentive. This ain't your dad's menu slapped on the table and server hovering over you to take your order kind of place. It's not quite a destination for us, though if we lived in the area we'd drop by now and then.

When I mentioned the name of the place to my good friend "Yummy Yummy", she told me "what a neat name". When I inquired I was told that Ban Mai means something along the lines of "natural morning breeze" (sorry if I didn't get it right YY)……..

Pho Ban Mai
8991 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Open Daily 8am – 10pm

Please check out Kirbie's post on PBM here.

Pho Tay Do- a year later

August 31, 2011 Cathy Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Hi. You are reading mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog. Cathy has a post today. Kirk and ed(from Yuma) are post-less at the moment.

Kirk wrote about Pho Tay Do last July and The Mister and I stopped in that following weekend. It is in the same 'parking lot area' as Vien Dong III (if you drive West within it and then head South to University). We really liked what we had ordered in the heat of the summer then, as well as in the cold wetness of 'winter' and this year have returned for our 'not wanting to cook at home' meals.

As you can see, there are pho "Happy Hours" here now. (It looks like you get a large bowl of certain flavors for $4.95 between 5-9 p.m., daily, but I am not certain of all the details)

The bamboo decorated interior is bright and clean…

Table condiments are pretty standard.

I feel I must comment on the sugar. Every time we have been here, I notice at least one person pouring sugar into his/her bowl of pho. I've never seen this anywhere else and don't quite understand it…

On this day, The Mister ordered the grilled pork chop, tan hu ky and shrimp broken rice plate ($7.50). (Tan hu ky is fried bean curd -stuffed with chopped shrimp; always a favorite). This plate is a filling meal and always done just right- the shrimp and pork chop are moist and grilled just right.

This warm day, I did want to order bun (pronounced 'boon') (cold noodles on top of salad), which comes with a variety of choices of toppings. I was going to order bun with cha gio, but not for the pork flavor as much as for the crunch. When I saw the many vegetarian options on the newer menu, I chose the tofu filled cha gio as my bun topping…($5.50)

You can see the finely minced tofu pieces inside the roll. It was very good. All the flavors in the bun were complimentary. The base of the bun here is more cucumbers and bean sprouts than lettuce, and I find that very refreshing. Mint, scallions and peanuts do round out the flavors. If you notice the sauce bowls in the photos, that darker colored one came with mine, the 'vegetarian sauce'. It has a wonderful deeper flavor. Another good choice in this part of town.

Pho Tay Do 5296 University Avenue San Diego 92105 (619)582-0603

Luang Hai Ky returns to Convoy

August 23, 2011 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

*** LHK on Convoy has closed again

Back in July I noted that Luong Hai Ky had returned to its former spot and had considered dropping by. But it was just too darned hot for Mi for me (no pun intended). I also figured that the fare would be about the same as the Mira Mesa location and the last few visits to the Convoy shop. If you are at all familiar with how the broth used to be before the original owner past away, you'd probably be as blase' as I was…..

Still it was only a matter of time before I visited……

There was a certain eeriness to entering the restaurant and seeing it looking exactly the way it was before……like nothing changed.

That may be comforting to some; but to me it was just kinda strange.

LHK had always been on the high side with regards to Mi Gia, so I was surprised to see $4.99 lunch specials on the menu.

So I decided to order the Won Ton and Dumpling Egg Noodle Soup ($4.99).

The broth at LHK has always been on the saltier side, but before there used to be a touch of savory, almost seafood flavor to it……which is no longer. Still, it doesn't lack for flavor….it's only that it is now mostly salty which is better than bland. The won ton and dumpling are the status quo for these type of shops, worked and hard, something I've grown used to over the years. I'm not going to go all (as my friend Peter says) "dumpling Nazi" over the stuff here. It's cheap eats….. and I'd say worth $4.99. The portion size did strike me as being a bit smaller than the usual…but then again, LHK was never known for huge portions.

A couple days later the weather had cooled even more, so I decided to drop by and try the Beef Sate noodle dry ($6.80).

I'd had the Beed Sate Noodle Soup at LHK before, an underwhelming experience, but felt that I should have it dry (Kho) just to see. This was an error on my part. Other than a mild spiciness the flavor fell flat…there was so little of that savory sate flavor going on, the meat was on the tough side….too much Thai basil killed everything else…. I ended up removing it. Some tomatoes and more onions replacing all that iceberg lettuce would have been nice as well.

And at almost 7 bucks, I just didn't feel that this was a good value at all being on the small side portion wise.

I'll stick with the $4.99 lunch special for now……

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

You can read Kirbie's post here.

Nam An Vietnamese Restaurant – A first look

August 7, 2011 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Nam An has closed

I'm not sure why; but for some reason I'd been drawn to the "coming soon" sign in Plaza del Sol for some time. I really have no explanation for it……..but something told me that this place wasn't going to be your typical Pho or Mi joint. A couple of weeks ago, I'd heard about a place opening on Convoy that made their own Banh Pho from scratch and thought "well that's nice…….". Visions of great possibilities doused by poorly a executed concept, a la Mignon Pho came to mind, so I tempered my expectations a bit. Still, it seemed like eons before I saw the Grand Opening sign for Nam An.

Unfortunately, I'd already eaten lunch and was headed to Chicago/Madison the next day. And things had been kinda "blah" for me foodwise since we returned from vacation. This time the blahs seemed to be hanging on a bit longer than usual….so I wasn't really too excited about another Pho shop in the area. Until…….. I received a text from "Yummy Yummy" about eating at Nam An. In the text she mentioned one specific dish. This got me pretty excited about coming back…..

It would be a while until I was able to free up some time for a visit to Nam An. My timing, however would be quite fortuitous. This past week, Ballast Point Brewery had a special tasting for International IPA Day, so with PeterL and his lovely wife, Ange in tow we attended the tasting. Feeling a bit peckish afterwards, I suggested hitting up Nam An…..

We arrived to fairly empty restaurant and were handed some menus….. I really wasn't looking for Pho, Com Tam, or Com Chien… where the heck was the "good stuff"? And then it arrived, the drinks menu…. but it's not the beer and soju that grabbed my attention, it was this:

And there it was……. Seeing Vietnamese dishes that I'd never had in San Diego before….. Peter was pretty shocked as well.

And so we started off…. the Surf Clam Salad ($6.50):

This was the spiciest dish of the evening….it had some kick. I loved the watercress, though I don't think Peter and Angela were quite as fond of it. There was a bit left at the end of dinner, so I took it home to the Missus, a fan of watercress, who just loved it.

About this time we had our first encounter with the very friendly and gracious Carolyn, whom I believe is one of the owners. She explained that the "appetizer" menu is only available from Thursdays to Saturdays, since she has to go to LA and Orange County to source what she needs. Thus, the menu changes every week, and they run out of items…. So no Muc Don Thit, stuffed squid…bummer.

The Deep Fried Calamari was very tender and fried well, but no consolation.

Next was the dish I'd been looking forward too Be Thui ($9), rare, almost raw veal, dusted with roasted rice powder.

Since this is veal, it's quite toothsome and the rice powder gives it a somewhat nutty flavor. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoy it. I've usually had it served with Tuong Cu Da, a fermented bean and soy sauce with ginger. This one was served with a sauce made with Mam Tom….very pungent and heady, but also with a touch of fruity sweetness to it. On a later visit, the Missus asked Carolyn what gave this sauce the fruity edge. Carolyn was happy to oblige, and told the Missus it was pineapple. Good dish…..

The Sea Snail Green Mango Salad ($6) was delicious….. man these snails must have been humongous.

The snails were fairly tender, with a mildly buttery texture like large abalone. The green mango added a bit of a "tannic" – puckery feel to the dish, Rau Rama anise-pepper-bitter-mintiness.

Rare Steak Marinated in Lemon, called Bo Tai Chanh ($4.50).

Wonderfully tender rare filet mignon slight "cooked" by the acid in a fish sauce-lemon juice based sauce. Onions added a bit of bite to the dish, chilies a mild heat, the rau ram gave it a nice herbaceousness. Personally, I'd like this even more "rare", but it is quite good. If it sound scarey to you, and it shouldn't, think of this as being similar to Thai Beef Salads.

The Bloody Clams in Tu Xuyen Sauce ($10) is a favorite of mine.

The clams are small and have decent flavor, opening them are sometimes rather ponderous….but that sauce. I told Carolyn that I could lick the plate….she told me "no, there's no licking the plate here, I'll give you more sauce!" I believe the base of this Nuoc Mau, the basic Vietnamese Caramel Sauce, there's fish sauce, and also I believe garlic in these. It is a messy, sticky dish, that gives true meaning to "finger licking good"! You'll need to wash your hands afterwards, but it is well worth it.

Seeing how much Peter, Ange, and I were enjoying our meal, Carolyn gave us some Oc Cha, some wonderfully flavored snail based "sausage". The snails added a nice toothsome sweetness to go with the smokey flavor of the leaves it was steamed in.

We left quite satisfied, this is well prepared Vietnamese "beer food". After being married for a while I have a good idea of the Missus's taste preferences, so I made sure to bring Her for a visit "stat". She loved the food and I think we have a new restaurant for our rotation. Carolyn told us that she "wants to serve good food with great ingredients." She would rather not have an item on the menu than serve a subpar dish. As the night wore on, I noticed that younger folk were bringing in their parents and grandparents…..a very good sign.

This led me to ask Peter a question…..his Mom is a fantastic cook. I asked Peter if he'd bring his Mom, also a pretty finicky eater here. Without hesitation he said, "yes, of course….." I think that says quite a lot.

And I still haven't gotten around to the Pho yet, have I?

Nam An Vietnamese Restaurant
4690 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Currently, the "bar" menu is only available Thursday thru Saturday.

Trying to cure a craving part 1: Tan Ky Mi Gia, Pho Convoy Noodle House, Minh Ky, and Toan Ky Restaurants

June 1, 2011 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

It was really strange during those couple of days after returning from vacation. Much like last year's trip, I got back to wonderful San Diego feeling kinda…. well, melancholy I guess might be the right word. I was really relaxed and all, but after all of that eating, walking, and almost constant moving from place to place, planning our next day's activities, doing the logistics of where we had to be…. my mind and body was in a different mode. And sadly, during our entire trip, I really didn't crave anything….. the Missus kept asking me what food I missed, I often said "nothing". Trying to convince myself that I should be missing something other then Da' Boyz, I finally said "noodles". "Well, what kind of noodles?" "Ummm, well….. yeah, egg noodles…yeah, egg noodle soup, that's what I'm craving." So right after returning we headed to:

Tan Ky Mi Gia in Mira Mesa:

**** Tan Ky Mi Gia has closed

A place I've included in posts numerous times over over the years, often in themed posts (sorta like this one). Some Roast Duck Egg Noodle Soup would surely do the trick, until it arrived at the table:

That duck really didn't look what I had before. The skin was tough, the meat was also tough… and greasy. The noodles were prepared well, but the broth was super salty. Sigh…….

Tan Ky Mi Gia
9330 Mira Mesa Blvd #A
San Diego, CA 92126

By this time I'd really convinced myself that it was egg noodle soup that I was missing. Still, I really wasn't motivated to get into my car and drive down to City Heights…. so instead I decided to…

Gather anecdotal evidence to see if the inverse of a "rule" was true at Pho Convoy Noodle House:

**** Pho Convoy Noodle House has closed

You heard that rule, right? Never have Pho' at a place that doesn't have "Pho" in its name. Well, I was wondering if the inverse was true…. "never have Mi at a place with Pho in its name." And Pho Convoy Noodle House was the closest suspect. At first I was taken aback at that the price of the Mi Dac Biet (House special egg noodle soup) was $6.65…..but you have to remember, the last time I had Mi here was back in 2005!

I really don't remember getting the typical garnish for Pho' with my egg noodle soup. And was surprised at the size of the bowl that arrived at my table, and how much noodles were in it. Mushed up, tangled, overcooked noodles….. some of it cooked into clumps….

The broth was a bit too mild in flavor for me…. though the portion size was pretty huge.

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

So perhaps it was true?

Now I had to confirm that you had to go a place like Minh Ky to get proper egg noodle soup:

I've been going to Minh Ky for quite a while; looking back, I noticed that I first posted on the place back in January 2006, man that's quite a while. I've become a fan of the Mi Sate Kho, the Sate Egg noodle Dry at Minh Ky, and that's what I've been eating on most of our visits, though the place has also been part of a few theme posts. I decided to order a Combination Egg Noodle Soup.

This was quite good; the noodles cooked to perfection, with a nice pull and crunch. The shrimp, fish balls, and other stuff, well…… just routine. The broth was solid, mildly pork, hints of what tasted a bit oceany to me…salty, but not too MSG laden. Not a huge bowl, but just right for my appetite.

I should have sat back in my chair, and let out a good "aaaah", but I didn't. For some reason, this didn't do it for me…… it was good, but not what I really wanted.

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

So what the heck did I want…… perhaps it was one of my favorites when I'm feeling a bit under the weather; Beef Sate Egg Noodle "dry", that is soup on the side. And I thought that I'd give a place that I really didn't care for on my previous visits a try….

Toan Ky Restaurant in Linda Vista:

**** Toan Ky has closed

I of course ordered the Mi Sate Kho, and when the bowl(s) arrived I was a bit surprised. First, at over six bucks a bowl, this was a pretty small portion, even for me. And what's with the fried won ton wrappers? What was this, Mandarin Canton?

The beef sate egg noodle "dry" is served a bit differently here. First, instead of being served egg noodles blanched in the standard Mi broth, served with the sauteed sate (say that five times quickly) sauce, beef, tomato, onions, and what have you, with the broth on the side. The noodles were served blanched in broth and almost everything else was in a fairly small bowl on the side. The beef was a thin sliced Pho cut, dumped in the broth to "cook"….. and what to do about the Thai Basil? Of course the sign does say Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese…… This tasted pretty watered down…. and that's saying a lot when it comes to sate.

The noodles were well cooked and under the noodles were bean sprouts and green onions…. which told the story of how this bowl was put together…. just like regular egg noodle soup, then rolled out into a bowl. Actually, just the noodles themselves tasted ok….. so even though this place is priced like Minh Ky and Tan Ky, and serves kinda snack sized servings, I may return to give the egg noodle soup another try.

Toan Ky Restaurant
6925 B Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

I did get a kick out of the two guys who walked in and ordered "Foe", as in Fee Fie Foe Fum…. followed by another young lady who ordered the same thing… Foe… but when I stared over at their noodle soup, I had to agree…. it looked like "Foe".

Getting back to my craving….. still not satiated…. I was feeling so, well, blah, and unmotivated when it came to food. I'd already been home for a couple of weeks, what to do?

Stay tuned for part 2.

Cali Baguette Express – Convoy

May 23, 2011 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** This location has become Cali Banh Mi

I'd been waiting a while for Cali Baguette Express to open on Convoy. I figured that by the time we returned from vacation CBE would be open…. and we were kinda close; they opened the Saturday after we returned.

Banh Mi has been conspicuously absent from this part of Kearny Mesa for years. I know we have Sau Voi Deli in the 99 Ranch Market shopping area…. but I've never been a fan. The Missus enjoys the Banh Mi from Cali Baguette, and the Mira Mesa location tied for first on our MM Banh Mi sampling. The Missus was happy that we wouldn't need to drive down to the El Cajon Boulevard location when She craved a Banh Mi. The shop is bright and sunny; stack of canned Pate stacked up nicely, Cha Gio and Banh Pate Chaud in bright metal pans under the heat lamps.

On my first visit I went with, well good ol' #1, the Dac Biet (special – $3).

The bread didn't hold up well on my trip home, but otherwise this was pretty much the same as I've always had on my visits to the other locations, save one thing. There was muc more pate on it then usual, which was a mixed blessing….good for flavor, bad for bread.

I'm not sure what time this location opens, and keep on forgetting to ask. I do know when I pass on my way to work they aren't open yet. Too bad, because I enjoy the Banh Mi Trung (Egg – $2.75), which seriously beats out any other "Mc-whatevers" in my book.

At the ECB location, I've actually watch the women there crack the egg into the deep fryer! I don't think they do it that way at this location, but the combination of crunchy pickled daikon and carrots, the Maggi (which tastes good on everything), light a flakey Banh Mi really does it for me. This time the bread was very good!

I've never been a big fan of the Banh Mi Xiu Mai (meatball) at Cali Express…. I prefer the version at Saigon Sandwiches and Deli, but I thought I'd give it another shot.

And though the bread was perfect, I really didn't care for the crumbled very wet meatball…… the texture was too wet, almost like snot, not great mouthfeel.

Overall, I'm happy to see Cali Baguette Express….. when the weather gets a bit warmer, I'll probably be stopping by quite often on the way home. All I can really say is….. it's about time!

I nearly forgot a question I had….. has anyone ever tried the soup or rice dishes at CBE? There's a menu of stuff like Bun Bo Hue, Bun Rieu, and even Bo Kho, but I've never seen anyone (other then the owner, or the owner's kids) eating the stuff.

Cali Baguette Express
4425 Convoy Street
San Diego, CA 92111

A Gooey Sunday Post: Tan Ky Mi Gia (Mira Mesa) and the “New” Mandarin Canton

April 3, 2011 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

This past week, for some reason, the Missus was craving something "gooey over fried noodles"…. something that happens every couple of years. I'm not quite sure brings it on…. but it does happen. We were in the Mira Mesa area so we stopped by:

Tan Ky Mi Gia:

**** Tan Ky Mi Gia is no longer

Which I've posted on quite a few times. The Missus went with the Pan Fried Egg Noodles with Seafood.

Something that I'd never had here before. The noodles not covered in the gooey "sauce" were very crumbly, and dare I say…. dusty. The light complexioned sauce was very tasty, perhaps edging on the salty side. That's about all I know since the Missus scarfed just about everything except the squid (not bad) and the fish balls (meh).

I noticed something interesting about the flavor of that sauce. It tasted a lot like the pork based "soup" that comes with many of the noodle dishes. I'm thinking they use this broth along with corn starch to create that stir-fry sauce. On this night, the broth was pretty salty as well….. but I wasn't complaining since I felt a cold coming on, and something with a good dose of salt (and MSG?) was welcome.

Needing a good dose of flavor, I went with the Beef Sate Noodle – Dry.

Not as spicy as other versions, the beef was pretty tender, the sauce a good flavor, so this hit the spot as well.

Tan Ky Mi Gia
9330 Mira Mesa Blvd #A
San Diego, CA 92126

For some reason, that dose of gooey-ness didn't cure the Missus. While driving South on the 805, I asked the Missus if we should drop by Mandarin Canton. I hadn't been back since before the unfortunate, and I still think unsolved murder of the restaurant owner in 2009. That's why Mandarin Canton never made it into our Salt and Pepper Wing challenge. The Missus had returned after the restaurant reopened, and thought the food had serious short-comings, which She blamed on "replaced oil syndrome" – where the well seasoned frying oil had actually been replaced, and all the flavoring is gone; and just never bothered to go back. We have nothing against ABCDE ('Ab-cee-dee' = American Born Chinese Dining Establishment) food, but it has to be done well. I found this to be a pretty hard thing to find here in San Diego. Anyway, as we walked to the restaurant off Telegraph Canyon Road, I noticed the sign now said:

The New Mandarin Canton Restaurant:

Perhaps trying to shake off the ghosts of the heinous crime. The menu looks new; but the same old dishes still occupy their place on the menu. In serious need of "gooey over fried noodles" the Missus ordered the Upside Down Pan Fried Noodles ($8.25), a well represented South Bay – Chinoy type dish that is well represented by places like Royal Mandarin and Golden Chopsticks.

This didn't deliver. The noodles were okay for this type of dish, but the sauce just had no flavor whatsoever. I did notice that the chicken in this dish was better than before. I'd always recommend that other than the wings, folks should stay away from anything with stir-fried chicken in it.

To digress, there's that ultimate sign of an ABCDE joint, stuff which I've gone over before. You get the fried won ton wrappers with the neon sweet-sour sauce. Also, no chopsticks; you have to ask for them.

Of course I had to have the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings ($8.75):

I thought these were much better than before. The batter had been lightened up, and the wings were nicely crisp. The ever present crystals of MSG were of course present….. this had that nice "crack-like" addictiveness to it. You'll need to eat these when hot; due to the light batter, they don't keep real well.

The Missus favorite here, and probably the most expensive item on the menu is the Salt and Pepper Shrimp without shell at $12.75:

Like the chicken wings, these have been lightened up a bit as well. Compare this with how the dish used to look. The batter is more light and crisp, fairly close to lacquer-like. The shrimp had a nice flavor as well. The Missus thinks this dish is much better than before.

In the end, this was a nice guilty-pleasure meal. I find most of the items on the menu borderline terrible, but you can't go wrong with the fried stuff, and they do a decent job with shrimp. Also, if you are one of those people who believe they are allergic to MSG, be careful, this place will put you on life support. After paying the bill, after the Missus had already headed out to the car; the really nice lady serving us told me "Xièxiè", to which I replied one of the only words I know in Mandarin "bukeqi"… she laughed and started talking to me in Mandarin! Whoa….. I told her that my wife is Chinese, I'm Japanese….. she laughed and said, "oh, I thought you were Chinese, and you're wife is Filipino!" Happens all the time!

New Mandarin Canton Chinese Restaurant
543 Telegraph Canyon Road
Chula Vista, CA 91910

Saturday Stuffs: Lao New Year Festival, Yes Ed Hoai Hue Restaurant is still open.

April 2, 2011 mmm-yoso Festivals & Events, Vietnamese Restaurants

Lao New Year Festival:

Good FOY, TammyC mentioned a couple of them to me, but due to my schedule I'm not able to attend. Another frequent reader Andrea asked me if I could mention the Lao American Coalition's Lao New Year Festival at the Buddhist Temple on Market Street on April 16th and 17th, as well as a Lao New Year gala at the Jacob Center. You can find more information here. Good luck Andrea!

Yes Ed, Hoai Hue Restaurant is still open:

I managed to grab a bite with Ed from Yuma on one of his all too infrequent visits. He mentioned that he believed that Hoai Hue Restaurant had closed, since he couldn't find the place. He ended up eating at Danang instead…. not a bad alternative. I asked Ed if he was looking for the old location. But he assured me that he was looking for the new location. So I drove by today….and Hoai Hue is still the Ed!

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

And I'm sure the place will be waiting for you on your next visit!

Finding the Pho in Phoenix: Pho 43 Express

March 8, 2011 ed fromyuma Bun Bo Hue, Pho, Phoenix/Scottsdale/Chandler/Central AZ, Road Trip, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Kirk needs a break and Cathy is reeeallly busy, so today ed (from yuma) is posting about some place not in Yuma or San Diego.

Knowing that we were going to be in the Phoenix area around Presidents' Day, Tina and I thought about some places to eat. Both of us, as it turns out, were hungry for Vietnamese. A little research on Chowhound turned up a list of Vietnamese restaurants.

The one closest to where we were going to be was Pho 43 Express on 43rd Ave in the Maryville district of Glendale. We figured we'd give it a try.

The restaurant is a stand-alone building with plenty of parking in a neighborhood of multiple ethnicities — so far, so good:

The large number of family members (no school on Presidents' Day) let us know that this was a family restaurant, not a pho factory like some of the assembly line SD pho restaurants. The folks were friendly.

Looking over the menu, we realized that this was primarily a noodle House, with bun, pho, hu, and mi dishes predominating. That made ordering easy. A large combination pho and bun bo hue.

The garnishes arrived first and were all on one plate. There were plenty of bean sprouts and shredded cabbage, abundant mint and basil, lemon wedges, and a few jalapeno slices:

Although a few leaves of basil were blackened at the edges, we had plenty.

The first soup to arrive was the bun bo hue:

I thought it was a pretty decent bowl of soup. The nearly spaghetti size noodles were nicely cooked. They still had some pull and were not all clumped together. There was enough chili spice and a slight taste of the sea underneath the meat flavors in the stock. Kirk, of course, would have deemed it insufficiently funky and reached for the shrimp paste. But he wouldn't have found any on the table:
The beef in the soup was good (though not memorable), but the meaty highlight of the dish where the pieces of pork leg. Look at this:
And here's another:

Loved all the tender pork meat and the abundant tendon.

Still, I think we liked the pho even more:

Again the noodles were extremely well prepared. Separate and not overcooked. The stock rich, slightly sweet, with a nice anise flavor. The jalapeno slices and basil contributed nicely.

Unlike the bun bo hue, this soup had very little tendon and not much brisket. On the other hand, it was full of crunchy tripe and had remarkably flavorful rare steak:

I was impressed by the slices of rare steak. Normally that is my least favorite, and to my palate, the least flavorful pho meat. Here, it was really good and steaky. Amazing.

We also had good homemade lemonade:

To be honest, I was pretty impressed with this little restaurant. Maybe we just got lucky, but the pho was better than most that I've had in San Diego. And I would order the bun bo hue again as well.

I have not included prices because I'm sure that the carry out menu that I carried out is out of date. That large bowlof dac biet pho must cost more than five dollars, and the bun bo hue has got to be more than $4.90. However, I'm sure they are still incredible values.

Pho 43 Express, 2844 43rd Ave, Phoenix AZ 85009, (602) 269-3383. Open 8 am – 8 or 9 pm every day but Tuesday.