Vietnamese Restaurants – Page 46

Pho Hiep & Grill- someplace else in the same neighborhood.

July 13, 2009 Cathy Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog- a diary of what Kirk. ed (from Yuma), Cathy and a few others eat. We don't "review", we merely describe. Sometimes without a thesaurus.

Hi. Since I saw Kirk just posted about durian fro-yo from Flavaful, I thought I could just finish up talking about eating at the the only place on that corner of town (Linda Vista and Ulric 92111) that we from this little blog have not talked about in the last 12 months.

Yes, Kirk did blog about it a few years ago , when it was called Pho Hoa Hiep, so it's about time for an update anyhow. Pho (Hoa) Hiep (& Grill) has been here since 1991.

It is across from the landromat just around the corner from Flavaful Yogurt , which is next to Thuan Phat, which is next to Yum Cha Cafe, just across the parking lot from Pho Hoa Huong, which is next to LV Sandwiches across the street from Olga's Food Place, which is just across the other street from Sab-E-Lee. {OK, I skipped the taco shop on the other corner, and I can go there and eat again, soon, with my camera this time and let you know about it.}

The reason The Mister and I like this place is because they never skimp on add ins for pho. There are always two pieces of "sawtooth" for beef soups, plenty of bean sprouts, basil, jalapeno and usually a half of a lime (or lemon, depending on the timeof year) to squeeze in.

I have always enjoyed the deep anise flavored, rich, broth here and the fresh cilantro and non-mushy/non-"clump" of noodles served. This is pho tai (rare sliced beef) and it is $5.50 for a small and $6.35 for large.

As an aside, Pho Hiep is the very first place I ever had pho and The Mister and I clearly remember when we first ordered, many, many years ago, pointing to what we thought we wanted (Dac Biet) and our waitress (yes this is one of very very few pho restaurants where women take your order) told us, quite clearly "You no want that" and then directed us to what we apparently did want…

On one recent visit, I got the #52 Bun Thit Nuong Cha Gio ($6.95) Char-Broiled pork and spring rolls on top of chilled rice vermicelli on top of a shredded salad which includes lettuces and mint. This pretty much is my "to go" Vietnamese dish in the summer. Except the other day, I went all wild and crazy and got #57-

Bun Bo Nuong Cha Ngo- Also $6.95 and grilled beef instead of grilled pork. I like the flavor of the grilled pork a bit more than the grilled beef, though. But both are good.

The Mister ordered #63 – Bun Mang Vit (small- $5.95) (large is $6.95)- young bamboo and duck meat soup. Another wonderfully flavorful rich broth, not too oily, and served with

The traditional toppings for duck ,which include cabbage and lettuce, as well as the bean sprouts, jalapeno and lime. The young bamboo is tasty with a good texture and the duck meat is plentiful and flavorful. We were lucky enough to get the liver in the soup today.

Since it was a *hot* day, we each got our own fresh made lemonade ($2.35 each). The one on the right is Da Chanh- regular lemonade-fresh squeezed and the sugar was dissolved with warm water. The one on the left, Soda Chanh, is fresh squeezed with club soda added. You can see the sugar still on the bottom of the glass, needing to be mixed in because it was not dissolved. Much sweeter.

Now you pretty much have our take on all the places to eat at that intersection, where there is, unusually, a good parking situation.

Pho Hiep & Grill 6947 Linda Vista Road, #H San Diego 92111 website (the site only has the Chula Vista menu listed- prices at this Linda Vista location are less; I have a paper copy and can scan it for you)

Happy Birthday to my brother! Happy Bastille Day to all of my friends who celebrate!

O’ Yea! Vietnamese Cuisine

July 6, 2009 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** O'Yea has closed

Over a year after reading Mizducky's post on the quaintly named O Yea! we finally made it for a visit. You can read all about it in her post here. If I recall, this used to be a Thai Restaurant in a former life. The interior is rather pink…..

The one odd thing is not the color, or any of the decor. In many kitchens you'll here the "ding" of the bell when a dish is ready for pick-up. At OY, you'll hear Big Ben Chime…."ding-dong-ding-dong…..ding-dong-ding-dong"!

The menu is just a tad South of huge, with 96+ dishes ranging from Pho Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup) to full on Hot Pot Dinners (Lau), and this doesn't include the 30 or so drinks. It's enough to trigger off "Vietnamese Menu Overload".

I decided to order the combination Com Tam pictured on the tabletop ($6.50):

The first thing I always try to note is the fragrance of the broken rice; for some reason it always stimulates my appetite. Unfortunately, the aroma of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline was lacking. It was appropriate as this dish was basically a "non-starter". The grilled pork was hard, greasy, and tough, though the "Cha" (steamed egg) was moist but bland. The "Bi" was dry, and lacked flavor.

The Missus had Her mind set on one thing from the beginning, those savory orbs of rice flour called Banh Khot ($6):

The Missus, an avowed Kanom Krok fan, had expected something similar with regards to texture; crisp exterior, light at first bite, with a still molten, custard like interior. This was already cold by the time it hit the table, and it was soggy all the way through.

Not a great meal by any stretch of the imagination. Still, I decided that I'd give the place another shot. Though the Missus decided to stay home and have leftovers.

Again, faced with the sizable menu, I was at a loss as to what to order. Not that the very nice young lady waiting for my order was pushy, when she was in fact quite nice……I think she's used to the initial state of confusion. I finally went with the Bun Bo Hue, one of my favorite noodle soups.

When the bowl arrived I was very surprised at the portion size…..it is priced at only five bucks($5):

In spite of the promising appearance, I could barely detect the scent of fish sauce. Nor could I pick up the aroma of lemongrass nor shrimp paste. Tasting the broth confirmed what my nose had not detected. The broth was very bland, annatto colored, salt water bland. The broth was also South of hot. BBH demands a scalding broth to take care of the herbs and vegetables provided. Notice I said vegetables, not garnish. For me the chopped greens are an integral part of the dish.

Too bad because the noodles were prepared well, and in spite of the lack of Cha Lua (steamed defatted pork sausage), there was meat galore in this bowl. The meat was very tender, the brisket full of flavor. The addition of Rau Ram (Vietnamese Coriander) added a nice peppery component to the bowl.

This bowl reminded me of the version at Pho Hoa Cali Express. It's Bun Bo Hue designed for Pho lovers, if you're looking for that, it's waiting for you here. I found this lacking the earthy, spicy, bright flavors of a good Bun Bo Hue.

I had really to like this restaurant; the prices are good, and I had really nice and friendly service. So maybe one of my FOYs (Friends of Yoso) out there can tell what of the 90 plus items on the menu is worth trying????

O'Yea! Vietnamese Cuisine
4660 El Cajon Blvd #102
San Diego CA 92115

Chinese Kitchen (Chi Tu Thanh Nha Hang) – A revisit

May 18, 2009 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Chinese Kitchen has closed

When someone mentions "hole in the wall", the first place that comes to mind is Chinese Kitchen on University Avenue near College.

When I first did a post on this little shop back in 2006, it was literally that, the ordering was done at a "hole in the wall". Here's a photo from back then.

Having a food blog, is sometimes my stomach's worst enemy…..it seems that I'm always distracted by those "shiny things". New places, new recipes, and new dishes, and places that I enjoy like Chinese Kitchen fall to the wayside. So I recently made an effort to drop by the restaurant.

And my has the place been spiffed up……some new paint, and actual fixtures that look like they belong in a restaurant! Though I'll miss ordering at the hole-in-the-wall, which has been replaced by a counter. The menu, or should I say "menus" look the same, with the huge selection of Chinese Fast-food, which I've never had a chance, nor desire to sample.

In spite of the name, I instead pay attention to what I call the "real menu" of Vietnamese Dishes.

And even beyond that, there's only one item I order here…the Bun Mang Vit (Duck and Bamboo Shoot Soup), and I'm rather surprised it's still five bucks. I've found that I prefer to take my Bun Mang Vit to go…..for a reason I'll explain later.

Take out comes in three parts, the duck, which is made inhouse(I remember being told it was acquired "very fresh"), shredded cabbage, shredded banana blossom, Rau Ram (Vietnamese Coriander), and bun comes in one tidy container. Another contains the sweet, and slightly spicy Nuoc Mam Cham, which also contains minced garlic. And the soup, in which a good amount of bamboo shoots lay rehydrating.

And though it didn't look like that much, it felt pretty hefty, and if you start placing items in plates and bowls you realize that this is a pretty good amount of food.

The reason I usually do my Bun Mang Vit to go, is simple…..I want the bamboo shoots to "steep" in the light broth, which adds a nice earthy-woodsy flavor. I will place the soup in a pot and heat slowly on the stove. After placing the Bun in a bowl, and pouring on the broth, you realize that this is a pretty good sized meal.

I almost miscalculated, which would have led to an overflow. The soup is a good as always, the duck tender and full of flavor, the banana blossom added a very mild bitterness, but not the soupy-astringent flavor that banana blossom can have, to the dish.

Just as good as always, so I guess you can just read my original post, though I think there was much more bamboo shoots this time around. And still five bucks. I still haven't deviated from this, so maybe you can make some additional recommendations for Chinese Kitchen. Though I'm more than happy sticking with my Bun Man Vit.

Chinese Kitchen
6160 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92115

619-286-8778

A Friday meal and dessert (Phuong Trang and Big Joy Family Bakery)

April 17, 2009 Cathy Desserts, Vietnamese Restaurants

mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog and Cathy is stepping in with a quick post. Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are busy.

Hi again. I went out to dinner just now and wanted to share. Most of you know this parking lot. 009

A variety of businesses are in here. Really. In addition to the listed businesses, there is a billiard place and a motorcycle place, Happy Family Bakery I think a Tae Kwon Do studio.

Kirk pretty much considers Phuong Trang MOR (middle of the road) Vietnamese It is good and where I bring friends who have never experienced Vietnamese food, for a first try.

So, we usually get three dishes when we eat out (one for each of us and 'one for the table'). tonight, 004

The calamari salad, which could be a meal in itself, was wonderful.

The squid was poached perfectly and was soft and sweet. The dressing was made with fish sauce, sesame oil which complimented the sesame seeds and chopped peanuts on top. The fresh mint and papaya, along with the pickled carrots and turnip added great flavor and crunch to all of it.

The Mister ordered the broken rice with Tau Hu Ky(crispy tofu skin around ground shrimp) and a ground pork patty

The fried tofu skin was just right and the ground shrimp seasoned perfectly with ginger and some garlic and sweet rice wine. The ground pork was grilled and juicy. This was served with a salad of more pickled vegetables. 002

I got my usual, Bun with cha gio chay (fried spring roll made with tofu).

The Bun (rice noodles) were sticky but had a nice flavor. The salad underneath the noodles was made with leaf lettuce, plenty of mint and lots of thin cucumber peels.

The cha gio chay wrapper was lightly crispy, properly fried and the filling was very nice with a touch of fish sauce flavor. Salty, but not soy sauce salty…

This was served with the fish sauce, which is pretty mild here.

We also had hot tea and the total for this meal was ~$23<

Then we walked next door, to Big Joy Family Bakery . Because it was Friday, I got my usual loaf of organic raisin bread. 012

005

The Mister got the red bean and fresh fruit (bananas, strawberries, kiwis), some canned mandarin oranges with French vanilla ice cream and ice bowl(topped with mini moochi and crushed peanuts). This is what it looked like halfway through.

…and a cup of drip coffee, which looks unusually large in this photo taken with my iPhone.

007

I got a custard filled croissant. Buttery layers of dough, filled with a delightful creamy custard.

All of the breads and pastries here are fresh made with quality ingredients.

A nice night.

I hope you had a good one also.

Phuong Trang 4170 Convoy Street San Diego 92111 (858) 565-6750

Big Joy Family Bakery 4176 Convoy Street San Diego 92111 (858)627-0888

Seafood Island – A first…actually a third look.

April 6, 2009 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Seafood Island has closed.

Sometimes the third time is a charm. Seafood Island is located in a bit of an odd location amongst all the home furnishing stores. When they first opened, the Missus and I dropped by for lunch and the place was half full, but it looked like the employees were running around like crazy. We were told at least half a dozen times that our table would be ready in "just a while", meanwhile half the tables in the place were empty, and the food coming out of the kitchen looked like pseudo Chinese fast food fare, a la generic Kung Pao Chicken. After 15 minutes or so, we told the folks, "that's ok, we'll be back next time." And left. I returned on a Sunday for lunch, and was seated. The young lady who served was very, very nice….but when I tried to order, first the Bun Mang Vit…negatory, then the Bun Bo Hue…sorry not today, Banh Mi Bo Kho….we don't have that today, Bun Rieu……sorry it is not ready yet. Yeow! I know the menu is huuuge, talk about "Vietnamese menu overload", this one is probably the largest I've seen. I ended up ordering a Com Tam(broken rice) dish, with Grilled Pork and Bi (shredded pork skin), and really ended up with just the grilled pork. Too bad, the grilled pork was pretty tasty, if a bit on the sweet side, and since this place also serves "Korean BBQ", I could make out the flavor transition. This place also goes pretty easy on the fish sauce. The broken rice was nice and fragrant, and the price was not bad – $5.25. And the Server, whose name if I recall was Desiree was fantastic, and was amazed that I like Nuoc Mam. She also told me that weekday lunches are the busiest, and gave me a flier with $4.99 Chinese lunch specials…..Orange Chicken and such. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, my photos didn't come out….memory card malfunction. So I recently decided to check them out again. this time for a weeknight dinner.

Based on the "specials" sign, I knew that today I'd be getting something other than Com Tam, Kung Pao Chicken, or Orange Chicken.

Like my previous visit, my Server today was a total joy. And I started with the Bun Cha Hanoi ($6.50), the wonderful grilled pork meatball and grilled sliced pork in a broth dish. The Bun and Garnishes arrived in a flash.

The Bun had been chopped into shorter pieces, and was on the soft and mushy side…..which amazingly was just like what we had in Hanoi! The herbs and greens were the appropriate purple perilla, mint, and lettuce, which was just North of wilting, but fine overall.

The Bun Cha was interesting….

The broth was quite sweet, the patties hard, and the sliced pork…in this case pork belly, was quite tough. There was a shortage of pickles, with daikon in place of the standard papaya and carrots. I hadn't expected this to be even close to what we had at Bun Cha Dac Kim(aka #1 Hang Manh) in Hanoi, or even Ha Noi Restaurant in Westminster, and I knew it wouldn't even approach what FOY Beach makes. I was just looking for a fair to middling Bun Cha, and I think this fell a bit short of that. Still, for $6.50, not too bad.

I also ordered the Goi Xoai Ton Thit (green mango salad with pork and shrimp – $9.99).

This looked lovely, thinly sliced pork, a bit on the bland side, but tender, a good amount of shrimp over shredded green mango and carrots, topped with chopped mint and basil. The dressing was again, a bit long on the sweet, and short on the savory, but it had a nice, not too strong, sneaky heat. In this instance, the usual sesame crackers were replaced with Chinese Shrimp Chips.

It was a decently put together dish, and quite refreshing. It may just bring me back again.

I like to think of the Vietnamese dishes at Seafood Island as being sort of Que Huong "light". The dishes I've had are on the sweet side, and seem to lack a savory-pungent punch. It is the "safer" choice if you are a bit hesitant to try out some of the more interesting Vietnamese dishes. For more on the Chinese dishes at Seafood Island, check out Kirbie Cravings, post, which you can find here. The service can be a bit disorganized, but all of the folks I've had contact with have been very nice. The restaurant is large, new, and clean.

Seafood Island Restaurant
7580 Miramar Road
San Diego, CA 92126
(619) 838-0571

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Saturday Snacks: Camau Bakery, Cheeseballs Perhaps?, or for something a bit more savory……

March 28, 2009 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants, Korean Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Howie Eats - Where the Foodie from Foodieview Eats, yoso-silly

Just some "snacks" for Saturday…..

Camau Bakery & Deli:

This place had caught our interest a while back. We'd seen the prepackged Banh Beo, and other snacks with the "Camau Bakery" label on them. But the place always seemed closed. But on this morning, I noticed the shop was actually open! At least the open sign was out. So we stopped immediately, and found some parking. And walked on over to the door……

And it was locked!!! But the nice lady inside waved at us, opened the door and let us in. I kinda got the feeling that Camau really does catering, large orders, and wholesale orders. Nothing was out, and there were pans of covered snacks waiting for pick-up. But after passing by so many times, the Missus wasn't to be denied. She pointed at one of the containers, and said…"I want that!" The woman, who was a bit amused at the Missus's antics, told Her, "this is for an order, but since they're not going to be picked up until later this afternoon we can make more." Her name is Kieu…so thank you so much!

So what did the Missus get?

Well, a bunch of styrofoam containers of course…..

Just kidding. She got a large order of Che Xoi Nuoc. It's a "sweet soup" of sorts, flavored with sugar and ginger. In the "soup" are large dumplings made of rice flour, and stuffed with mung bean paste, much like the Chinese Tāngyuán. These also had scallions in them, and was more savory than other versions we've had before. Still, after being chilled ice cold, and covered with the accompanying cocunut milk and sesame seeds, it was pretty good.

I just wish they had regular hours…..

Camau Bakery & Deli
4857 El Cajon Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92115
(619) 583-2904

Some Cheese Balls Maybe???

One of my favorite lines from the movie, I Love You to Death. Recently, "MG" brought these to work. I had never seen them before.

Apparently, these were the "newest thing" at Valerio's. Buttery, sweet, and a bit salty….maybe a bit too oily for me….none the less, not too bad. If you like buttery…….

And how's this for the kicker….it's filled with cream cheese….

Apparently, it was Valerio's in Mira Mesa who first started selling this…..and now it's being sold at other locations. This one was from the National City location.

Valerio's City Bakery
1631 E 8th St
National City, CA 91950
(619) 477-8588

And for something a bit more "savory"….

You can get this:

Need a closer look?

It was nice breaking bread (and other things) with two of my favorite people, Howie (please check out his recently redesigned Foodie View) and Candice. And this was one of the dishes we sampled.

If you're wondering about the main ingredient, I think the food labeling may be very accurate in this instance:

Fishing Feed? = Bait???? It's all on the label!

Hope you're all having a grest weekend!

Pho 888

March 19, 2009 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Pho 888 has closed

In my Pho Hiep and Grill post, "Joe" mentioned another Pho restaurant in Chula Vista named Pho 888. I'd had another email mentioning the restaurant back in January, so on the weekend before our Vegas trip, I took the drive down the I-5…took the H street exit, turned right on Broadway, there I was.

The interior belies the strange "giardi-ish green" color of the exterior. It is large and fairly clean.

In addition to the Pho at '888', both Joe and the email mentioned the Cha Gio (eggrolls), so I decided to get 3 pieces ($3.75, 5 pieces are $5.75). Man, Cha Gio ain't cheap eats no more, are they?

When these arrived I wasn't too thrilled. I prefer my Cha Gio to have the crisp and thin rice paper wrappers. The Nuoc Mam Cham (dipping sauce), though a tad on the sweet side was adequate, and provided a bit of heat. Not expecting much, I bit into one, and was pleasantly surprised….these weren't over-wrapped, and had a light, pleasant crunch to them. The filling wasn't too dense, and was moist and tender. Lot's of cloud ear fungus, and some, but not too much filler.

I was very pleasantly surprised, and couldn't wait for my bowl Pho (combination – small, $5.75) to arrive.

First things first. The garnishes were routine, fresh basil, limes, jalapenos, and bean sprouts. When I asked if they have Ngò gai, I was given a bit of a weird look, and the really nice young man told me they don't carry it. As much as the Cha Gio was a pleasant suprise, the Pho was a bit of a disappointment. It wasn't bad, the broth was much too "salty", and just a bit more beefy than the version at Pho La Jolla. This was a very "middle of the road" bowl of Pho, and the broth lacked any nuance.

The noodles were done right, not too mushy.

The meat was the biggest disappointment. I'm used to really dry Tai (rare beef) which this was, but the rest of it was dry and tasteless as well.

Too bad. I really like the Cha Gio, and the service was very friendly, the young man was quite nice. So perhaps this was an off day? I understand that the place will undergo a name change soon, I was told that it'll probably be called Pho Kim. Having the egg rolls made this visit "a wash", and I also found another place close by that I'll post on later.

Pho 888
635 Broadway St
Chula Vista, CA 91910

(619) 585-0886

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Pho Hiep and Grill

February 26, 2009 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

I mentioned this place waaay back in November 2007, but was never able to eat there for one reason or another. I found myself in the area fairly early during the recent rainy weather, and a nice bowl of Pho sounded great. So why not?

The interior is relatively dark, sleek, and modern. You can read more about it on FOY, Caninecologne's blog, here.

On this day, I went with the large bowl of "Chin Nam Gau Gan Sach"…..let's just call it "Brisket, Flank, Fatty brisket, Tendon and Tripe" shall we? At $6.95 it was a bit on the expensive side, but still not as pricey as a bowl in La Jolla.

The garnishes arrived, fresh, bright, and shiny. The quantity provided was more than adequate.

As with Pho Hoa Hiep in Linda Vista, the broth in this bowl is clear, and low in oil,and fairly light. The flavor of beef comes through fairly well, as does a mild clove-ainse flavor. The broth is also a bit darker than it's namesake in Linda Vista.

PhoHiep&Grill04

The noodles were routine, if a bit hard and undercooked, which was remedied by a further steeping. Undercooked is preferred to overcooked and mushy in my book anytime.

The meat ranged from pretty good (fatty brisket), to decent (tendon), to mediocre (the tough and dry flank), to non-existent (one tiny strand of tripe).

All in all, a decent bowl. If I lived in the area, I'd drop by for a bowl of lighter, low oil Pho. I think the Pho Hoa Hiep on Linda Vista is better(and closer to us, and cheaper), but this is a decent facsimile.

Service was decent, if a bit "sleepy"…..the folks looked really tired on this weekend morning. By the time I left folks were starting to move with a bit more conviction, and even smiling. So if you're in the area and craving some Pho, Pho Hiep and Grill may be the remedy.

Pho Hiep and Grill
539 Telegraph Canyon Rd
Chula Vista, CA 91910

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San Diego Tet Festival 2009

January 23, 2009 mmm-yoso Festivals & Events, Vietnamese Restaurants

Wow, where did time go? It's time for the San Diego Tet Festival again. The venue this year, is the same as last year, Balboa Park.

I decided to check things out on the way home from work, so that I could get a post in tonight. That way, if you're interested, you'll still have tonight, Saturday, and Sunday to attend.

This year, it didn't look like the weather was cooperating, but by the time the Festival opened at 4pm, the rain looked to have moved on, and the sun was shining.

Things were a bit wet, but I'm hoping that doesn't dampen spirits.

As with all the previous festivals, various vendors, businesses, and community organizations are represented.

And of course all of the rides.

Of course, I know you're really interested in the food, right?

It was nice to see some of the old regulars, who are here every year.

And many that I don't recall seeing before.

To me, it seems that every year, there seems to be an interesting food theme. In 2006, it was Cha Gio everywhere. In 2007, it was salads. Last year, it was Nem Chua and Banh Kot. This year, in keeping with the weather, it's soups, stews, and rice porridge (Chao).

And every year, there's something a little more adventurous.

Here's a closer look:

And just in case you aren't in the mood for Vietnamese (gasp!), there's the usual Kettle Corn, Hot Dogs, Tacos, and maybe a few not so usual suspects:

The meat grilling in back of the booth smelled heavenly. Too bad they weren't quite ready.

Only a few booths were open, and this booth was the busiest:

And though all folks ahead of me were getting Eggrolls (Cha Gio), or Fried Bananas, I had my sights dead set on something else…. Bun Rieu!

I ordered my Bun Rieu($5), and the very friendly young man manning the booth asked me to wait a few minutes. And what should appear, but a large fast-food plastic tray, and a proper large bowl of Bun Rieu. I was shocked…..

I had expected a small styrofoam bowl, but this was larger than many bowls of Bun Rieu I've had in restaurants. No garnishes other than lime, but this was better than expected. And while it was a far cry from Mien Trung, the Bun Rieu sure hit the spot on such a damp day. I was so stuffed after finishing this off, that there was no room for anything else.

Which might have been a good thing, since many booths, like this one, which will be serving Banh Kot, were simply not ready.

So if you visit, let me know what you enjoyed!

Fourth Annual San Diego Tet Festival - Balboa Park.

Fri 1/23/2009: 4pm – 10pm
Sat 1/24/2009: 10am – 10pm
Sun 1/25/2009: 10am – 8pm

LV Sandwiches and Restaurant

January 22, 2009 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

*** LV sandwiches has closed and has been replaced by Toan Ky, you can find a post here.

While I was paying too much attention to the opening of Thuan Phat Market and the soon to open Yum Cha Cafe, LV Sandwiches opened right under my nose last week.

LV Sandwiches has opened in the spot formerly occupied by Le's.

We'd have never noticed except for the grand opening sign….

And buy 2 sandwiches, get 1 free is a great deal in my book!

Other than the sandwich menu, not much has changed.

And the restaurant has kept Le's Vietnamese-Chinese-Thai menu, along with the mediocre food, like this combination Com Tam. Underwhelming and overpriced at $7.95.

I had never been a big fan of Le's, and holding over the old menu items, which seem to number in the hundreds….

But of course we were here for the sandwiches! On our first visit, things were a bit disorganized, but the folks, and especially the woman who looked to be running the place were very nice. We had a seat, and ate our sandwiches inside the restaurant. Of course the Missus ordered the Banh Mi Bi (shredded pork – $2.75):

The Bi was mildly flavored, but on the dry side, I likened it to eating sawdust. The bread on the other hand was good, warm, crusty, but not hard, and airy. Instead of slicing the baguette in half, adding margarine, than toasting, creating what I call the "crouton effect" (I'm sure we all love croutons…but try chewing on a baguette sized crouton and attempt to preserve the skin lining your mouth), LV toasts the whole baguette. Also, as we were to find later, eating in, has its benefits.

Strangely, the Missus ordered the Banh Mi Chay (vegetarian – $2.75):

Turning over a new leaf for the New Year? hmmm… When our sandwiches arrived, they were cut in half for consumption……and I really couldn't figure out what this was. It tasted pretty darn good….with not a hint of the usual deep fried tofu, nor "plastic meat" in sight. There was some nice flavor, the addition of fried shallots and garlic gave the Banh Mi a nice kick. What was the most surprising, and impressive was the quality of the "faux" Cha Lua (defatted pork sausage – think bologna!!!). The texture was pretty good, and it didn't have an artificial flavor. When we inquired about this, we were told that they make their own "mock meat" in house. The Missus had found Her favorite at LV.

We took the Dac Biet (Special – $3.25) home with us.

I was surprised at the amount of meat in this sandwich. The Thịt Nguội (Ham – Jambon) was lean, and the Cha Lua had a mild smokiness to it. I believe they make this inhouse as well. The Pate had a strong livery "funkiness"to it, which ranks up there with BaLe on University, but went well in this sandwich. The bread had gotten chewy, and the crust hard by the time I arrived home. Still, we had gotten 3 sandwiches for a tad over $6. A great deal in these cash-strapped times.

A day later, the Missus wanted another Banh Mi Chay, so in addition to the Dac Biet, I got a Trung Lap Xuong (Egg and Lap Cheong – $3.25):

Not much in the egg front, but a lot of sliced sausage. The sweetness of the sausage, along with the pickled vegetables was a nice combination.

And soon enough, it was another day, another Banh Mi Chay for the Missus. This time we decided to have our sandwiches at the restaurant. And we verified that the sandwiches were much, much better eaten ASAP. The bread for each of the sandwiches were a bit different quality wise. The Missus's was a bit more mealy, close to getting stale.

While the bread for the Banh Mi Xiu Mai (meatball – $2.75), was a bit better, it seemed to have some mileage on it.

The ground pork was very rich, almost oily, and combined with the Pate sent the sandwich into pungent overdrive. It was a bit much for the Missus, and was too rich for me. Even the pickled vegetables, which are cut a bit on the thicker side, and tend toward the sour side of the spectrum, didn't cut the richness.

The bread for the Banh Mi Ba Chi (cured pork belly – $2.75), was about as good as it gets in San Diego. Light, and pulling almost to the flaky, instead of overly crusty, this was some good bread. We still miss the airy baguettes we had in Vietnam. For us, they seem more suited to the Banh Mi, than the dense and heavy baguettes we sometimes encounter.

I didn't enjoy the tough and stringy cilantro in this particular sandwich. T LVSandwich14 he pork belly was very mild in flavor, and it was almost all texture. The Missus though the texture was similar to eating raw bacon. And though I really enjoy some versions of this sandwich, I had to agree with Her.

So what's to like at LV? First off, they aren't heavy handed in the use of Mayo and margarine. Second, I like the Thịt Nguội and Cha Lua. Third, when the bread is right…it is right. Fourth, the folks here are really nice. Fifth, the sandwiches have much more flavor than their "Gringo-ized" brethren. Sixth:

Can you really beat buy 2 get one free?? And it's not like Paris Bakery where you have to get all Dac Biet. So check them out………

LV Sandwiches and Restaurant
6925 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Did you think we ate enough Banh Mi????

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