Vietnamese Restaurants – Page 47

Luong Hai Ky Restaurant – Mira Mesa

January 19, 2009 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

As noted in the comments of this post, Luong Hai Ky's second location has finally opened in Mira Mesa. And about a week after their opening I found myself in the area, so I thought I'd check out the home of, ahem, "The Original Chinese Noodles". I'm pretty sure I don't need to elaborate…..

The Owners have done a pretty nice job with the interior…..down to having the now standard plasma televisions mounted on the walls….

I could tell that the level of disorganization was still running pretty high, I was asked for my order three times, by three different Servers. My hot tea didn't arrive until I was almost done with my soup (though this was not as bad as what happened later), and so forth. Being in the midst of a "grand opening" make such problems reasonable……

I stayed with my usual, the Won Ton & Dumpling Egg Noodle Soup ($5.75):

After making a brief stop at another table, the bowl of egg noodle soup arrived. The soup was piping hot, but much like my last visit to the Convoy location, lacked the nice rich flavor that I had encountered on previous visits. I'm guessing this is the standard broth at LHK now…bummer. The won tons were a bit softer than the norm, and the dumplings even better, toothsome, but not hard, and the shrimp flavor came through.

Still, this was enough to warrant another visit, this time with the Missus in tow. On this evening the Missus ordered the Combination Fried Rice ($7.50):

We both thought the shrimp were excellent, the rice had been cooked well, with a nice caramelization. But for some reason, the rice had an overly sweet taste. The Missus had to add fish sauce and soy sauce to balance out the flavor.

I ordered the Combination Crispy Noodle ($7.95):

Not enough sauce…which again ran on the sweet side. This meant instead of the nice combination of crunchy, to chewy, to soft and tender textures, I felt I was eating stuff from a can. The veggies were done perfectly, nice bit of crunch and weren't overcooked, and much like the fried rice, the shrimp was the best thing about the dish. The accompanying soup was fine, if a bit heavy on the sodium.

And than there was the tea…or lack thereof. We ordered hot tea with our meal, which never arrived. We inquired about it when our food arrived, and were assured it was on the way. I figured it was going to be like my previous visit, and end up at the table later on, but it never made it. When our check arrived, I asked what happened to our tea. The Server gave me a puzzled look, looked at the bill (even though it was written in Vietnamese, there were 3 line items). Seeing that they had forgotten the tea, we were told: "that's ok, no charge for tea anyway!" And walked away….. I guess because tea is free it's ok to not serve it when ordered? Having been caught off guard by that answer, we couldn't help but laugh……..

One other thing, it does seem like prices are going up rather quickly. I noticed that both locations of Luong Hai Ky share the same take-out menu. So if this is accurate, I paid $5 for Won Ton and Dumpling Egg Noodle Soup around November 19th, of last year. It's now $5.75, these "Mi Gia" noodle houses are getting out of the zone of cheap eats rather quickly. In the end, even if I don't believe that Luong Hai Ky is "The Original Chinese Noodles", I sure received a pretty original excuse for forgetting part of our order!

Luong Hai Ky Restaurant
10606 Camino Ruiz #2
San Diego, CA 92126

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Road Trip: Pho Thanh Lich – Westminster (OC)

January 6, 2009 mmm-yoso Orange County, Pho, Road Trip, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Pho Thanh Lich in Westminster has closed

I'll be the first to admit that most of my Pho photos look the same. In fact, I've been accused of using a "stunt bowl" on occasion. Let me be very clear…. I have never, and will never use a "Pho double". Hopefully this time you'll know it wasn't just "any" bowl of Pho.

During a recent shopping trip to the "OC", I was in the mood for a bowl of Pho, and decided to stop in Westminster. In retrospect, I should've gotten the blessing of the "Don of Little Saigon", FOY Beach! But this was a last minute decision(and New Year's eve to boot!) on my part, so I'm hoping he'll forgive me. I arrived on Bolsa, the heart of Little Saigon at just about 10am, after seeing the my first option was not yet open, I headed up Brookhurst, and stopped at the corner of Bolsa and Hazard, at Pho Thanh Lich. It's one of a seemingly endless number of Pho shops in the area, and like many of them, shows signs of having a past……the facade indicates perhaps a Pizza joint?

From the fragrance of simmering beef and herbs, to the workers watching a Vietnamese variety show, all things felt right…. as did the requisite slightly sticky tables.

Funny, I took several photos of the interior but the only one that came out was this weird one. It happened when I placed my camera on the table, and accidentally snapped a photo. Go figure; so much for my photographic capabilities.

After several years, and many bowls of Pho in San Diego, I've lowered my expectations with regards to rare beef(Tai). It is usually dry and tough Beef Eye of the Round. I used to get the meat on the side, but to me the difference was minimal and not worth the effort. As they say you "can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear". When ordering Pho at a shop I haven't been to before, I still order the rare steak, but I've set my bar very low. Such is not the case at Pho Thanh Lich. Why?

That my friends is Filet Mignon. For me, you need to order it rare and on the side. The prices here are not bargain basement. The regular bowl, with Filet costs $6. You want the beef on the side, add 50 cents. The young lady who served me was a joy, nervous, and I think new on the job, she led me to my table, and while having some difficulties with my order; she told me, "I so sorry, only Freshman….." Which I took to mean she was new at this….. and any attempts at ordering in butchered Vietnamese would probably only confuse things.

The herbs soon arrived, sparkling fresh. Not the largest portion I've ever had, but very fresh, especially the Ngo Ngai (Culantro, Saw Leaf Herb). Along with soup, it made a nice "family photo":

The broth was interesting, beefy, with a strong ginger/galangal flavor. The broth wasn't the clearest I've had, though not very dark.

Someone once told me this place had very oily broth. I didn't find this to be the case, it seemed to have a decent amount of oil, giving it a nice richness, and I didn't find it to be overly salty(MSG).

I found the noodles to be bit overcooked and mushy. The other cuts of meat, especially the brisket was full of flavor. I had also been told that the brisket and flank here, tastes "offal". All I tasted was a good beefiness.

One more thing; the broth came scortching hot. The better for this:

Very mild in flavor (the brisket will take care of that), but it melted in my mouth.

And a little dessert as well.

Overall, this was an enjoyable bowl. It is not a "meat-fest", but in my opinion does well in the flavor department. The Older Woman manning the register, even smiled at me, and told me "thank you, come again." I think I will. I still have Pho Kimmy in my sights, but did not feel shortchanged by eating here. And you can tell, no "stunt bowl" right?

Pho Thanh Lich
14500 Brookhurst St.
Westminster, CA 92683

Why the regular bowl instead of the large? Well, I wanted to squeeze in one more "snack" before heading home from Orange County.

Our Revised Rotation – What is yours?

December 18, 2008 mmm-yoso Pho, Thai Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

So finally…… I've revised our "Rotation Page". And removed a few places, a few because they've closed down (Sammys and Mo's), and one because, well, we hardly go there anymore (Mama's - which may make a comeback when the weather gets a bit warmer).

In place of those 3, I've added 2.

**** Pho Lucky is under new ownership.

First, folks keep asking about my favorite Pho shop. And my quick response is Pho Lucky.

There are places that have better tendon and places that have better overall meat, and on any given day there are several places that can do a great job. But for my money, I enjoy Pho Lucky. In fact, when FOY (Friend of Yoso) the "CAB" asked about my favorite bowl of Pho, I was quick to recommend Pho Lucky. You can read about her experience in this post.

I also enjoy the Banh Mi Bo Kho(Vietnamese Beef Stew w/Baguette) here as well. But on one recent visit with Cathy and Ed from Yuma, I was less than pleased. So before doing this post, I (well the weather helped me to) decided to have the beef stew again.

On my visit with Ed and Cathy, I found the beef to be tough, and the broth to be lacking in flavor. On this visit, everything was as I remembered. Hopefully, that was just an off day. The bread itself is unremarkable, I'm pretty sure they get it from Le Chef, as I've seen tags from their packages lying around. Still, I enjoy the beef stew here.

So if you hold my feet to the fire, I'd have to recommend:

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

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

And of course, Sab E Lee would have to be added. We've been eating there at least once a week. I still go for most of the larb and salad style dishes. Like the Larb Pet (Duck Larb):

Recently, I got to sample a new addition to the menu Naked Shrimp, served the right way…. that would be raw:

The first time I had this dish with a group of FOYs, I thought it pretty good, but a bit out of balance with regards to the amount of citrus. But a few days ago, I tried it again with Ed from Yuma, and it was very good. Nice heat from the chilies, with the bite of raw garlic, topped off with tangy citrus. Ed compared it to Camarones Aguachile, but with a more interesting and complex flavor. As I mentioned before, for me it's the Issan dishes that shine here, so of course it's a bit humorous to hear folks saying the food here isn't "Northern Thai" because it's not like what they had in Chiang Mai (which is Lanna, not Issan). Issan is Northeastern Thai food..…..

Sab-E-Lee Restaurant
2405 Ulric St
San Diego, CA 92111

So if you're interested, our updated Rotation Page can be found here.

And I'd love to hear what's on your rotation this winter!

Pho La Jolla

December 8, 2008 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

Pho in La Jolla? When I received an email a few weeks back telling me of a Pho Restaurant opening right off of La Jolla Village Drive, that was my initial response. (Thanks Dan!) But after thinking about it, the location, close to many businesses, and the UCSD campus, made perfect sense.

Which led to me check the place out a few weeks back.

You'll quickly recognize the location as being the home of International Market & Grill.

The interior is clean, but they've sure managed to squeeze in a lot of seating in the place.

The prices on the menu pretty much fit the zip code… about $2 more than similar places in other areas.

Not having eaten here before, I went with the Pho Dac Biet (special – $7.50) so I could sample the whole range of meat. It's been my experience that each Pho restaurant will do different things well, so the first visit is exploratory.

The large bowl arrived several minutes later:

Along with a rather sparse amount of "garnishes", after tasting the broth I asked for, and received with no hesitation more basil. Ngo Gai (Culantro) was a "no go" however.

As for the broth, it had decent oil, but was just faintly beefy, and I mean faintly. There was no other flavor to make this broth stand out in any way. Overall, it tasted watery and bland, and reminded me of Pho T Cali, and not in a good way.

The noodles were in the standard clump, and were on the soft and over-cooked side.

The rare steak was dry and hard, the flank was not bad, soft, but lacking flavor, the tendon was good, but scarce, as was the little bit of tripe provided. Much like Phuong Trang, Pho Cali, and the afore mentioned Pho T Cali, this was MOR (middle of the road) Pho.

As you can tell, I was underwhelmed, especially after paying $7.50. This is Pho not to offend. I'm guessing if you are in the area, and are desperate for a bowl, this would be passable. But I'd be wondering why you wouldn't drive a few miles to Mira Mesa. Since this bowl was eaten just 2 weeks after opening, perhaps things will improve over time.

I heard that UCSD students and staff get %10 off with their ID. So perhaps you'll try it out, and let me know what you think.

Pho La Jolla
3211 Holiday Court #102
La Jolla, CA 92037

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It’s all about Mi – Minh Ky, Tan Ky Mi Gia (El Cajon Blvd & Mira Mesa), and Luong Hai Ky on Convoy

November 19, 2008 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

Or so the Missus says…….

Recently, I've been craving Egg Noodle Soup, specifically, the Vietnamese version of this Chinese style noodle soup. After a few bowls, I decided why not do a comparison, much like I've done previously for Pho (quite a while ago) , Banh Mi (a while back as well), and Bun Bo Hue. In addition to being quite satisfying, "Mi" is usually pretty inexpensive. An though many, Pho shops make a pretty good bowl, I decided to stick to the specialists.

For the sake of consistency, I went with the combination Won Ton/Dumpling Egg Noodle Soup across the board. Since I was quite curious about the broth, noodle, and won ton/dumpling, I opted for the "soup separate" option. And even though I realize that on any given day, the soup can vary, I was still surprised at my findings. you'll soon see why. So off we go……

Minh Ky:

I thought Minh Ky was a good place to start, since it was probably the first bo Mi-MinhKy01 wl of egg noodle soup I posted on way back in January of 2006. A bowl of the Won Ton/Dumpling Egg Noodle Soup will now cost you $4.95. Up about 20 cents from 2006.

The noodles arrive seasoned with a smear of Oyster Sauce, and topped with a good amount of sliced cilantro and scallions.

The noodles were as expected, on the chewy side, but pretty bland on its' own.

The soup here surprised me.

I had always been of the opinion that the broth at Minh Ky was on the watery and bland side. Today the broth had a nice flavor. It was the best broth overall. The Won Tons, were the usual hard meatball, but was the best flavored(porky-shrimpy). The dumplings were mediocre; bland and very tough.

Surprisingly, the best overall.

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

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Tan Ky Mi Gia – El Cajon Boulevard:

**** Tan Ky Mi Gia has closed

This was the cheapest of the four at $4.75. The noodles here come drizzled with oyster sauce:

Other than that, this was quite hard, and raw in flavor, and nothing special. Without a doubt it needed soup, but how was the soup?

This soup had the best Char Siu (BBQ Pork), but other than that, this was the worst soup, sorely lacking the previous visits nice broth with a hint of seafood flavor. As before the won tons and dumpling here are hard and fall short on the flavor front. Also, on this visit, many of the wrappers had come off the won tons. Still, it is the most inexpensive.

Tan Ky Mi Gia
5237 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

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Tan Ky Mi Gia – Mira Mesa:

**** Tan Ky Mi Gia has closed

Tan Ky Mi Gia had the most expensive Won Ton/Dumpling Noodle Soup – $5.55.

My previous experiences here have been mixed, but this was to be a very surprising dish as well. First off, the noodles:

The noodles here were the best overall. They were perfectly crunchy/chewy in texture. I believe the noodles were dunked into broth before serving. There was also a pool of sauce, which tasted like a combination of soy and oyster sauce on the bottom of the bowl. After a quick mix I thought the noodles would have been just fine as a stand alone dish.

As for the broth:

I had always had very salty broth here, but again I was surprised. The broth was very mild and lacked "depth". The won tons were rock hard and tough, but the dumplings had a nice amount of shrimp and was pretty good.

The second best overall.

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

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Luong Hai Ky – Convoy:

**** This location of LHK has closed

Which leads us to Luong Hai Ky.

Looking over the menu, I noticed that the Won Ton/Dumpling Egg Noodle Soup was $5… I swear, didn't it used to be $5.50?

The noodles arrived, this seemed to have also been dunked in broth before an oyster sauce based mixture was applied.

I really didn't go for the lettuce tossed in with the noodles, and the hard dried/fried shallots and garlic in the bottom of the bowl would have better served in the broth.

Based on previous experiences, I expected the soup at Luong Hai Ky to be the best overall. And peering into the dark and rich looking broth, things seemed to be going in that direction.

But I was stymied, the broth had a nice rich texture and tongue feel, but lacked the usual flavor, sort of pork-chicken with a hint of seafood. Best dumplings of the bunch, and possibly the second best won tons. Hard and a bit tougher than I enjoy, but with good shrimp-pork flavor. Strange….I expected a bit more.

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

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So there you have it Mi times 4, with lots of surprises for me! Nice midweek snack, eh??? Hmmm, I'm starting to crave Beef Sate Noodle Soup…….

Breakfast in Paris……..Ummm Bakery, that is…..

November 11, 2008 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Vietnamese Restaurants

Didya bite??? Having a topsy-turvy sleeping schedule, also means pretty messed up eating. Wide awake at 430 am, means my stomach is telling me it's time for some food by 5am. For me, there's just so much eggs-sausage-hash browns I can handle, and many recent mornings I found myself craving for some noodle soup, or something similar. So what is there at 5am? Luckily, Paris Bakery opens at 5am, and I could grab a Banh Mi.

In the winter darkness you can smell the fresh baked baguettes from El Cajon Boulevard, and at this hour the bread is always warm. Paris makes the baguettes for many Banh Mi joints in San Diego, so why not go to the source?

I've found that I like the crust to bread ratio of the "long bread", rather than the regular baguettes for sandwiches at Paris Bakery. It does cost a quarter more, but is worth it. On one recent morning I had the Combination – Banh Mi Dac Biet ($3.50):

Sorry about the 5 (am) o'clock "shadow".

There are several slices of "Jamon", ham which looked fatty and dry, but which had some nice flavor. And some very thin slices of Cha Lua – lean(defatted) pork sausage, which was almost an afterthought.. I was impressed at the amount of pickled veggies in the sandwich. There were a few thin slices of jalapeno were very mild. What I didn't care for was the huge amount of mayo on the sandwich.

I didn't recall the sandwiches here having so much mayonnaise on it, and made a mental note to do without in future visits. I also noticed that this style of bread has a tendency to go "mealy" fairly quickly.

That future visit came up quickly…..like 2 days later, as I was again up and wide awake at 430 am, and had eaten a very mediocre, calorie dense, and artery clogging breakfast the previous day(a future post). Based on my previous experience, I decided to go with the Jamon – Pate (Ham and Pate – $3.25).

First off, there was a pretty generous amount of ham in the sandwich, along with a good amount of Ca Rot(pickled carrots and radish), which had a nice mildly sour flavor, and seemed to be a bit sweeter than on previous visits.

I was disappointed in the trace amount of Pate on the sandwich.

The jalapenos were again very mild. But I enjoyed this sandwich much more than the one I had eaten previously.

All in all, Paris makes a pretty good Banh Mi. The bread is pretty crusty, but not as light and flakey as I would like. I wish they made Banh Mi Trung (Egg Banh Mi) which would really hit the spot for breakfast. There are many worse options with regards to Banh Mi, and even more lousy options at 5am than Paris Bakery. Plus, I recently had a pretty good cup of Cafe Den Da (Black Iced Coffee), strong enough to keep me wide awake until the afternoon.

After all, you can do much worse than breakfast in Paris, no???

Paris Bakery
4481 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

A previous really silly post on Paris Bakery can be found here.

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Kien Giang

November 3, 2008 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Kien Giang has closed

OK, I'm still suffering from major jet lag…yesterday, I got up at 4am, did chores, blah, blah, blah…..had an early breakfast/lunch at 10am, and decided to take a "short" nap which didn't quite turn out that way……my watch alarm went off at 330 pm…it was still set for 530 am Lao time. Boy is my butt dragging…..I must be making slug trails all over the house! Well enough about my jet lag. Here's one that's been on the back-burner for a while…..

Kien Giang is a small shop tucked away in the back of the same strip mall on the corner of 54th street and University that houses Vien Dong Market and Van Hoa Vietnamese Restaurant among others. It's easy to miss….

I had made a previous aborted attempt to grab a Banh Mi here about a year ago, but was dissuaded by the somewhat dilapidated shape the shop was in, and the huge swarm of winged beasts who would have devoured my Banh Mi faster than I could. And then there was the story from a good FOY (friend of Yoso) who once bit into her Banh Mi, only to crunch into a staple. Now I believe that women do need more iron in their diet….just not quite in that manner.

And yet, I like to believe that I'm a pretty open-minded individual, and it wo KienGiang03 uldn't be right for me to just write off Kien Giang just because of its appearance. Which of course led me to Kien Giang one cool weekend morning.

I arrived shortly after opening, and the gentleman manning the counter was quite nice. After perusing the menu, I decided to go with the Banh Mi Dac Biet (special – $3) just to get a feel for the style of sandwich the place made.

My sandwich was wrapped, and when opened looked to be in fine shape.

I found the bread to be a bit on the stale and crumbly side. There was good amount of pickled veggies, but the Cha Lua was cut very thin, and the Pate was tasteless. The Jam Bon (ham) was on the dry side, but had good flavor. Overall a very mediocre sandwich……and yet, a few weeks later I decided to return.

And got a Xiu Mai Banh Mi (meatball – $3). Now I don't know why I keep trying Xiu Mai Banh Mi…perhaps it's to find one that I enjoy as the version at Saigon Sandwiches.

This however, was another one of those fish sauce – tomato sauce versions. Not among my favorite things. The bread was again on the dry, slightly aged, side, and this was again a fairly mediocre sandwich. Which had me wondering; with all of the competition in the area, this place has been here for a while. So they must do something right. Can anyone shed some light?

Giang Kien Sandwich & Deli
5296 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

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Clearing Out the Memory Card – Revisits to, Pho King, Sab-E-Lee, Tita’s Kitchenette, Okan, Ba Ren, & one more. Plus some Vien Dong Linda Vista rumors.

October 8, 2008 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Filipino Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, Thai Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

I can't believe how many photos I've stashed away for no good reason. It hardly ever rains here in San Diego, so if I'm saving 'em for a rainy day, these'll never see the light of day. And usually, if I return to a restaurant several times, I pretty much stop taking photos. But these are exceptions, and instead of a rainy day, we'll just have to say I saved these for one, super hot-dry, SoCal day. So hot, to prevent my fingers from melting on my keyboard, I'm going to keep the verbiage to a minimum. So let's see how many different cuisines I can hit in one post.

Pho King:

Yes, it's the Hu Tieu Mi Kho(large – $7.25), from the unfortunately named Pho King.

And even though the ingredients aren't quite the same on each visit, and the pork-soy sauce mixture is a sodium bomb, I like this. Being served "dry", also makes it a pretty good dish for a scalding day.

Just don't eat the Pho'.

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

Speaking of don't eat the Pho, check out what FOY, and one of my favorite bloggers, Jelly, ate….this is what they call Pho in Ulsan. Jenn asked me not to weep, but it's hard not too….

Even more Sab-E-Lee:

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

The Shrimp Larb($6.95):

Man, this was the hottest thing I've had at Sab-E-Lee so far(And I've had more than a few items from the menu)…nearly burned my lips off.

A bit more toward my taste was the Nam Sohd ($6.95):

If you've ever had Nem Chua (Vietnamese fermented sausage), you'd know what the flavor of Nam Sohd was like. It is a fermented sausage, less dense than it's Vietnamese counterpart, lighter, and with whole peppers embedded in the meat. Combined with a slice of raw garlic, some galangal, and maybe a chili or two…it will surely get your attention.

What I found interesting was that this is listed under "Salads" on the menu. What was really good, but I don't have a photo of is the Larb Pet, the grilled duck larb. The Missus scarfed it all up before I had a chance to even catch a whiff of it. She did mention that it was very good, so I'll have to take Her word for it.

Sab-E-Lee Restaurant
2405 Ulric St
San Diego, CA 92111

Tita's Kitchenette:

3 years after my first post on Tita's, and I still ask myself the same question. How can 1 person finish all this?

MG was kind enough to pick up lunch for us, and in addition to the lechon kawale, was nice enough to pick up something "more healthy" (in relative terms) a Tortang Talong, what they call an "eggplant omelette". I wasn't even able to make a dent in this!

Tita's Kitchenette
2720 East Plaza Boulevard
National City, CA 91950

In case you wondering how they make this, you can find a nice YouTube-y thing here.

Wa Dining Okan:

We've dropped by Wa Dining Okan a few times since my last post. And though the Gobo Salad wasn't up to par on our last visit. I really enjoyed the Beef Tataki ($8.25):

Light, tasty, good acid, quite nice.

Wa Dining Okan
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Ba Ren:

**** Ba Ren has closed

What would one of these posts be without Ba Ren. After all these years, still our favorite. If you want to read previous posts, you can find a listing on my rotation page. Not much more to add, just a few photos:

Steamed Pumpkin stuffed with Pork (#129 – $14.99, you need to call one day ahead).

I've had this a few times before, but it was especially good on this visit! This was during dinner with Ed from Yuma & Tina. I'll let Ed comment if he desires.

And of course during other visits; the usual suspects.

Ba Ren
4957 Diane Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

And one more just for the heck of it:

This one is for FOY JeffreyC:

I know how much he enjoys Katsudon. It's a bit too hot for that right now……but this version from Kayaba was passable.

Kayaba
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd Ste 119 – In the Mitsuwa Marketplace
San Diego, CA 92111

I hope you enjoyed, this little collection…..

Recently heard about Vien Dong Market in Linda Vista:

I can't confirm this, but I recently heard from a very good FOY, that the former Owners of this location of Vien Dong has reacquired the lease. This would mean that Vien Dong would reopen after a renovation. Again, this has not been confirmed…so if anyone knows anything…let us know!

Hope you're all having a great week!

Pho HoaCali Express – Mira Mesa

September 29, 2008 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

There are times like this, when my avocation takes a back seat to my vocation. This past few weeks has been a challenge, finding time to eat, much less portioning out part of the day to post, sometimes took a bit of effort. It is during these times that I’m thankful for Cathy’s help! I am doing well, and to quote Ed from Yuma, quoting Samuel Clemens, "the rumors of my demise were greatly exaggerated". I’m still alive and kickin’, if a bit tired.

I don’t have enough fingers, and toes for that matter, for which to count the number of people I know who consider Pho HoaCali the best place in the greater San Diego for Pho. My personal favorite is Lucky Pho which is right across the street, but I wouldn’t fault you for having Pho HoaCali listed as your favorite. My usual time for a visit is before 11am…and sometimes as early as 8 or 9, I love Pho for breakfast! It also helps that at during that time, the packed and crazed little restaurant is a bit more peaceful. It also ensures that I get a great parking space…..I’m sure there are some who have never been able to get within sniffing range of the front and center parking stall!

PHC, has one thing in my opinion that put them head and shoulders above the other Pho shops in the area…..the meat. In this photo "from the vault", of a visit last year, you can see what I mean.

On this visit, I ordered the Dac Biet (special), large bowl, which at that time was somewhere around five and a half bucks. My favorite by far was the brisket and tendon(duh!), both of which shone. The garnishes were of good quality, and the amount adequate.

The noodles had the perfect texture, just right right amount of pull, and not over-cooked as id the case at many other places. What was disappointing, was that the broth lacked a good beef flavor, which was strange because I’ve always thought that the broth at PHC was pretty good and beefy, if a bit lacking in other flavors. It was also much too salty. Hmmm…I decided to give PHC a rest. This visit was not without some "interesting" vignettes however. I saw one customer get up and start berating the Server. Doing my best "fly on the wall" impression, after a few seconds I understood that the customer was angry because he believed that when the Server moved the Pho from the tray to his table, the Server had stuck his thumbs into the soup! I also viewed the phenomenon from which PHC earned the nickname "Hoisin City" from a friend of mine. Folks dumping huge amounts of hoisin and sriracha into the Pho, without nary a taste to see if the broth needed it.

And so I just kinda gave PHC a rest. Until reading about several folks who just raved about the Bun Bo Hue at PHC. Bun Bo Hue happens to be one of my favorite soups, so I just had to check it out. And however misguided or somewhat esoteric it may be, over the last few years, I’ve kinda developed my own "shortlist" of what I look for, or more appropriately sniff, stare, and taste for, in Bun Bo Hue. So here’s how the BBH at PHC (you gotta love the abbrev’s) was for me.

First off, the price (small) $5.65:

The bowl arrived, and it looked downright delicious if a bit short on the "annatto red" that I’m used to. It also lacked any type of serious lemongrass-shrimp paste fragrance. I enjoyed the flavor of the Rau Ram(Vietnamese Coriander), but other than that, this broth really lacked the bright flavor of a good bowl of Bun Bo Hue. First off, the lemongrass and mild ginger flavor was sorely lacking. The broth was also seriously lacking in heat, and had only a very mild hint of the shrimp paste flavor I’ve become familiar with. The broth had a nice amount of oil, which was very noticeable because the bowl was delivered lukewarm. It is important that my BBH…or even Bun Rieu be delivered absolutely tongue scortching hot. Why? It’s because of this:

While the herbs served with Pho are considered "garnishes", I’ve come to understand that the herbs and vegetables served with Bun Bo Hue and Bun Rieu are treated more like vegetables, and are an integral part of the dish. It is also important that the broth be served hot, so that the vegetables, in this case only shredded cabbage(?), will soften a bit.

The noodles were okay, if a bit too soft. If there was one redeeming feature of this Bun Bo Hue, it would be the meat, all of which was top notch. I did lament the lack of Cha Lua(steamed defatted pork sausage) in this bowl, but not for very long, as the excellent tendon (just as good as Pho Ca Dao on ECB) soon diverted my attention.

All things considered, this bowl lacked the soul of a bowl of Bun Bo Hue. And after eating it, I can understand how misguided individuals can call Bun Bo Hue, "spicy Pho"(please forgive me Wandering Chopsticks). That’s basically what it tasted like.

I really didn’t want to do a post at a place where I’ve enjoyed a good many bowls of Pho over the years, and end things this way. So recently, before things got too crazy, I went for another bowl of breakfast Pho. With the various combinations of meats available on the typical sizeable Pho menu, you’d think I’d be able to get my "dream combination" – brisket, flank, and tendon. But alas, it isn’t available on the menu(though I’m sure that I’d be able to request it), so decided to order the #7, rare steak, flank, tendon, and tripe ($5.65).

What came my way was a steaming hot large bowl (and I was only charged for a regular). The garnishes were again of good quality, if a bit sparse. On this day the broth was as I remembered, mildly beefy and light. The meat was good as it always is, and the noodles perfect. It was a good bowl of Pho……..

I’ve found the service at Pho HoaCali to be efficient. It may be because I usually eat there in the mornings, but I’ve never had the "menu dealt out, and the Server standing over you with the ordering pad" thing done here. The Guy who mans the register has alway been nice and friendly, and I’ll gladly go back for some Pho…no Bun Bo Hue for me though.

Pho Hoacali Express
9170 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Road Trip: Beach’s Big Little Saigon Food Tour Part 2

September 20, 2008 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Bun Bo Hue, Orange County, Road Trip, Vietnamese Restaurants

After making 5 stops on Beach’s whirlwind tour of Little Saigon, Beach turned to me and said, "ok, Kirk, let’s get some real food now…."

5 – Cho Cu Bakery:

Beach had remembered that I had become fond of the "bread" in Vietnam. It was light, very flaky (vs crusty), and had a nice yeasty flavor. So our next stop was Cho Cu Bakery, which is located in yet another strip mall in Westminster.

I purchased a baguette ($1), and a Banh Mi Bi for the Missus. Even though the Banh Mi Bi sat in a car for 4 hours or so, it held up well. The Missus really enjoyed the Bi.

The bread, is light, and fairly flaky. A bit more substantial than baguettes we had in Hanoi, but it was the closest I’ve had since we returned. I used half of the baguette for Banh Mi Cha Com, and the rest became breakfast. A simple baguette with smiling cow cheese brought back memories of breakfast in Sapa.

Have you ever noticed that the worse the parking lot, the better the food????

Cho Cu Bakery
14520 Magnolia St
Westminster, CA 92683

6 – Quan Vy Da:

With Beach skillfull dodging of flying autos, we managed to extricate ourselves from from Cho Cu’s parking lot. Beach turned to me and said, "let’s eat lunch!" Beach decided to randomly check out a restaurant, and knowing my affinity for Bun Bo Hue, we made a lunch stop at Quan Vy Da.

Of course we both got Bun Bo Hue:

I thought the meat provided was the best I’ve had in a traditional (non-Pho shop) Bun Bo Hue. Soft, tender, and full of flavor. The noodles were cooked perfectly, not overcooked like many places tend to do. The soup was topped with Rau Ram(Vietnamese Coriander) in addition to the cilantro. The plate of herbs provided was adequate, and included thinly sliced banana blossom. I thought the soup could have been hotter, as I believe that the "garnishes" should be softened by the broth to add more flavor. The broth had a decent lemongrass flavor, but the heat was truly lacking. Both Beach and I noted how mild the broth was. Overall, this was pretty good.

The Banh Beo, those little discs of steamed rice flour, were the best I’ve had.

Wonderfully pliable, moist, with a mild chew, these were great. The ground shrimp topping these wonderful little discs added texture and saltiness. The overall effect was a fantastic savory, with just a hint of sweetness in the background. A splash of fish sauce topped everything off with a touch of umami.

This was a wonderful way to end this road trip for me.

Quan Vy Da
9950 Bolsa Avenue
Westminster, CA 92683

Driving home to San Diego, with my back seats full of my bounty, I could only marvel at how blessed I’ve been. Food Blogging sometimes has its down days, but there have always been more "ups". Without doing this food blogging thing, I would have been deprived of knowing so many wonderful and generous folks. Like Beach…..

Thanks again for your warm and generous heart Beach!