Vietnamese Restaurants – Page 50

Road Trip: Binh Dan Restaurant – Westminster(OC)

February 10, 2008 mmm-yoso Orange County, Road Trip, Vietnamese Restaurants

Since starting this blogging thing, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting meeting so many wonderful individuals. The larger than life person we know as "Beach", dubbed the "Don of Little Saigon" by the OC Foodbloggers, that esteemed group that includes, Elmomonster, ChristianZ, and the one and only ChubbyPanda, is one of those individuals. I’ve been the recipient of Beach’s generosity before, as documented in detail by CP. Beach has been helping the Missus and I with a current project, and on this day, I needed to drop by Beach’s, so I made my way up to OC. Beach in his usual generous way, made time for even though it was Tet Weekend. Imagine my joy, when we had completed what we needed to, and Beach said, "okay, what for lunch?" I proceeded to walk(sprint actually) to my car, and bring out my wad of crumpled post-it notes that listed various restaurants in the OC that I was interested in trying. Taking off toward Westminster, I started reading off my almost indecipherable scribbling. Driving on Bolsa, I was amazed at Beach’s encyclopedic knowledge of every restaurant, no matter what size, and an intimate knowledge of the various specialties….. We had decided on Pho Tau Bay, but when we arrived, we found them closed until February 15th. Next on the list was Binh Dan Restaurant…and wouldn’t you know that Beach is a "regular" there! Beach turned to me, and said, "are you sure, this is a real hole-in-the-wall, and they serve what we call beer food?" That sounded perfect to me.

Yes indeed, with the 4 or so thrift shop dining sets…this was indeed a hole-in-the-wall. It looked like the kitchen area took up more than half the restaurant. All of the fragrances from the kitchen seemed to make its way into the dining area…on second thought, maybe that’s by design…..

The menu was perfect…..I barely knew anything on it! I could make out a few words here and there("nuong", "bo"), and I’ve had a few items before("gia cay heo", "bo luc loc") but that was about it. Luckily, I had the perfect guide in Beach. After discussing the menu we placed our order, and soon enough a plate of very fresh herbs arrived:

Along with a plate of lime slices and chilies, and 2 small bowls of very pungent Mam Nem, fermented fish sauce. This is powerful, and tasty stuff.

I watched and mimicked Beach’s technique for incorporating the chilies into the Mam Nem….this added a nice bit of heat to the salty and slightly sweet flavor.

Soon enough a plate of Toasted Sesame Crackers made its way to the table:

The reason that I had Binh Dan on my list was that the specialty of house is goat(De). And if you know me, you know I love goat! Soon enough, the first course arrived, De Nuong:

This was marinated and grilled goat, slightly tender, with decent flavor. The drill was place some herbs in the bowl, dip the meat into the Mam Nem, and eat with herbs and crackers.

Beach had told me, that because the Owner’s Father owns a Goat Farm in Riverside County, the goat is fresh, and also the staff of Binh Dan really knows how to prepare goat, removing the smell. I found this to be very mild in flavor. If I gave it to a person who had never had goat, they’d have no problem believing this was beef.

The next dish, De Nuong La Lot Mo Chai, arrived soon thereafter.

Oh my….talk about delici-yoso!!! These were basically minced goat meat, and seasonings, wrapped in Caul Fat…grilled and ooozing with juice and fat! Eaten alone, it was very rich…but wrapped in a few basil leaves, and dipped into the Mam Nem…….oh my(again)! I think in this case, the photos say it all.

The next dish up was the De Xao Lan:

Along with the De Nuong La Lot Mo Chai, this was on all the other tables, and Beach told me that most of the people queuing up waiting for take-out had ordered this as well. This was a stir-fry, using the tougher cuts of goat, along with the skin. Flavored by a mild curry, and Ngo Om (Rice Paddy Herb), which had a mild citrusy tumeric-cumin taste, this was excellent. The onion and bell peppers added a touch of savory sweetness to the dish.

Wouldn’t you know, that about this time a group of men that Beach knew arrived…… Beach had been thinking of another dish, and asked his friend about the Ve De Nuong, but the friend said not to bother….so no Grilled Goat Nipples for us! Instead, Beach ordered Oc Noi Hap La Chuoi:

The best I can describe these is a snail-pork-cloud ear fungus dumpling filling, wrapped with a banana leaf, and steamed. Dipped into some Nuoc Mam Cham, these were mildly sweet and earthy. There was a combination of chewy textures that was not unpleasant. Nice dish!

As we were eating, Beach, always on top of things, made sure to order a few items "to go" for the Missus. soon enough we were finished, so satisfied, and happy. Next time perhaps I’ll try the De 7 Mon….seven course of Goat, though I don’t know if I’m up for Goat Blood.

As I went on my way……Beach said to me; "next time Kirk, we’ll go to the place that makes all the good Rabbit dishes!" I can’t wait!

Binh Dan Restaurant
10040 McFadden Ave
Westminster, CA 92683

As always, thanks for being such a generous guide and host Beach!

San Diego Tet Festival 2008

February 8, 2008 mmm-yoso Festivals & Events, Vietnamese Restaurants

This year, the San Diego Tet Festival has a new venue. Instead of Qualcomm Stadium Parking Lot, the festival is being held at Balboa Park. Just like last year, I decided to attend early on opening day, which will allow readers to check it out if they so desire, and not make me feel so bad about posting about a festival after it has ended.

The change in location is interesting in a couple of ways. The grassy setting makes for a more laid back vibe, and the "cultural village" looks much better on grass than on asphalt.

Phuc Duyen Pagoda:

On the flip side; because of space limitations, some areas, like the rides looked really "squeezed in".

As always various vendors, businesses, and community organizations were represented.

Of course, you’re wondering about the food, right?

It seems that the laid back attitude had spilled over to some of the food booths. Last year, I arrived right after opening, and all the booths were manned and ready. This year, most of the booths weren’t ready when I arrived at about 5pm:

This booth still wasn’t open when I left at about 6pm. Too bad…..

I was looking for my "meat on a stick" fix…..

So I just moved on down a few booths to get my fix:

mmmmm..meat on a stick, it just wouldn’t be a festival without it!

When I saw the sign for Banh Kot, I just had to check it out:

I couldn’t wait to get ahold of one of those little pancakes/crepes. But as my luck would have it, just as I got to the window, the booth lost power…so no Banh Khot for me! Bummer……

Moving further down the line, was this booth with no sign:

As I peered through the screen, I could see lot’s of goodies. So I ended up making most of my purchases here. Arms loaded down, I walked toward the eating area, carefully balancing all my food.

Funny thing about these festivals…you never know who you’ll run in to. I first ran into Ellen, aka Mizducky, as I was finishing my meat on a stick….we had a nice chat, and caught up a bit. A while later, as I was giving the food booths one last pass, who in the world do I run into, but Candice Woo! After a quick go round, we found Ellen, and sat down and had a nice chat. For some reason, this just seem to make this festival that much better…..munching on food and "talking story" with two of my favorite people!

Back to the food….it is festival food, and YMMV. But for me and the Missus (and I think Candice and Ellen will agree), the Nem Chua was a winner:

Sour, tangy, and salty…this package of pork sausage "patties" was worth the $5. Chewy, but not tough, and with nice bits of pork skin……the Missus is munching on another as I type up this post. Of course if Vietnamese/Asian food is not your "thing". There is the ubiquitous Kettle Corn booth, Hot Dogs, Cotton Candy…though I don’t recall seeing a funnel cake booth, but I’m sure it’s hiding out the somewhere.

Some observations: There are decidedly less food vendors than last year, and probably fewer booths as well. This doesn’t mean that you won’t find some good eats. The admission is the same as last year – $5 for adults, $4 for children. I had no problem finding parking, but I’m thinking parking may be more difficult over the weekend. I’m also thinking that the smaller venue, may mean things get kinda cramped, but hopefully I’m wrong.

San Diego Tet Festival
Balboa Park

Friday, Feb. 8th: 4pm-10pm
Saturday, Feb. 9th: 10am-10pm
Sunday, Feb.10th: 10am-8pm

Admission – $5 Adults, $4 Children

“Wrapping up” more obsessions – Convoy Noodle House and Pho King

February 5, 2008 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

Banh Hoi Anyone?

I’ve kinda grown attached to Banh Hoi….thin rice vermicelli noodles that are served in little “cakes”. The version that we enjoy the most at Convoy Noodle House comes topped with Char-broiled Pork($7.95):

The pork is nicely marinated, and caramelized, if a bit on the tough side. These are served with sheets of rice paper(Banh Trang) and vegetables. This is basically a “make your own” spring roll dish. And even though we usually make a mess, the combination of the salty-sweet pork, the slightly elastic noodles, and fresh herbs, dipped into some Nuoc Mam Cham, makes for a nice refreshing dish.

**** Convoy Noodle House has closed

Convoy Noodle House
4647 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Wrapping up the Missus’s (other) latest obsession…..

Over the last 2 weeks, the Missus has broken away from what She usually orders at the unfortunately named Pho King, and has been obsessed with the Banh Trang dishes there, sometimes getting 2 orders at a time!

The Thit Nuong Banh Trang(grilled pork with rice paper – $7.95):

This is the same char grilled pork that comes with the rice dish the Missus enjoys. Served on a bed of Bun(rice vermicelli) this wonderfully flavored pork is a bit too tough for the Banh Trang.

The Chao Tom Banh Trang(sugar cane shrimp with rice paper – $8.95):

Much too bland for Banh Trang….

Even though no one would ever mistake the Missus for Goldilocks(and I wouldn’t even want to try!) to quote Her; “this pork is too tough, this sugar shrimp is too bland…but this grilled beef was just right!” The tone of that statement sounds vaguely familiar doesn’t it? The Bo Nuong Banh Trang(grilled beef with rice paper – $7.95):

Nice and tender thin slices of grilled beef, flavored with soy and fish sauce, with just the right amount of sweetness. The beef was placed on a bed of Bun, which soaked up the marinade. The savory, slightly sweet fried shallots added a nice crunch and flavor. Of course all of these dishes came with rice paper, and a plate of vegetables, herbs, pickles(love the pickled onions), and the requisite Nuoc Mam Cham dipping sauce.

A quick dip in the bowl of warm water, a little bit of this, and a little bit of that…..and a quick roll, and you’ve got a symphony of flavors and textures. No photos of any that I made. I still make the ugliest spring rolls in SoCal. The Missus, after several visits where she created “rice paper burritos” that would put La Posta to shame, has finally got the knack…….

Just in time for Her next Obsession!!!

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

Bolsa Vietnamese Restaurant

January 24, 2008 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

**** After many years Bolsa has closed

All these photos……sheesh…… After looking through them, and realizing that many had been languishing for months, I thought that I'd better get my act together and post now, or not at all. Bolsa had been recommended to me several times by various people, so I thought I'd better give it a try. Located in a strip mall(what else) on Mira Mesa Boulevard, Bolsa has been around for quite a few years.

The menu at Bolsa is quite large……120+ items! Talk about Vietnamese menu overload! At least the folks here have always been pretty nice to us, and it's not the "dump the menu on the table, and stand right in front of you with pencil at the ready" type of place. The menu has everything from Banh Xeo(Vietnamese Crepe) to Rice Dishes(Com Dia) to Porridge (Chao) to Egg Noodle(Mi) dishes. And of course there Pho' which I had on one of my visits, (Pho Bo Dac Biet – the special, $5.95):

The garnishes were very fresh, but on the skimpy side.

One person I know describes this Pho as "fresh", in fact I've heard many people describe their Pho of choice as being fresh…sorry, but if you want your Pho really fresh, drop some beef bones into water, and go at it. I'll take mine simmered for hours. This broth was light, low oil, and pretty middle of the road as flavor goes….nothing really stood out. What did stand out was the amount of meat I was given:

By far the most meat I've ever had in a bowl of Pho. The rare steak was okay, and not too tough, the best by far was the brisket, which was moist, tender, and had decent beef flavor.

One this visit, the "appetizer sin" occurred…that is, my Pho arrived before the Goi Cuon(spring rolls – $3.75) arrived:

Which I thought was odd, since the wrappers were on the dry and tough side. No wonder they provide a serrated knife. Other than wrappers, this was fine, decent amount of herbs in addition to the standard lettuce, and the Bi(pork skin) had nice flavor.

On another occasion I tried the Bun Thit Nuong, the Cold Vermicelli with Grilled Pork($5.95):

The char grilled pork looked lovely, the flavor wasn't bad, a mild sweet-salty, it was tough as heck though. I enjoyed the addition of Bi(pork skin), in the bowl, especially since it wasn't listed as part of the dish on the menu. As a whole a decent amount of food, fairly refreshing, and nothing to really complain about.

On a recent visit, the Missus was driven to analysis paralysis by all the items on the menu, so She asked the Owner what to order. She recommended the Pho Ga (Chicken rice noodle soup – $6.25), telling us "everybody come here to eat my chicken soup":

This time they were generous with the garnishes…I guess they liked the Missus!

The soup was nothing special, lots of onion flavor, but the Missus said, "you can do way better at home…." There was a good amount of chicken, all white meat, very moist, very tender, though quite bland.

I decided to just order the Bun Cha Hanoi($6.95):

Our wonderful experiences with Bun Cha Hanoi has been covered before both here and on other food blogs. And things did look right, lots of veggies, grilled meatballs, grilled pork, bun, and so forth.

But the devil was in the details…the bun was too soft and mushy, the meatballs too lean, and not well marinated, the nuoc mam cham too mild for my taste. The grilled pork was exactly the same as what was on the Bun dish I had on a previous visit, and though really chewy, tasted fine…I had a feeling that those meatballs pulled at least "double duty" and was used for other dishes as well.

The Missus thought it was pretty good, I thought it to be mediocre…..but I had expected mediocre so you could say I wasn't disappointed. It did fill me up, but didn't do much for my Bun Cha Hanoi craving.

You could spend a few months working through the menu at Bolsa, and you may find a few gems….if you do, let me know!

Bolsa Vietnamese Restaurant
9225 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Open 9am – 9pm Daily

Nha Trang Vietnamese Food

January 21, 2008 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Nha Trang has closed.

On a recent trip to Asia Cafe I noticed that a Vietnamese Restaurant had opened up in the strip mall across the street. I don’t think there are too many Vietnamese Restaurants in the area, so I decided to check it out.

The name of the restaurant is Nha Trang, and is located between a donut shop and Mexican Bakery. The interior had obviously been recently "freshened up", and though the furniture seemed a bit on the crowded side, the restaurant was nice and clean.

The menu is small, and consists of mainly Pho Bo(beef) and Pho Ga(chicken). The gentleman running the place dropped off a menu, basically a two page laminated sheet, and I placed my order.

I started with Goi Cuon(spring rolls – $3):

This version came with a little dish of Nuoc Mam Cham, which was nicely spiced, if a bit on the sweet side. The ingredients of the spring roll was very fresh, and you could tell it was rolled when ordered. I thought the spring roll was short on herbs, and was almost all lettuce and bun(rice vermicelli), making it rather "blah". It was also rolled too loosely.

As is my habit when trying Pho for the first time at any restaurant, I ordered the Dac Biet (special – large $5.25). Based on the Goi Cuon, I was ready to be underwhelmed. And when the bowl arrived I was not dissuaded in the least bit:

My initial reaction was that this bowl was on the small side, and the broth looked very light and low in oil. The very skimpy amount and variety of garnishes was also uninspiring.

But as I dug into the bowl I noticed something….though the broth was not especially "rich" it was also not heavily salted, and I could taste a hint of a pleasant sweetness. The noodles were perfect, and though in a clump, the texture was great, a bit of pull, and not mushy. The meat, other than the tough and rubbery meatballs, was excellent….the slices of rare steak were soft and tender, same with the mildly beefy fatty flank. The two tiny strips of tendon was soft and buttery, I only wished that there was more of it.

I managed to speak to the Owner, who is very nice and pleasant. He and his wife used to run the Chinese Fast Food restaurant at this location, but decided to go back to their Vietnamese roots. He also told me that they take pleasure in serving fresher foods, and were planning to expand their menu. Since they had only been open for 2 weeks at the time of this visit, I’m sure they are still straightening things out. I just may check them out again in the future.

Nha Trang Vietnamese Food
4676 Market St
San Diego, CA 92102

A bunch of revisits… A Chau, Latin Chef, and Kayaba

December 21, 2007 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Japanese Restaurants, Peruvian Restaurants, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

I'm pretty sure many are(ahem, yours truly included) feeling the "Christmas Crunch" right about now. Of course there are those you, the uber-organized, who have this Christmas shopping thing down pat…..you know who you are, smug and relaxed during the Holidays, your Christmas blitz starts on December 28th….no never the 26th or 27th, on those days, the mall is crawling with unhappy campers returning unwanted gifts. But on the 28th, when all us shoppers are lying in exhaustion…tongues lolling from our gasping, foaming mouths, you're ready to gear up for NEXT CHRISTMAS! And you're usually done by the end of February, except for a few items, cherry-picked during the year. I salute you, super-shopper, well, it's a double salute of sorts, my right hand held flat and brought to my brow in respect, the other hand is raised…well, better to not go there.

Because of the time crunch, I find myself revisiting a bunch of places this time of year…here are a few:

A Chau

I haven't been to A Chau in a bit, and though I'm fully aware of the spiraling price increases of Banh Mi, it was still a shock when I paid $3 for my sandwich. I had ordered a simple BBQ Pork Banh Mi, but got this:

It was a meatball (Xiu Mai) Banh Mi, which would have been fine, except this was the type that uses a weak tomato sauce, that when combined with pickled vegetables, and fish sauce, is not a flavor that I'm fond of. The bread at A Chau remains the same as always, more on the doughy-chewy side, than the crusty baguette.

Still, I was, and am always pleased with the Cha Gio at A Chau. Made with rice paper, always crisp, and quite filling. The egg rolls are still 3 for a buck.

A Chau
4644 El Cajon Blvd Ste 111
San Diego, CA 92115

Latin Chef

Ed from Yuma rolled into town for a few days this week, and we managed to grab a few meals, one of which was at Latin Chef. It was nice to see Freddy, the Owner of Latin Chef, it was also nice to see that business has been good, and Latin Chef has been able to expand into the space next door. Still, even though the restaurant has doubled in size, it is still quite small.

Ed had the Cebiche, and I started with the Tiradito.

I found todays version to be really, really good, mildy tart and creamy, with some nice heat provided by the Aji Amarillo peppers. Freddy told me the spice was supplemented and raised with the help of ginger.

We also shared some Anticuchos:

And though this is a bit different from the grilled versions we got from street vendors in Cusco, it is still very good, with the flavor of cumin coming on strong. In fact, if you didn't know what it was……..you'd be hard pressed to guess.

Latin Chef
1142 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109

Kayaba

**** Kayaba has closed

During one of my shopping "blitzes", I was able to rest my weary butt at Kayaba. Desiring rice and something fried, I decided to order the Tonkatsu($7.50). In fact, I decided to retry the "Rosu" (pork loin) that I found to be very tough and dry on one of my previous visits.

And to my surprise it was nice and tender, if a bit on the dry side. And combined with a nice dose of tonaktsu sauce, the nice oniony potato salad, and rice, made for a rather nice meal.

Too bad the miso soup here is still terrible.

Kayaba
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd Ste 119
San Diego, CA 92111

Okay…back to shopping!!!!

Van Hoa Vietnamese Restaurant Part 2

December 6, 2007 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Pho, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Van Hoa has closed

I hadn't had much more than the breakfast Banh Mi at Van Hoa for the longest time, but recently, I was able to grab a couple more sandwiches from Van Hoa. And what's more fun is I now have a fellow Banh Mi lover in the office. Mr 'B', originally from Jersey, first had Banh Mi a few months ago when I made a short drive to Saigon Sandwiches & Deli. Since that time Mr B has become quite the connoisseur…with observations like, "man, it's about the ratio of bread to fillings, right?" and "it needs to be nice and toasted, it ain't nothin' without the bread done right…" Though he is often the unwitting victim of hot pepper roulette, he remains undeterred…. I gotta give him some props. Mr B has also allowed me to purchase 3 Banh Mi at a time, which I split between us, so now I get to sample a wider range of sandwiches. Lucky me…….

So here are a few more sandwiches from Van Hoa, starting with the BBQ Pork($2.75):

The pork was nicely marinated with good flavor, though on the tough side. The bread was nicely toasted, and crusty. There was a nice amount of pickles, which a bit on the mild side. I don't care for overly stringy cilantro stems….it's just a pet peeve of mine, I'd rather use dental floss, thank you very much….. Not a bad sandwich…even with the recent price increase from $2.25 to the now unheard of price of (gasp!)$2.75.

The Banh Mi Xiu Mai(Meatball – $2.75):

This was the standard issue meatball Banh Mi. And it was fine, except for one thing, the fishy tomato sauce that is used for the meatball really doesn't do anything for this sandwich. When I recently mentioned the addition of tomato sauce to the Miu Mai Banh Mi to FOY Beach, he wrinkled up his face in disapproval. I wrinkled up my face too, the flavor was like a tomato fish sauce, with sour tones from the pickles thrown in.

As is my general rule, I'll usually try the Dac Biet(special – $3.50) whenever I have a chance. Just to see what a particular restaurant has to offer.

As with most versions of Banh Mi Dac Biet, this one had Cha Lua(lean pork sausage), which in this case had some flavor, and the Thit Nguoi in this case was more like BBQ pork belly, and had a nice porky-sweet flavor. Mr B didn't even mind the smear of pate, which was rich, but mild. And even though I saw mayo being smeared on the sandwich, it was done with a light touch, and didn't over power all the other ingredients. While eating, I heard Mr B exclaim, "Holy…….." (fill in the blanks), sounds like he's discovered another hot pepper land mine! he-he-he…..

Recently, we've been having Pho weather…..cool , with some precipitation. So I dropped by Van Hoa with Pho on my mind. As I was seated in the rear dining area, I realized I had never seen this part of the restaurant. It is pretty clean, compared to the rest of the strip mall.

Can you guess what I ordered? I'm sure I'm really predictable…..if I've never had the Pho at a particular restaurant before, I'll get the Dac Biet(special), just to see which cuts of meat they do best. In this case it was the Extra Large Bowl($5.25)

This was indeed an extra large bowl….probably the most broth I've ever had. The broth itself was low oil, and on the salty side, pretty generic as a whole. The herbs provided were very fresh, and sufficient in quantity. The Ngo Gai(saw leaf herb) was really fresh, and added a nice peppery flavor to the Pho. The noodles was the usual clump in the bottom of the bowl.

As for the meats, the rare steak was tough and dry, even when served on the side. The tripe had a soapy flavor, and the tendon was hard and crunchy. The winner here was the brisket, soft and moist, with a mild beefy punch.

The folks at Van Hoa are very low-key, and once they recognize you, very nice. The menu is comprised of the standard Com Tam, Bun, and such. The parking lot can be an adventure….

I'm kinda craving an scrambled egg banh mi right now…….

Van Hoa Vietnamese Restaurant
4016 54th Street
San Diego, CA

Van Hoa Vietnamese Restaurant Part 1

November 6, 2007 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Van Hoa has closed

Were you the same kind of kid I was? My Mom would have fits trying to wake me on most school mornings. I should have trademarked the phrase "just 5 more minutes" since I used it so much…..our alarm clocks didn't have "snooze buttons" in those days, otherwise I'd have worn that out. Once up, I'd dilly-dally, even volunteering to do chores (gasp), in order to avoid school. Finally, worn down by the irresistible force that most Mothers are, I'd be on my way. Lucky for me, I lived only a half-block from my Elementary school….

Unfortunately, there's still some residual "dilly dailiness" left in me. Some mornings, I'll be up very early, but am not very motivated at the prospect of work. I'm trudging around, trying not to wake the Missus up, wondering how I can justify taking my own sweet time (make te-de te-de…). Reluctantly dragging my procrastinating self out of the house and to the car, I eventually find myself on the freeway. But wait, I don't need the freeway to get to work! Taken over by some other-worldly force, I get out on El Cajon Boulevard, and end up at a destination like Van Hoa Restaurant.

There are a few Vietnamese restaurants like Van Hoa, which resides in the shopping complex on the corner of 54th and University, that open early…I mean early, as in 6am early. At 630 am the sometimes psychotic parking lot of the shopping center(which houses a location of Vien Dong Market) is empty, and you need not worry about having to park next to the last demolition derby Ford Fairmont in existence in North America. At 635 in the morning, I'm not sure you can get Pho at Van Hoa, but as you enter the restaurant, everyone is hard at work, making Goi Cuon(Spring Rolls) and various packaged snacks that you see at places like 99 Ranch Market. There are sacks labeled with "La Chef Bakery" lining the tables, and I place my order for the Egg McMuffin of the Banh Mi world, the Banh Mi Trung(scrambled egg banh mi – $2.75):

For some reason the bread feels more crusty in the morning, and the scrambled egg is lightly doused with a soy sauce concoction, that is both salty and sweet. I readily admit, that for some, the combination of pickled veggies, cilantro, and scrambled egg is a bit odd, but I enjoy it. I sometimes just have the sandwich in the car, at the risk of strewing crumbs everywhere…..

But there is one thing that never changes, sustenance puts me in a much better mood, and the world is a much nicer place. I also feel guilty for not being fired up for work after watching everyone in the restaurant working so hard. Maybe I'll be able to face the world today…………

A word of caution; like all other versions of Banh Mi, this one has Jalapenos, so if you do not tolerate hot peppers for breakfast, or not at all, please proceed at a careful cadence.

Van Hoa Vietnamese Restaurant
4016 54th Street
San Diego, CA

Open at 6am Mon-Sat
Open at 7am on Sundays

In part 2, we'll check out the Pho at Van Hoa, along with several of the other Banh Mi.

Saigon Sandwiches & Deli

September 10, 2007 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

Not to be confused with Saigon Restaurant, this little Snack Shop-Convenience Store-Sandwich Shop resides in the same strip mall as Cam Ky, and right next to, of all things Cafe Dore(which I need to update). So you have two shops serving Banh Mi, right next to each other….and both shops do a pretty brisk business.

This little shop also stocks various Vietnamese snack items, serves Boba and other drinks…and from what I noticed does a good business in Vietnamese Phone Cards and Vietnamese Cigarettes. Who needs 7-11????

A little old lady occupies the area behind the cash register, taking orders, and ringing up purchases. One dozen variations of Banh Mi are offered, any one of which would be a nice remedy for the heat.

On this day I ordered the Banh Mi Dac Biet($3.25):

Thin slices of Lean Pork Sausage and Vietnamese Ham on a medium sized (7-8") baguette. I thought the ratio of meats to pickled vegetables, cucumber, etc, was very good. The baguette had a nice bit of "crackle" but was a tad too doughy. Some richness was provided by the nice "smear" of Pate, which when I tasted had a very pronounced cinnamon flavor. The sliced jalapenos weren’t as searingly hot as what I’m used too. Even the cilantro consisted of more leaves than tough sinewy stems. This was pretty good.

The Banh Mi Thit Nuong (BBQ Pork – $2.75):

As with the Banh Mi Dac Biet, the ratio of ingredients was good. But the BBQ Pork, though very nicely caramelized, really fell short in flavor. Very bland.

Did you notice these sandwiches are nearly sliced in half? You can halve the sandwich with little effort. This gave me an idea….

One of the Guys in the office had never had Banh Mi, so one day, I asked him if he’d like to try some of these sandwiches. Which meant that I could purchase several different sandwiches, and half them with him. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?

The Banh Mi Xiu Mai (Meatball – $2.75):

This Banh Mi featured chopped, moist, "porky" meatballs. The crust of the bread was nice and crusty, if a bit on the dry side. I noticed that the Jalapenos in this bunch of Banh Mi were on the mild side as well.

Banh Mi Ba Chi (Pork Belly aka Vietnamese Bacon – $2.75):

Thin slices of roasted pork belly made this a a slightly chewy sandwich. I didn’t think that there was enough pork belly, the overall flavor was on the mild side.

Banh Mi Cha Lua (Lean Pork Sausage – $2.75):

I described this as being sort of like Bologna to my eating companion….he really didn’t care much for it. I think it was more of a texture thing. I thought the portion size of the sausage was too small to really make much of an impact on the sandwich. This was the one sandwich where the flavor of black pepper and mayo came through. Not bad, but I’ve had better.

I think the sandwiches at Saigon Sandwiches and Deli are pretty good. The bread is always crusty, and they are generous with their pickled vegetables. The prices seem high, but I’ve noticed that the prices for Banh Mi are rising in the area (A Chau’s Banh Mi now top $3). The Little old Lady gets more friendly as she gets to know you. On my last visit, as I was waiting for my order she handed me the shop’s business card, and told me, "next time call ahead, and you won’t have to wait". I’ve also noticed that the shop has a table right outside that is always full of people drinking coffee and other drinks having a good time. so next time you need some Vietnamese Phone Cards….or maybe some Vietnamese Cigarettes, give Saigon Sandwiches and Deli a try.

Saigon Sandwiches & Deli
4133 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Open Tues-Sun 7am – 5pm

Cam Ky Chinese BBQ

September 4, 2007 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Cam Ky has closed

On a recent Monday, in the mood for Banh Mi. I took a quick drive to the strip mall on the corner of Marlborough and University, the taste of Banh Mi on my lips…..only to find the place closed. And though Cafe Dore sounded good, I decided to try something new. The little Chinese BBQ restaurant in the mall, Cam Ky.

Check out "little neon piggy" sign, can you guess what Cam Ky does? The little restaurant has about nine tables, a Chinese BBQ counter, and that's about it.

I had a seat, and was given a menu by the serious and quiet lady. The menu wasn't very large, but I saw something that I wanted to try…..

In spite of the heat, I ordered the Goat Egg Noodle Soup($6.50):

A medium sized bowl of dark soup arrived in a few minutes, topped with some crisp fried Yuba, imitating fried goat skin, a nice touch. There was a large portion of stewed goat meat, which was very tender, if a bit short on flavor. Though the soup looked dark and rich, it was thin and also on the very mild side, with just the ever-so-mild essence of 5 spice. The egg noodles were still crunchy, and the addition of watercress gave the soup some life. Overall, this was not bad considering the generous portion of goat meat, but it's not something I'd order here again.

I figured this would be a "one and done", except something from the BBQ counter kept calling to me:

I know you can't really see it, but that side of roast pork looked sooooo good. I got a half pound ($3.75) to go.

I just had a few bites(3 pieces) and shared the rest of it with the people at work. From the texture standpoint this was very good, velvety fat, nice moist meat, very crisp, but not hard skin. The flavor was (again) on the mild side. Not perfect, but better than most.

Which meant that I'd be back……fast forward to a few days later. This time the lady was much more friendly. She asked me if I spoke Mandarin, I told her that I didn't. She had thought that I was Taiwanese….which is probably an insult to Taiwanese everywhere.

On this visit, I decided to go for the gusto, and ordered the 3 roast meats with rice($6.50). The meal started with a soup with stewed pork shank.

Man this was good. The broth had a good pork flavor, without being too salty. The meat, while not falling off the bone, was more than adequately soft. The photo speaks for itself……I wanted some rice!

After the broth, the rest of the meal was pretty anti-climatic.

This was quite a bit of food, I was ready for a major nap after eating all of this. Over a generous amount of rice was some BBQ Pork, which was just ok, the fatty pieces had some nice flavor, and was fairly tender, but the leaner pieces were tough, and lacked the sweet, rich flavor. The Roast Duck while nicely flavored with 5 spice, was on the lean side, and quite tough. The Roast Pork was the same as my previous visit, and for my money is the way to go here with regards to roast meats. Still, you get quite a bit of food here.

While eating, I noticed many men in "white T-shirts" and "paper hats" coming in to buy duck and pork. I'm guessing that several Mi Gia places get their roast meats from Cam Ky. By the time I left, the roast pork was gone.

The menu at Cam Ky ranges from Hu Tieu(Rice Noodle) and Mi(Egg Noodle) Soups, Fried Rice, and various items on rice. In keeping with the theme of the "neon pig" , while I was paying at the register I noticed a photo of a whole roast pig on the wall. cam Ky sells whole roast pig, ranging in price from $150-$190. Oink-oink…

Cam Ky Chinese BBQ
4141 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105

Closed on Tuesdays