Vietnamese Restaurants – Page 57

Pho Hoa Hiep

January 16, 2006 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Howie Eats - Where the Foodie from Foodieview Eats

Now that Southern California winter has finally hit(that is a joke folks…); I can start making my rounds of the local Pho’ restaurants again. Also, in addition I though I’d try the Bun Bo Hue at restaurants that I’d only had Pho’ at and visa versa. Since I was in the neighborhood I decided to stop by Pho Hoa Hiep.

Pho Hoa Hiep, located in the same Linda Vista strip mall as Vien Dong Supermarket, can be somewhat hard to find. First off, the Restaurant is located in the far Northeast corner of the mall, away from Vien Dong, and across a Coin Laundry. Second of all, there’s another Pho’ eatery in the same strip mall called Pho’ Hoa, which can cause some confusion.

I usually have the #4 at Pho Hoa Hiep, which is the well done steak, flank, brisket, tendon, and tripe. But I had heard from Howie of A Foodie’s Eye View, and he had recommended the Bun Bo Hue as well. So I decided to get the Bun Bo Hue(small-$4.75):

Bun Bo Hue is a spicy, pork and beef vermicelli noodle soup, that originated in, where else, the city of Hue. Most of the Bun Bo Hue that I’ve had in Orange County, San Diego, and Los Angeles have been similar in several ways; the broth has almost always been a clear, fairly light broth dotted with chili oil, with spaghetti like vermicelli noodles, and always topped with cilantro and onions. Oh yes, and one more thing. It almost always comes with jellied blood; which I usually ask to not have added to my soup. I really don’t enjoy the gritty texture and metallic taste of blood.

Where Bun Bo Hue differs from Eatery to Eatery are in the garnishes. In this case a "salad" of greens, along with cross sliced jalapenos and a wedge of lime accompanied my soup:

And of course the shrimp paste with chili oil is another staple of Bun Bo Hue, I use it to dip my meat in, and to flavor my noodles and broth.

So how was this? The broth was nice and light, and though there looked to be alot of chili oil in the broth, it was not as spicy as I expected it to be. The noodles were "cut" into short strands, but that made it much easier to eat. The noodles also were a bit on the mushy side.

The meat in Bun Bo Hue usually includes a thick cut "brisket" slices or other well flavored beef, as well as either a pig’s feet or thick slice of pork leg. Pho Hoa Hiep delivered several slices of beef with a good amount of tendon, but overall quite tasteless. However, the slice of pork "leg" was very tasty and quite soft. Still, a pretty good bowl of Bun Bo Hue.

I also ordered the Goi Cuon(spring rolls – $2.80):

The spring rolls were "longer" then what I’m used to; almost 7-8" in length. Both the flavor of mint and a fairly large amount of shredded pork were very prominent as I took the first bite. These spring roll were much improved over my last visit.

During my latest visit, I reverted back to form and ordered a bowl of Pho’. Though this time I went with the extra large bowl of "Dac Biet"($4.75):

The Pho’ broth at Pho Hoa Hiep, is much lighter and less "oily" then most other Pho’ Shops, and very balanced in flavor. In many cases the flavor of ginger, anise, or cloves may stand out in a broth, at Pho Hoa Hiep, the flavor is slightly beefy, and you are really able to taste the pungent peppery-citrusy cilantro and the scallions. People who enjoy the Pho’ at Pho Hoa Hiep call it "refreshing". I’m not quite sure if that’s a particularly apt description, but there’s one thing for sure; the Pho’ here really depends on the garnishes:

Which includes lemon(?), bean sprouts, basil, and surprise(!) ngo gai(hallelujah). I rarely see ngo gai(saw-leaf herb) served with Pho in San Diego, so having it available is always a treat. Ngo gai has a taste much like a more pungent cilantro. Today, it really added nothing; I tore off a piece and had a taste, and it was much more "soapy" in flavor then what I’m used to. I added all the basil, ngo gai, and bean sprouts to my bowl of pho’. The noodles were the customary pho’ noodles, clumped up in a bunch at the bottom of the bowl.

As for the meats, I now remember why I usually don’t get the "rare steak" at Pho Hoa Hiep – it is extremely tough and dry. The tendon slices though, are cut to a nice width, and both crunchy and somewhat gelatinous to the bite.

Overall, not a bad bowl of Pho’ and also not a bad price. Between Convoy Noodle House and Pho Hoa Hiep; I’d say it’s a wash. Pho Hoa Hiep is also a bit cheaper. If you’d like to see what Bun Bo Hue in Vietnam looks like; Noodlepie has an example on his wonderful Blogsite that looks nothing like any bowl of Bun Bo Hue I’ve ever had. MEalcentric took a trip to Vietnam in August of last year and also did a post, and even posted photos. I’ve come to a conclusion regarding Pho’ and Bun Bo Hue. Though many of the ingredients are the same, no two restaurants taste the same. I guess I’ll just say "Pho’, it’s a state of mind"……..

Pho Hoa Hiep
6947 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

9910 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92131

Minh Ky Restaurant

January 5, 2006 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Howie Eats - Where the Foodie from Foodieview Eats

Minh Ky is a small Chinese-Vietnamese Noodle and Soup shop located on the corner of El Cajon Blvd and Menlo Avenue. In fact, Minh Ky shares the same strip mall with A-Chau, and a Vietnamese Market.

About 12 tables are lined against the walls and through the middle of the spartan interior of Minh Ky, and Chinese or Vietnamese music is a always blaring away. The one thing Minh Ky could use, is a revolving door for the steady stream of people entering and exiting the Restaurant.

I normally pay Minh Ky a visit during weekend mornings when I’m in the mood for some soup. Minh Ky is a good choice since they open at 8am on weekdays, and 830am during the weekend. And as strange as it may seem, I do enjoy a nice bowl of Combination WonTon Soup($4.75):

The Combo Soup, comes with a good portion of veggies, fishcake, shrimp, char siu, chicken, and most of all won tons. Today’s soup had 10 Won Tons in it! The fillings of the won tons at Minh Ky are pretty dense pork meatballs with a slice of shrimp; and are almost like siu mai in texture. The broth is a clear and mild chicken broth, I usually add a touch of soy sauce and some white pepper. Overall, a pretty good start to a Saturday for me.

There is a really amusing thing that happens to me at Minh Ky. Because most of the clientele is Vietnamese, I kind of stand out. And because I only eat here during the winter and spring, there is a "cycle of familiarity" that occurs during my initial visits. It usually starts with "Are you Korean?" And a short and fun conversation normally takes place, where I explain I’m Japanese, and so on….. It happens with most of the Employees, one by one. "But you look Korean……" And sometimes ending in "so you don’t speak Japanese" with a smile and a short negative shake of a head.

Once in a while I’ll get the Won Ton Egg Noodle Soup($4.25):

Again, a simple broth, lettuce, nappa cabbage, green onions, char siu, won tons(8), and thin crunchy egg noodles. A decent bowl for the price.

On this visit, the Young Lady found a novel way of taking my order. She was filling chili oil containers on a adjoining table and saw that I was ready to order. She proceeded to lean back on her chair, balancing on two legs, with a container of chili oil, smiling and turning to me said "combination won ton soup?" Okay, call me a creature of habit! "Um, no just wonton egg noodle soup, today." Show them who’s predictable….. And a free acrobatic/gymnastic show to boot!

On a recent visit, I even opened the menu past the first page and went over some of the 225+ dishes, and ordered the Combination Crispy Noodles($6.25):

I should’ve stayed with the soups, the thin egg noodles were over fried, powdery and brittle instead of crunchy. The beef was really tough, and there was too little of the sauce, which was very bland. I’ll stick with the soups.

It just so happens that Minh Ky is also a favorite of Howie of A Foodie’s Eye View of San Diego’s Restaurants. When I Emailed Him and asked what he enjoyed at Minh Ky, Howie stated: "I pretty much just order the rice porridge. It’s far and away my favorite porridge in SD. I always get it with the Chinese donut. It sounds boring, but it’s more flavorful than most Chinese congee. The broken rice, ginger, & fried shallots really help it. Great comfort food." So it looks like Jook and Youtiao for Howie. Thanks for taking some time to reply to my Email Howie. In appreciation, I’m starting a new category, called "What Howie Eats", I’ll include places we’ve discussed, and any recommendations that Howie has.

Some notes on Minh Ky: The strip mall that Minh Ky is located in has one of the worst parking configurations in San Diego. One of the aisles has no outlet, you have to back out of the parking stall, which leads to some interesting situations. I’ve seen a car trying to back out, while a car is waiting for the parking stall but because of the single aisle, the waiting car is essentially blocking the exiting car in. Nothing like a nice little showdown between two 3-4 thousand pound vehicles to start off the weekend! Many times vehicles will exit right over the sidewalk, straight onto El Cajon Boulevard. I usually park in the back, though you’ll need to avoid the large potholes and abandoned furniture. The back parking lot can also be quite scary at night. I usually order "tea" with my meals and they serve me a whole pot, and I’ve never ever been charged for it.

Oh, and as I was at the register paying…."Are you Korean?" You gotta love it!

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

Kim Chan Sandwich Shop

December 28, 2005 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

***** Kim Chan is now Lena’s Sandwiches & Deli

It has been a fairly warm December, with temperatures reaching into the mid-70's to low 80's on certain days. On one of those days I decided to give Ed from Yuma's favorite Banh Mi shop a try. Though the address is El Cajon Boulevard, Kim Chan is actually located on 47th Street, next to a coin laundry, Vietnamese Video Shop, and Currency Exchange.

It's a fairly small shop with two small tables; a majority of the space is taken up with refrigerators and deli-cases. Most of the menu is in Vietnamese, with only 5 items written in English. At least there wouldn't be any of the indecisive paralysis brought on by too many choices here! Kim Chan is truly a Mom-and-Pop operation. There were two people ahead of me on my first visit; and though my order was taken quickly, I had to wait about 20 minutes for my sandwich.

I ordered the "combination" (Dac Biet) which cost only $2!

This sandwich really had "pate" on it, not just a "sausage pate", a pork "loaf", and "head cheese". Though the sandwich was smaller then those at K Sandwich at about 7-8 inches, the circumference of the sandwich was a perfect fit for my mouth. What set this sandwich apart from many of the mediocre versions, is that I could really taste the meats, the salty, mildly gamy, and sweet fillings. The amount of vegetables was perfect, and added a nice crunch, along with a vinegary touch to the sandwich. The slightly hot chilies was a nice touch as well. But it was not a perfect sandwich. Tough stringy cilantro stems are a pet peeve of mine. Also though the crust of the bread was good, the bread portion was mushy and doughy, and frankly tasted a bit "stale". As a whole the sandwich was not crusty enough for me.

Since I enjoyed the Combination Sandwich, except for the bread, I thought I'd pay Kim Chan another visit. This time I ordered the BBQ Pork($2.00) sandwich:

Since I was the only customer in the restaurant, I got my sandwich in about 5 minutes. The BBQ Pork sandwich contained a single layer of BBQ Pork sliced to about 1/8th of an inch thick, Instead of the usual thin sliced pork, the pork in the sandwich looked like it had been "cut" from a larger piece. The vegetables and green chili were again portioned perfectly for the sandwich, this sandwich also had fried shallots added which was a nice touch. This time the bread was perfectly toasted, and nice and crusty. I really didn't care for the pork, which was nice and tender, though quite dry, and also very "fishy" in taste.

I think I'll stick with the Combination Sandwich, with the nice flavors, and hopefully will get a "good" baguette. The sandwiches at Kim Chan are a bit smaller then most Banh Mi, but are portioned well, so that all of the different tastes come through. And at about 2 bucks($2.50 for BBQ Beef), the price is definitely right.

Kim Chan Sandwich Shop
4712 El Cajon Blvd Suite N
San Diego, CA 92115

K Sandwiches – What a Difference 2 Months Makes

November 2, 2005 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

Way back in July, I posted on the impending opening of K Sandwiches. On August 25th, this shop on the corner of Mesa College and Linda Vista road finally opened. Driving by, I could not believe the amount of people standing in line for Banh Mi. My Buddy Jack, mentioned something like a 30 minute wait, for Banh Mi!?! So we waited a week, and finally made our way there during the first week of September.

With it’s bright facade, and menu offerings, ‘K’ seems to have alot in common with the Lee’s Sandwiches chain that is slowly making it’s way all across the Western United States. Hmmm….

On this day, the front of the restaurant was packed. But even though there were many customers, there seemed to be even more Employees! Most of which were standing(leaning), giggling, and generally loafing teenagers. I even saw one of the Girls write down a telephone number on a napkin, and hand it to a Young Man buying a sandwich, with the words "Call Me" scrawled along the top. What was even more surprising, was that she immediately turned around, and without putting on gloves, started to make sandwiches…..

I placed our order, and we had time to check out everything while we waited. Along with the sandwich menu; K serves up Boba-type drinks/tea, bakes their own baquettes and croissants, and also has hot table dishes for purchase.

We ordered 3 sandwiches in total. The first we tried was the BBQ Chicken ($1.99):

The chicken in the sandwich was very tasty, though the rest of the sandwich disappointed me. The crust of the bread was slightly crusty, but not crusty enough for me. There was a very small amount of Ca-rot(pickled veggies), that consisted only of radish, and no carrots? The cilantro was mostly stems, which can be annoying when you eat it. The thin julienned slices of green chilies were nice and hot, though all crowded to the middle of the sandwich.

The Deluxe (Dac Biet-$2.45)

consisted of 3 meats; basically what looked like a sausage, ham, and the Viet "pate". Again the same monotonic "garnishes"(but there was one piece of carrot in there), but this time the cilantro was piled on one side of the sandwich. Ditto for the bread.

The third sandwich we ordered was the BBQ Pork ($1.99):

The pork was very tasty, both slightly sweet, salty, and teriyaki-ish in taste, though there were too many pieces of tough connective tissue, that were really inedible. Again, the "one-note" pickled vegetables. In the end, it seemed that though the sandwiches were a bargain; the result was mediocre. It didn’t help that both the Missus and I got somewhat ill after eating here. I attribute that to the lack of hygenic supervision, and inexperienced Teens putting together the sandwiches. If Lee’s/K are trying to be the McDonalds of Vietnamese Food, they sure are on their way….

One really great thing about ‘K’, is that they open at 6am in the morning. Banh Mi, for breakfast anyone? So this past week, I decided to drop by ‘K’, and grab a sandwich. Things were alot calmer then on my previous visit, and the cashier and the person making the sandwich were quite professional and competent.

I ordered the Vegetarian ($1.99):

The bread was nice and crusty, much better then on my previous visit. And look, you can make out some carrots, even! The shreds of fried tofu were fairly tasty, though everything was piled to one side of the sandwich. The cilantro was mostly leaves, and the peppers were nice and hot. Not bad for 2 bucks.

In fact, I visited ‘K’ again this week, and picked up "breakfast" for a couple of people, and again got the Dac Biet:

There seemed to be alot more meat then before, as well as alot more pickles. It was pretty good, though I enjoy, Bale and Cafe Dore’ more. But for the price, you can’t complain. Also, I just found out that extra "pickles" can be requested at no charge. I also measured the sandwich, and it came in at almost exactly 10 inches. That’s a pretty long sandwich! The service and food were much better during these last two visits. Two months sure can make a big difference!

K Sandwiches
7604 Linda Vista Rd
San Diego, CA 92111
Mon-Sat 6am-9pm
Sun 8am-8pm

Pho Convoy Noodle House

September 11, 2005 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

*** This location of Pho Convoy Noodle House has closed

*** You can find updates on Pho Convoy Noodle House here, here, and here.

Ed from Yuma had told me about Convoy Noodle House awhile back. He’d had a good bowl of Pho’ there. So since it’s now getting a bit cooler I thought I’d give it a shot.

Convoy Noodle House is located in another strip mall on Convoy Street. The only business I’ve ever gone to here is Dede’s a Sichuan Restaurant/Tea Place. The restaurant is spare and seems alot larger than it actually is.

The other great thing about the restaurant, was that there was spot lighting above each table, almost as if they knew I was coming, and would need some light for my photos’!

I had made my mind up before hand that I’ll be ordering Pho’ – so I chose the Large #1($5.25) – basically Dac Biet, with everything.

Within 5 minutes a nice sized bowl of Pho’ was delivered. The broth was very dark and rich, and I could make out the distinct taste of cloves. I really enjoyed the brisket and the generous amount of tripe. The rare steak tasted fine. There was two types of “tendon” in this; the first nice, jellied, fatty tendon – delici-yoso. The second were thin slices of tendon that almost looked like they’d been fried, they were really tough and inedible. My only other gripe was the really chintzy amount of “garnishes” provided. I had to ask for more basil, and I wish there was a bit more variety; maybe some ngo gai. But I thought the broth was excellent, very full bodied and the bun pho’ were done well, though the noodles were a bit on the thinner side than I’m used too.

A few days later I was in the mood for some Chinese-style Egg Noodle soup, but since I was close by I decided just to eat here instead. And ordered the “House Special” egg noodle soup $5.25:

This dish had a strictly routine chicken based broth, though there was a generous amount of egg noodles along with Lettuce, green onions, BBQ Pork, Fish Balls, Fish Cake, and very over cooked shrimp. The fried garlic and shallots added a nice flavor, and the noodles were perfect. Strangely, I’ve never had “garnishes” delivered for egg noodle soup in a Vietnamese Restaurant before, but here they are! Again, the portion was very small.

So having enjoyed my previous experiences, I’d finally decided to try the Bun Bo Hue ($5.25). I’ve had some really horrible Bun Bo Hue, and will usually check out how other dishes are before trying. So today as I walked in; I noticed the Lady usually manning the cash register (The Owner?) was eating a bowl, so I though I’d give it a whirl:

As the soup was being delivered I noticed a distinct “fishy” smell. It just so happened that along with the garnishes (lettuce, mint, bean sprouts, chilies, and lime), a little bowl of shrimp paste and chili oil delivered. The bowl was steaming hot, and the broth was pretty routine, almost like the broth I’d had with the egg noodles, except with chili oil added. There was a good amount of the spaghetti like bun, and the dish was topped with onions, green onions, and cilantro. I also noticed that the brisket used in this dish was cut alot thicker than what I’m used too, this was very tasty and enjoyable. There was also alot of fat and tendon from the brisket – delici-yoso!!! After doing an initial taste of the broth I added a squeeze of lime, some of the shrimp paste, and the bean sprouts, and proceeded to dig in. Then I stopped, there was something missing! It’s not the “blood”, I’d ordered it without blood, call me a wuss, but I really don’t enjoy the taste. Where was the pig’s feet or pork shank that’s standard for this dish. After some “fishing” I found it, the pork leg was alot smaller than I’ve usually had, somewhat disappointing. I also took to dipping the brisket into the shrimp paste, and the blend of the salty, the spiciness, beefiness, and the texture of the meat was great. Overall a nice dish, that I’ll be having alot over the winter. Unless I find a better Bun Bo Hue.

Some notes on Convoy Pho’ House. Service is very fast, I can usually get out in under 30 minutes. The “appetizer sin” is also committed here; I’ve seen soup some out before the Cha Gio several times. Most of the customers are Asian, and there were alot of Vietnamese on the days I visited.

I guess I have one for my current rotation. Today I saw the Com Tam 7 Mon being brought out, and it looked pretty good, so I’ll be having that on a day that I’m really hungry.

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

Que Huong – Completing the Summer Grand Slam

August 29, 2005 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

*** Que Huong has closed

*** Updated posts can be found here, here, and here.

I'd heard about Que Huong a while back. It was described as "not a pho' restaurant; more of a white tablecloth place." So one Sunday morning we decided to give Que Huong a try.

Tucked in the back corner of yet another generic strip mall on University Avenue(on the corner of Marlborough Ave and University), Que Huong looks somewhat intimidating with the iron bars and grease board menu with specials written only in Vietnamese. You notice an immediate difference upon entrance:

The interior of the restaurant was dark with swap meet artwork on the walls and a definite "pastel" look. How very retro 80's! We opened the menu, and yep, no pho', instead there were many items that I've really never seen on a Vietnamese menu in San Diego; like Jack Fruit Salad, and a whole list of fish listed only in Vietnamese. We placed our order and a "basket" of utensils, napkins, and "wipes" were delivered to our table – a nice change from the usual chopstick and spoons on a plastic holder that we're used too:

We started with the Cha Gio ($4.95), the standard Egg Rolls:

These were among the best I've ever had! They were crisp, not oily, with tasty filling. The garnishes delivered were also outstanding; along with the usual lettuce and mint, were Perilla leaves, tasting almost like shiso, these added a nice flavor. The Nuoc Mam Cam was also outstanding with pieces of garlic, and chilies added for additional flavor.

We also ordered the Duck Banana Salad ($12.95):

A large plate piled high with Basil and other herbs, julienned banana blossom, onion, fried shallots and garlic, this made a refreshing dish. Except for the duck, which was a chopped bland duck leg, with bits of bone everywhere. this made for ponderous dish, after cracking your teeth on a few bone chips, you got downright paranoid about eating this. Also, some of the banana blossom had a distinct soapy taste. At the same time a large soup bowl was delivered. At first I said "we didn't order this", but after some explanation we finally figured out that the soup came with the salad. This turned out to be a wonderful rice porridge. There was a nice salty, somewhat garlicky taste. The flavor of the fried garlic, black pepper, and cilantro stood out, with only a hint of fish sauce.

I ordered the Com Tam 7 Mon – the broken rice with 7 meats($8.95):

This beautiful looking dish was a mixed bag. The julienned pork, not among my favorite things, was very moist and flavorful, the BBQ pork was outstanding, the egg roll was great (of course), the shrimp cake with bean curd was also excellent. However, the steamed egg (my favorite) was dry and separating, the fish cake was tasteless, the pork cake was also dry, and worst of all the Com Tam (broken rice) was very dry and hard, like it had been sitting for a long time.

Que Huong had caught my interest though, and when Ed from Yuma emailed and said he was coming my way for a quick trip, Que Huong immediately came to mind. I thought it would complete our restaurant summer "Grand Slam" that started with China Max in May, and Sakura in July, and earlier this month Buga Korean BBQ made an appearance.

We met and entered the Restaurant and were seated as before. This time though the lighting was very bad – so please excuse the poor photo's. Communication was also a problem this time, as you soon see.

I ordered the Egg Rolls that we loved so much:

But as you see, these were really different(also charge $7.95 this time). But oh what a wonderful mistake this was. It was like the Egg Rolls except with an entire shrimp inside, and the wrappers were much more delicate. I'm printing a picture of this, because I want to make sure I get this next time! Same garnishes along with the excellent Nuoc Mam. Delici-yoso!!!

We also had Roasted Quail ($9.95):

This dish was good, but nothing we hadn't had before.

I had heard the Banh Xeo (crepe) here was excellent, so we made sure we got it ($5.95)

The crepe sure didn't disappoint, nice a crunchy exterior, moist interior with whole shrimp, ground pork, and lot's of bean sprouts. This was the best Banh Xeo I've had in San Diego. Not oily at all – simply delisi-yoso!

Finally the main dish, the Fried Catfish($25.00):

This was a major production and took three people to deliver. A plate of rice paper wrappers, a bowl of warm water, garnishes including banana blossom, pickled vegetables, perilla, pickled onion, bean sprouts, lettuce, mint, and I'm sure I left something out. A plate of bun (vermicelli), and Mr Catfish(medium sized), on a bed of lettuce, covered with cilantro. This dish was a "make your own spring roll" thing. That is, you grab a wrapper, dip it in the warm water and start building your spring roll with the garnishes. Than once completed, dip the roll into a little bowl of shrimp paste mixed with garlic and shallots. Sounds great right? Well not really; the catfish in my opinion tasted extremely "muddy" which spoiled the dish for me. Ed seemed to make the best of it though, being the good sport that he is. The damage a little over 50 bucks. Too bad, we could gotten away with half as much, and had a better meal! But overall a really fun experience.

Some notes; the restaurant was empty, not a good sign on a Friday. I hope this place stays around, there are some very good dishes, and I haven't even started on the soups yet. Communication may be a problem, as in my experience with the Egg Rolls. Parking is very limited as the Mall shares spaces with a Burger King and other businesses.

Que Huong Restaurant
4134 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Open 10am to Midnight Daily

Fusion Food & Boba Cafe

August 23, 2005 mmm-yoso Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Fusion Food and Boba Cafe has closed.

I guess I'm a bit con-"fused" about Fusion Food & Boba Cafe. A reader of this blog and Chowhound lurker Renee, sent me an Email (Thanks Renee!) about Fusion. She specifically noted that the Banh Mi at Fusion was very good. With this info I made a trip to Fusion. What I found was a "hip" Cafe, doing a brisk business in Boba and other snacks. It reminded me of all those "tea" places that I saw young Asians going to in Los Angeles.

Like I mentioned Fusion was doing a brisk business, people playing board games, watching the plasma television, or just hanging out at the outside tables; eating steamed buns or "banana rolls" , which looked like a take-off on turon (banana lumpia) with ice cream, all drinking various slushies and coffee drinks. The posted menu also said that Fusion offers free wireless internet access with a purchase. So automatically this place was totally what I was not; young and hip. Also, I couldn't find "Banh Mi" on the menu. What there was is something called "Fusion Sandwiches". I figured that this must be it. The prices of the sandwiches ranged from $2.50 (one item) to $3.50(two meat combo), to $4.50 for a Chesseburger Deluxe and Fries(?). Because my Banh Mi "standard" is based on the "Dac Biet" , I thought that I'd order the special with Ham and Pork Loaf, though at $3.50 it would be the most expensive Banh Mi type sandwich I'd ever have ordered.

Sure looks like a Banh Mi, doesn't it? The good; the carrot and radish pickles were tasty and the amount of veggies was generous and I enjoyed the jalapeno. The bad I'm afraid, outnumbered the good. The bread wasn't toasted, the meats were tasteless and disappointing. I pulled out the ham and it looked and tasted no different from the cheapie packaged 79 cent ham I'd buy at the market. The strange? It really looked like this was french roll, but not a baguette, but a french dip roll! Very strange indeed, though it never said anywhere that this was a Vietnamese Banh Mi, did it? At this point I thought that I'd cut my losses and let Fusion fade into the back ground.

What changed my mind was an Email from Renee, and she included a photo! And darn if the photo of the Veggie Sandwich didn't look like a Banh Mi! So I found myself back at Fusion, and this time I ordered a simple BBQ Pork Sandwich ($2.50):

This was a bit more like it! The roll was toasted, though still not a baguette, in my opinion. The pork was tasty and as before the veggies were good and there was a nice piece of jalapeno. Overall a decent sandwich. I especially liked that there was more cilantro leaves than stems, makes for an easier eating sandwich. There was mayo on this version as well, this actually added to the taste. Not bad at all. Unfortunately I ordered the Popcorn Chicken ($2.49):

On the menu it says "spicy & crispy". I can tell you in this case it was neither of those. The crispy I can understand, I live 15 minutes away. But even if the what looked like the corn starch based batter couldn't stand up to a 15 minute drive, all would still be okay if the chicken tasted great. Unfortunately, it wasn't even mediocre. The chicken was really bland with hardly any seasoning. I was hoping for something, give me the slight sweetness of mochiko, maybe some salt, maybe some herbs, chili pepper, anything….. I hate to say this, but KFC is better than this. The aioli included is a must, just to give this some taste. I think something was lost in trying to please all palates on this one.

So what's the verdict? Seems that certain sandwiches here are pretty good, and the snacks seem to be what to get. There are some dishes that are "dumbed down" to make them somewhat con-"fused". The menu is very extensive, everything from vegetarian items, to curry, to noodle soups. It's a really difficult to manage a menu like this. All the drinks here seem to be really popular. The service is really friendly and helpful. Maybe someone has an idea what I should order here?

Fusion Food & Boba Cafe
8038 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

P.S. Thank You for the recommendation Renee!

Linda Vista Food to Go:Crouching Restaurant, Hidden Banh Mi

July 19, 2005 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Update Linda Vista Food to Go has been replaced by Mi Ngoc So 1, you can read a post here.

02/13/2008 – Mi Ngoc So 1 is now gone as well….this location is now home to Thai by Tara.

Do you have a restaurant that you pass on a regular basis, that you know is there, that you glance at, but have never had any reason or desire to patronize? I’ve been glancing at this little hole in the wall for almost five years. It’s readily visible from the intersection of Linda Vista and Ulric St. For some strange reason I’d always thought that this was a Mexican restaurant, and had developed no real desire to check this place out.

But now, under the guise of Food Blogger, I actually have a (flimsy) reason to enter through those doors. And to my surprise, it’s a little Vietnamese take-out restaurant! Even better, there’s Banh Mi on the menu, though it seems that it’s not the main product that this little place is trying to sell. At 7 am on a Sunday morning there are 2 Vietnamese Women rolling spring rolls and loading them into trays, seems like there’s a major catering operation going on. So I step up and order the "Dac Biet" Banh Mi and a tray of spring rolls. The Banh Mi cost me $2.50, even though the sign said $2.25, I figure that the extra quarter was probably a penalty for my lack of patronage over the last 5 years, or more realistically, they probably had raised prices and not changed the signage. The spring rolls set me back 3 bucks.

This sandwich was on the smallish size, and had cross sliced cucumber and a green chili, the usual pickled carrot and daikon, and two sprigs of cilantro. The meat filling was ham, pate’, and sausage. The bread had a good crust and minimal bread filling, the pickled veggies were under marinated and quite tasteless, the cucumber was fine, but the green chili was not hot at all and had that "green" taste that under-ripe peppers have. The meat was sorely lacking and the sausage really brought nothing to this sandwich. And one of my pet peeves are the long "branches" of cilantro. All in all, the poorest Banh Mi I’ve had so far.

The spring rolls were pretty good – lot’s of "Bun", and the lettuce was folded around pork in the bottom of the roll. I thought these were pretty decent.

The verdict? I really didn’t miss anything by passing by this place for last few years, though I liked the spring rolls. Who know maybe the other dishes are pretty good, and I may try them in the future, but not the near future. Another funny thing, the hours listed on the business card are Mon-Sat 6am-5pm, closed on Sunday; but the day I visited was Sunday. Maybe that’s what the extra quarter was for….a convenience charge!

Linda Vista Food to Go
2405 Ulric Street
San Diego, CA 92111
858-279-1491

Sorrento European Bakery – Some Banh Mi with your Chocolate Mousse?

July 15, 2005 mmm-yoso Bakery, Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Sorrento European Bakery has closed

I had heard about a “Vietnamese Bakery” in Mira Mesa that made good Banh Mi. So with some rudimentary instructions we headed off. We came across a mall on Mira Mesa Blvd, that had an interesting Food Court and right next to the Food Court was Sorrento European Bakery. The little sign outside said Vietnamese Sandwiches.

We walked in and were met with a case of wonderful looking cakes and pastries like the mango mousse pictured on the right. I thought “no way can this be the place”. But the owners looked to be Vietnamese (and spoke some pretty good Mandarin too).

And there was a grease board with 10 sandwiches listed; the five on the left were stuff like roast beef and turkey. On the right it said “VN Sandwiches”, bingo! There were 5 sandwiches listed, all priced at $2.50, so I chose the #1 – Dac Biet. And while the poor Missus waited to pay and ogled the pastries and cakes, I wandered around the Food Court. We ended up doing a “Mini – Food Court Crawl”, which I’ll post later. The owner told my Wife that they bake their own bread for the sandwiches daily – so the bread is always fresh!

So how was the Banh Mi (please excuse the bad picture – I was over come by hunger) ? This was the “lightest” Banh Mi I’ve had by far. The bread was light and crusty, and a bit yeasty, with a really nice texture. The “ham” was very tasty, as were the veggies, but there was a spread (mayo??) that detracted from the taste a bit. The rest of the meat was good as well – no roasted pork this time, but the pork in the roll was good – I tasted all the meat separately. Not enough cilantro and the green chili’s on the sandwich were really mild. Rich, but light, good enough for a return visit. I’d order at least 2 sandwiches for me the next time though. The sandwich was good but there is something missing, I need to re-evaluate (poor me…) whether it’s a lack of filling, or a taste component was missing, I just can’t put my finger on it, so I’ll try again. Maybe someone else should try and let me know if I’m missing something?

Very nice and friendly service – the pastries looked very tempting, but I was focused on the Banh Mi. I think another visit is in order, the jury’s out!

Sorrento European Bakery
6755 Mira Mesa Blvd #117 – in the Sorrento Plaza Shopping Center
San Diego, CA 92121
858-909-0599

Dao Son Noodle House – Hot Dishes from the ‘Hot Chef’

July 9, 2005 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Japanese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

“Ok, that’s an order of Yakisoba and Chicken with Lemongrass – be about 15 minutes”. Now normally when I hear something like this; I’d be afraid, very afraid. The kind of fear that is associated with signs that say ‘Authentic Cantonese, Szechuan, and Mandarin Cuisine’. Except in this case I overheard this at Dao Son Noodle House on El Cajon Blvd. Dao Son, I’m told literally means ‘Hot Chef’, and he’s not kidding. There’s even a little neon sign above the restaurant sign that say ‘Hot Chef’.

The spartan interior could be dropped into any number of Asian restaurants, but the aroma, ooh the aroma, garlic, chilies, “shoot me now and put me out of my misery…” The service was friendly, and the Chef himself let us in the front door. We looked over the menu and placed our order, and an entire carafe of water was placed on our table.

Our first dish was the Special; Fried Catfish with Eggplant – ordered medium-hot ($6.99):

This dish was a winner! The catfish was battered and fried perfectly. Crunchy on the outside, moist and tender on the inside. The eggplant seared on the outside, with a wonderful molten, creamy interior. The sauce was nice and spicy, and the peanuts added a nice textural component to the dish. This was the best dish of the night.

The next dish was the Garlic Chicken – ordered medium hot (5.99). Boneless, Dark Meat chicken was marinated, than battered and fried and served with a nice and spicy garlic/chili sauce, and is topped with scallions and tempura “bits”. The chicken was tasty, and the sauce (seems like it was sambal based) was hot enough to bring sweat to my brow. The scallions and tempura bits added a nice counter-point to the whole meal. The only gripe I had about this dish was that the chicken pieces were pretty large and we only had chopsticks so there were some problems managing the pieces. Also, the batter was very savory and crisp, but very hard, almost like a shell, I’m thinking that this was a corn-starch based batter. All of this is relatively minor. If the chicken were smaller and bite-sized, the crunchy texture would be viewed as a positive attribute.

The last dish was Garlic Fish – also ordered medium hot ($5.99). I had thought that this would be the same as the chicken dish, but was pleasantly surprised. First off, the fish was coated with bread crumbs, and there was the distinct taste of lemon grass all through the dish. Other than the addition of lemon grass this was essentially the same as the chicken dish. The fish was prepared well, though the fish was relatively bland, the toppings and sauce made up for any deficiencies.

We left Dao Son, satiated, and looking forward to another meal. The flavors had been unique and distinctive, and the food well prepared.

So tonight we did Dao Son part 2, this time we did take-out, and decided to order a few other dishes. We ordered the Red Chicken ($5.50) medium hot. This is almost a perfect dish! Chicken stir fried over high heat, in a spicy “red” sauce that is both sweet and spicy, with tomatoes, red peppers and chili. This dish is a keeper! On a whim we ordered the Yakisoba ($4.95). This dish was not bad, flavorful, with the distinct taste of sesame oil, and well prepared, but unremarkable except for one thing; the noodles. The noodles were great, they had a nice crunch and reminded me of “fried saimin” Daoson12 . The last dish was Shrimp w/Lemon Grass and Garlic sauce ($5.99). Basically the same sauce as the Garlic Fish, but this was one spicy dish, nose bleeding hot! There’s no slow-burn here, it’s in your face!

Dao Son, has interesting, and very well prepared, flavorful food. The price is also right! We’ve added Dao Son to our “rotation” and will be going back often. The menu is varied with everything from Yakitori and Yakisoba, to Sate Chicken and Lemongrass Shrimp. This range of dishes would usually scare me away, but in this case, the “Hot Chef” does a good job with preparing all the dishes that we’ve had so far. The service is fast – I was unable to get through on the phone for my take-out order, so walked in and ordered. I was told it would take 15 minutes???? Now the restaurant was half-full, and the phone was ringing off the hook. I got my food in 10 minutes, and all the tables were also being served. Impressive.

The bottom line? Good hot and spicy food from the “Hot Chef”.

Dao Don Noodle House

2322 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92103
(619)291-5051
Lunch:
Mon-Fri 11:00am-2:00pm
Dinner:
Sun-Thurs 5:00pm-9:00pm
Fri-Sat: 5:00pm-10:00pm