Vietnamese Restaurants – Page 7

Midweek Meanderings – Minh Ky Changing Ownership and Nha Quoc Te Being Replaced by Birrieria Y Menuderia Guadalajara

September 27, 2023 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

Here are some changes coming to City Heights!

Minh Ky Changing Ownership:

Reading about this in Eater San Diego caught me by surprise! And the link to Minh Ky's website yielded this message:

Minh Ky Owner Change

Man, I've been going to Minh Ky forever it seems. Minh Ky had the distinction of being one of the last places I dined in at before the big Covid shutdown, I even did takeout in December of 2020, and felt it was only right to revisit once I started feeling comfortable with dining in again. It's one of those places that I ate at starting back in 2004, before I started this blog!

At least Minh Ky is not closing like other long time businesses in the area such as Tan Ky Mi Gia and Cafe Dore. I'm hoping the food will be just as good.

If you need one last visit, the long time owners last day will be October 2nd. After that, you can still visit them at Dumpling Inn.

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

Nha Hang Quoc Te Being Replaced by Birrieria Y Menuderia Guadalajara:

A while back "FOY" Elle asked me if I'd seen the sign for a new business in the Nha Hang Quoc Te spot. It just seems that I don't get to City Heights as much as I used too. Especially the area around Quoc Te which has some crazy road work (road work Clairemont Drive and Towne Center Drive – both roads I drive on all the time is bad enough!) going on.

But, I did make the effort to see what was happening this past weekend.

And yes, Quoc Te is being replaced by Birrieria Y Menuderia Guadalajara! I'm assuming it's the same ownership as the Birrieria Y Menuderia Guadalajara I ate at in Chula Vista?

I know, I need to start doing my rounds again!

4448-A University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

A big thank you to Elle! Thanks for thinking of us Elle!

Takeout Revisits – Chaba Thai and Ngon Ngon to Go

September 25, 2023 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

Just a couple of takeout revisits for a busy Monday.

Chaba Thai:

I thought we needed a break from our revisits to Sovereign. Been doing a lot of takeout from there and really aren't taking photos any longer. I was busy and wanted something on the way home from the office, with ample parking, and less seedy surroundings. I thought doing the usual takeout items from Chaba Thai might work out.

Chaba TO Rev 01

I ordered the same items as usual and went for shopping at 99 Ranch Market before returning to get my takeout. All was ready when I returned in 20 minutes and I headed home.

Chaba TO Rev 02

Chaba TO Rev 03

The Krapow Gai, the Missus's favorite dish from Chaba had a lot of minced chicken, in need of as bit more spice and was on the dry side. There was quite a bit of pidan hidden under all that chicken which made the Missus happy. The produce didn't seem a fresh as usual though.

Of course I got the Khao Kluk Kapi with Honey Pork.

Chaba TO Rev 05 Chaba TO Rev 06 When all the planets align this is a good dish….of course no one wants to only have a dish be good once every 30 years, right? This was actually better than what I had on my last visit. The pork was nicely marinated and cooked, the meat moist and tender. The rice could have used a bit more shrimp paste, but was passable. I do enjoy the lime, onion, and some of the apple with this dish as it adds different dimensions of pungent, acidity, and tannic-sweetness to the bites of pork. This time the scrambled egg was placed on the side and the Missus poached that before I had a shot at it. In terms of portion size; I noticed that there was less pork than on previous visits.

Chaba TO Rev 07

I do wish there were more options with regard to decent Thai cuisine in the area.

Chaba Thai Kitchen
8010 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

Ngon Ngon To Go:

Man, has Ngon Ngon been open for over a year already? I had done a couple of revisits for takeout, just getting the Bo Luc Lac. But on a recent visit, I decided to get something different.

Ngon Ngo Rev 01

And just decided to get the Com Thit Nuong, the pork chop with rice, which was the cheapest item on the menu at $11. I placed my order and went to get some pastries for the crew in the office.

Ngon Ngo Rev 02 Ngon Ngo Rev 03 My order was waiting when I returned. Overall, for eleven bucks this wasn't bad at all. The rice wasn't of the best quality, but was cooked decently. There was a standard green salad which was on the verge of heading south.

The pork chop was not bad; a bit on the more salty than sweet side, but quite flavorful overall. The texture, as anticipated, it was on the chewier side, but not dry. There were two pieces one laying on top of the other.

The Nuoc Mam Cham wasn't quite as sweet as what I'd had here before which I enjoyed and really livened up the pork.

Ngon Ngo Rev 04 Ngon Ngo Rev 05 This was not bad at all. A humble dish, decently flavored, and nicely priced for this day and age. Nice folks working here too! There was a steady flow of folks eating in and picking up takeout. I'm happy that business, at least to me seems to be doing well.

Ngon Ngon To Go
10550 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126

Pho-raging Along Clairemont Mesa – Pho Duyen Mai, Pho Fusion and PT Eatery

September 18, 2023 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

I was recently told that Pho Duyen Mai has changed ownership. From my understanding, one of the partners of Cross Street is the new owner. I wanted to check what was going on, but it was just too hot to think about a bowl of pho. Of course, the weather has suddenly changed course over the last couple of weeks…..I guess fall is now here? Anyway, I decided to see what was up.

Pho Duyen Mai:

I decided to visit right at opening time, which is 10 am.

Duyen Mai Rev 01

And I'm glad I did. Even though I was the second party thru the doorway, the place filled up quickly.

I took a look around and quickly noticed a couple of things; I didn't recognize anyone working and the rib bones (Xí Quách Suon Bò) were no longer offered. I also noticed that there were quite a few more folks working then I recalled as well.

Duyen Mai Rev 02

I went with the #28, the Rare Steak, Flank, Brisket, Tendon, and Tripe – small ($12). It was interesting to watch. By the time I placed my order, seven more tables were occupied! While the woman went around delivering menus and then taking orders, the young man who tended the register made a loop around the dining room dropping off water. After all the orders were taken, the woman taking the orders made a loop around the dining room delivering utensils and napkins. An older, smiling gentleman delivered my bowl of pho to the table.

Duyen Mai Rev 03 Duyen Mai Rev 04 I quickly noticed that some of the basil had gone south already and the portion of sprouts was even smaller than on my last visit.

Also of interest was the dearth of proteins. There were two thin slices of rare beef, which was rolled up, one slice of flank, one of brisket, one decent slice of beef tendon and the tripe was MIA. Everything but the tendon was sliced super thin.

Duyen Mai Rev 05

The noodles were in the typical clump, but was decently cooked and still had a nice pull to them.

As for the broth……well, it was very thin and light, almost lacking in color, super salty, with that "San Diego sweet" tone, with just a hint of anise flavor. I had to make use of the slice of lime to help cut the saltiness. Needless to say, I was quite thirsty after this.

Duyen Mai Rev 06

Wow, this was quite disappointing. And I used to think that Duyen Mai was the best pho in the area…..but with a change of ownership…shades of Pho Lucky.

Pho Duyen Mai
5375 Kearny Villa Rd
San Diego, CA 92123

This visit had me thinking about the other Pho shops along Clairemont Mesa Boulevard. So over the next couple of days I decided to do some revisits, MS (heebie) G(bies) be damned.

Next up was down the street.

Pho Fusion:

It had been a while since I'd been to Pho Fusion, so I was interested to see how things were.

Pho Fusion Rev 01

As is my M.O. I arrived right at the 10am opening.

Pho Fusion Rev 02

It was pretty quiet during my entire visit as only two parties arrived. The older gentleman was nice but seemed a bit distracted. I ordered the regular #14, Brisket, Flank, Tendon, and Tripe ($10.95). My bowl arrived very quickly.

Pho Fusion Rev 04 Pho Fusion Rev 03 I'm used to Pho Fusion being a bit miserly with the sprouts and basil and they lived up to that reputation; though at least it was of decent quality.

The soup was quite dark, though clear, overly salty with that "sweet" note, and lacking beef and enough anise tones.

There was a good amount of protein….though perhaps I was measuring this against what I'd previously had at Duyen Mai? This time around, the tripe and a nice crunch, and the flank, while being chewy had a nice amount of beefiness, which was missing in the broth.

Pho Fusion Rev 07 Pho Fusion Rev 05 The noodles were in the typical clump, but were not over-cooked. As mediocre as this bowl was, it was still better than what I'd had at Duyen Mai. Kinda sad….

Pho Fusion
8038 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Which left me with one last option on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard…..

PT Eatery:

In all honesty, I was not fond of the "Pho not to Offend" from PT Eatery. But that was in the days "BC" (Before Covid) when they had first opened at the end of 2019, beginning of 2020. A revisit was well overdue.

PT Rev 0102b

I had put PT into the category of "Fusion Phuong Trang lite". Though the fact that I consider Phuong Trang to be MOR pho…well, you can kind of figure out my expectations here.

I do like the decor and on my previous visits the folks working have always been friendly and professional. I was glad to see that things were still the same in this category.

PT Rev 02

I ordered the Small Combo ($12.95). Which arrived with a fork?????

PT Rev 04

I didn't know I was giving off those "silverware vibes"? Needless to say, I used the napkins, but the fork stayed in the basket.

At least the basil and sprouts were super fresh. This was also the largest portion of the three places I visited.

PT Rev 03

PT Rev 05 PT Rev 06 Whoa, this was by far the largest "small bowl" of the three places as well. The soup had a good amount of cilantro and onions.

Of the proteins, the best items were the flank, which was beefy and surprisingly tender and the tripe which had a nice crunch. The rare steak was a bit over cooked by the time the bowl hit the table and while there were several pieces of tendon provided it was a bit too hard for my taste.

Unlike on my previous visit, while the noodles were in a huge clump at the bottom of the bowl, it was decently cooked and not mushy.

PT Rev 07

When I tried the broth a strange flavor hit me. Was it actually? Well yes, there was a light beefiness that could actually be made out. It felt so foreign since this is what was sorely lacking in the previous two bowls. While still on the "sweeter" side for my taste, this wasn't too salty. The amount of onions and cilantro actually contributed a hint pungent-citrusy flavors to the soup as well.

PT Rev 08

Well gee wiz….who would have thunk? I preferred PT Eatery to Duyen Mai? Maybe I need to revisit Phuong Trang since it's been a good number of years? Well, let's not get too excited. It's more likely that I'll head to Linda Vista the next time I'm craving some pho.

PT Eatery
7351 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

Roadtrip – Revisiting the Torrance Farmers’ Market and Canton Restaurant – Cháo Cá Chợ Cũ (Westminster)

August 29, 2023 mmm-yoso Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Los Angeles County, Orange County, Road Trip, Travel, Vietnamese Restaurants

We slept well after our dinner at Mountain House, we thought our room at the renovated Best Western wasn't bad, except for the terrible WiFi, but heck, we were here to relax, right?

We got up rather early (for a Saturday) since we had three stops in mind. The first being Porto's in West Covina, we used to go to the Buena Park location when I was doing work in OC and you can read all about Cathy's visits in her Rose Parade float posts. We just basically stop for two things the Missus wants, the dulce de leche cookies.

RT Portos

Next stop was a place we used to drive the 90 mile round trip to almost every Saturday when we lived in LA, the Torrance Farmers Market, which I've posted on several times already. Though it had been over ten years since our last visit! Sheesh, time sure does fly! We found parking where we've always have and was surprised to see that the Farmer's Market has grown a bit since the last time we were here!

Rt Torrance FM 01

We ended up buying quite a bit of produce and stuffs! Which was great since I was missing my usual Saturday shopping.

Rt Torrance FM 03

Torrance Certified Farmers' Market
2200 Crenshaw Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90501
Saturday 8am – 1pm RT Canton 01

As for our last stop?

I mentioned that I had another place for Cha Ca Thang Long in my last post on Song Long. I had done a bit of research and the name Canton Restaurant – Cháo Cá Chợ Cũ kept appearing.

The restaurant is located in a strip mall on Westminster Boulevard along with Stater Brothers, Seafood Paradise, a Shabu Shabu place, a Pho Shop, and a score of other businesses and homeless folk.

The place is known for their Cha Ca Thang Long and Chao (rice porridge).

It opens at 930am. We arrived at 945 and there was already a large party seated in the place.

RT Canton 02

An older couple run the place, the gentleman the front of house and the woman swings between the kitchen and the dining room.

We placed our orders and soon enough a large plate of herbs and veggies to accompany our Cha Ca arrived. The gentleman placed the plate on our table and I took a look noticing that there was a lot of brown and wilted produce on the plate.

RT Canton 03

This didn't seem like a good start. But a minute later, the woman came out of the kitchen and did her "rounds", quickly noticing the state of our plate, swooping in, and replacing it immediately. We didn't have to say a word! Good save!

RT Canton 04

Soon enough, all the other accoutrements made their way to our table.

RT Canton 05

RT Canton 06

And good lord, that mam nem was serious business…..whoa was did it smell potent.

The Cha Ca was quite lovely……

RT Canton 07

The portion sizes are quite generous, the fish very moist and tender. The seasoning is on point and that mam nem takes it to another level. Wish the onions were a bit more caramelized, but I didn't order this for the onions. The dill just helps to restore the palate while adding a citrusy-anise flavor to things.

RT Canton 08

We had seen another table order the Cha Gio, so we ordered that as well.

RT Canton 09 RT Canton 10 Man, these were super stuffed, full of porky goodness, hint of sweet- savory tones, and wrapped with rice paper. It was slightly more chewy than I prefer, but man, the overall package was much better than anything here is San Diego. This also heated up well in the air fryer!

As we walked out the Missus said to me, "looks like we have a new place for Cha Ca, huh? I think I want to come back here next week!" Whoa……

Canton Restaurant – Cháo Cá Chợ Cũ (Cash only)
8550 Westminster Blvd.
Westminster, CA 92683

Well, we were two for two on this overnighter. As for returning the following week….well, we'd have to wait an additional week for returning!

RT Canton 11

Thanks for stopping by!

Phuong Nga Bakery and Cafe Revisited

August 6, 2023 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Phuong Nga Bakery and Cafe is now Banh Mi Express

My recent visits to Paris Sandwiches had me wondering about Phuong Nga Bakery and Cafe. I've actually thought the Banh Mi at Phuong Nga to be pretty good when compared to all those pho (faux) banh mi places these days. I do wish the shop had weekend hours as it would be a decent breakfast stop when doing my "Saturday rounds", but as is, they are only open from 8am to 3pm Monday to Friday. I made some time to visit during a weekday morning to see what was going on here.

Phuong Nga Bakery Rev 01

Phuong Nga Bakery Rev 02

I strolled on in and ordered the Dac Biet – #1, $6.99 which is par for banh mi these days. Within minutes, my sandwich was ready and I sauntered on back to the office. It did feel a bit hefty.

Phuong Nga Bakery Rev 03 Phuong Nga Bakery Rev 04 And yes, it was quite full of Cha Lua, Thit Nguoi…… What I think banh mi purists' will appreciate, I'm looking at you "Billy" is that Phoung Nga still includes cucumbers in their banh mi, a rarity these days. The bread, as usual is a bit heavily baked (onsite), making it more hard and crusty than having a nice balance of light, crusty-flaky. But these days, this is almost a blessing, as much of what I've had is soft and doughy. There's a good amount of pickled veggies, the jalapenos were present, but not overly spicy on this visit. This was a nice lunch for me.

It is my favorite banh mi in the area.

Phuong Nga Bakery Rev 05

If you know of something you think is better, and no, it ain't Cali Banh Mi, please let me know!

Phuong Nga Bakery and Cafe
9353 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92123
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 8am – 3pm
Closed on Saturday and Sundays

Roadtrip – Qing Dao Bread Food (Monterey Park), Bistro Na’s (Temple City), and Song Long (Westminster)

July 25, 2023 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Orange County, Road Trip, Travel, Vietnamese Restaurants

Recently, the Missus and I was wondering how some of our old favorites were doing in LA and OC. We decided to drive on up and stay the night at the Courtyard by Marriott on Atlantic.

So, we headed on up and arrived at area on Garfield near Garvey just after 11am. And easily found street parking! On a Saturday? What the heck?

Qing Dao Bread Food:

RT QingDao BF 01

Even though we hadn't been back here in over five years it looks basically the same.

RT QingDao BF 02

QDBF had long been a favorite of ours for Jiaozi and there's an endearing quality to the place for the Missus. After all, She's from QingDao. She gets a kick from hearing the "Qingdao Hua" (青岛话) – the unique accent of Her home town. And every time we come here we recall the story of my MIL calling the place when the Missus told her that I thought the Jiaozi here rivaled hers! In case you missed it:

"the Missus called Her Mother….and guess what, Her Mother actually called QDBF! Among the things my MIL did find out was that the Owners are from the same neighborhood as the Missus's family. What She didn't find out was the recipe to their Jiaozi dough! Even using small talk and the "La Guan Xi" (doing the buddy-buddy thing) method didn't work. The response to the recipe request? "You come here eat, and we'll tell you the recipe!""

She never did get that recipe…….

Anyway, we ordered the Pork Tongue, the Shrimp, Pork, and Leek Jiaozi, and the Lamb Jiaozi (of course).

RT QingDao BF 02b

We were served glasses of water. Not really paying attention I took a sip….it was boiled water! We cracked up; it's how they serve water in China!

RT QingDao BF 03 RT QingDao BF 04 The pig tongue was as expected, fairly chewy and very porky. Quite typical.

The one thing that has changed over the years at QDBF is the garlic. Garlic is the traditional condiment served with Jiaozi and other dishes in QingDao. Mixed with black vinegar, I always call it the Missus's "little dish of memories". When we first visited, it was done the traditional way, pounded in a mortar and pestle, the bruising releases the oils and flavors, and the garlic is surprisingly rich and mellow. Sadly, on our last visit, it had been minced in a food processor. You may think it's strange, but the flavor and texture is totally different, it's much more bitter in our opinion.

RT QingDao BF 05

The jiaozi arrived in tandem.

RT QingDao BF 06 RT QingDao BF 07 We quickly noticed that on this visit, the dumpling wrappers were very soft, lacking in the slight "pull" that we enjoy in jiaozi wrappers. The filling of the shrimp, pork, and leek was very moist and actually had a good amount of "soup" in them…very nicely flavored, though a bit short in the shrimp department.

The wrappers on the Lamb Jiaozi was the same.

RT QingDao BF 08 RT QingDao BF 09 But man, that filling was so gamy, moist, juice just poured out of it when I took a bite.

While the wrappers were not "perfect" on this visit, we still have to find jiaozi we like better. It was also quite fun to take this little trip down memory lane. Hopefully we won't wait another five years to return.

Qing Dao Bread Food
301 North Garfield Ave.
Monterey Park, CA 91754

After lunch we decided to take a stroll and were surprised to see how quiet things were; especially in the shopping plaza on the corner of Garfield and Garvey. Also, most folks we passed were of the older demographic. We hadn't been around here since before Covid and the place seemed to be missing the vitality that we remember. It seems that younger folks have moved on and away from the area, or did the shooting in January of this year have even more of affect of things? We stopped by Ten Ren Tea Time and the Missus got some Oolong for Her collection.

We got to the huge Courtyard by Marriott and was able to check in early. We went and took another stroll across the street to Atlantic Times Square and found that other than AMC, Daiso, and a couple of restaurants, many of the businesses were empty as well. What the heck? This had the Missus wondering how Focus Plaza, i.e. San Gabriel Square was doing. One of the Missus's first jobs waaaay back when was located here. We were shocked to easily find parking and then while walking around…..

RT MP July 03
RT Temple City 01

Of course, the 99 Ranch Market was going strong. It seemed that all the businesses surrounding this mall was doing good business, so I went online to check and found that the mall will being undergoing renovation starting in August and will be rebranded as TAWA (the owners of 99 Ranch Market) Gateway. Whew…..

We then headed off to dinner. We last visited Bistro Na's on our way back from Monument Valley and Sedona. One Michelin Star Bistro Na's has become a favorite of ours since we first visited back in 2019 and we've revisited half a dozen times since. Though we hadn't been back in over a year.

Unlike where we had visited earlier, Camellia Square and the surrounding area was quite busy.

RT Temple City 02

Bistro Na's:

RT B Nas 01

As always, the service at Bistro Na's was top notch. Sadly, several of our favorite dishes were no longer on the menu. Though our "key" dishes were.

Like the refreshing Chili Tofu Skin.

RT B Nas 02

And the smoky and tender Beijing Style Smoked Duck Breast.

RT B Nas 03

The Crisp Shrimp is a must order here.

RT B Nas 06 RT B Nas 07 We did notice that the dish has changed since our last visit. The shrimp shells and the shrimp seems to have some coating; like the tofu skin, the portion size is smaller. The shrimp is not quite as delicate as it used to be. But the flavor is still there and the shells and tail are a pleasure to eat.

As for new dishes; well, we ordered the Bittermelon with Pickled Garlic.

RT B Nas 05

This was delici-yoso! Totally suan-tian-ku-la-xian! Sour and mildly sweet tones, tamed the bitterness initially. There's some Sichuan Peppercorn in this to numb you. The bittermelon comes on strong at the end for an interesting finish.

The Intestine with Laba Garlic was not quite at the same level.

RT B Nas 08

The intestine was cooked perfectly, great texture and offal-ly flavors. But the sourness overpowered the dish and that garlic was potent and very bitter. Still, not a bad dish.

We did miss the okra and crispy lamb brisket. Hopefully, those dishes will be back on the menu soon.

Bistro Na's
9055 Las Tunas Drive
Temple City, CA 91780

We took an after-dinner stroll before heading back to our hotel to relax.

As the sun went down, we looked out at Atlantic Times Square and noticed that many of the residential units seemed empty as well.

RT MP July 04

The next morning, we were up in the air about where to eat before heading home. I noticed that there was a Dim Sum place in the hotel named Chef Tony.

RT MP July 01

I did some research and found that Chef Tony is owned by Tony He of Sea Harbour. Hmmm…..while a bit fascinated, our last visit to Sea Harbour was not very good. We decided to pass. Instead, we decided to drop by another old favorite that we hadn't been to in a while, Song Long. In fact, like QDBF, we hadn't been back to Song Long in over five years!

Song Long:

RT Song Long 01

We arrived around 930 on a Sunday and the place was empty when we walked in. The staff looked like they've put on some years as well.

RT Song Long 02

We had to chuckle when the bread was brought to the table.

We ordered our usual; the Cha Ca Thang Long.

RT Song Long 03 RT Song Long 04 Soon enough the large plate of bun, herbs, and veggies. And of course the Missus enjoys the Banh Trang Me dipping it into the mam nem. As for the Mam Nem, we noticed that it's not quite as potent as it used to be.

But, if we had any reservations about the Cha Ca, those were soon quelled when our sizzling plate arrived.

RT Song Long 05

From the caramelized shallot to the tender fish, which almost had a mild sweetness to it, this was quite good.

The place filled up as we were finishing up our meal.

And though I have another location for Cha Ca in the area on my "list"; this really hit the spot.

Song Long Restaurant
9361 Bolsa Ave Suite 108
Westminster, CA 92683

We enjoyed this little road trip. It was good to know that our "old favorites" were still serving up food that we enjoy.

RT B Nas 04

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday Meanderings – Ten Seconds Yunnan Rice Noodles Opens, Pho Duyen Mai Under New Ownership (?), and What the Heck Happened to Nijiya’s Chicken Karaage

July 17, 2023 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, Vietnamese Restaurants

A couple of things for a warm Monday.

Ten Seconds Yunnan Rice Noodles Opens:

I was driving on Engineer Road when I came across new signage over the shop that used to house Harmony Pot Sticker which closed during Covid and became some kind take out place named Burger Box that served chicken sandwiches, but kept the Harmony sign.

I drove on into the parking lot to take this photo.

Seems like they just opened a couple of weeks ago. It's been a while since we've had a Yunnan Restaurant in the area, so will be interesting to check out.

Ten Seconds Yunnan Rice Noodle
7905 Engineer Rd.
San Diego, CA 92111

Pho Duyen Mai Under New Ownership?:

My good friend Candice mentioned that the folks from Cross Street Chicken have taken over Pho Duyen Mai! Talk about catching me by surprise! Even though I'd already had lunch, I decided to drive on by…..and things look the same to me.

Duyen Mai Rev 01

I'll drop by for some pho soon.

Pho Duyen Mai
5375 Kearny Villa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123

What the Heck Happened to Nijiya's Chicken Karaage?:

I shop at Nijiya a couple of times a week and will grab a bento or some chicken karaage to have for dinner with some curry/onigiri/etc. The karaage, while not particularly crisp, had decent flavor, and was fine when heated in the toaster oven/air fryer.

So, I was intrigued when I saw this sign.

So, I decided to grab some to try. I thought the color was really pale.

It lacked flavor was not juicy in the least bit and super chewy/hard. I tried it again on another visit and the darn thing wouldn't brown at all, the coating was quite gummy.

Sigh, another bites the dust. I'll have to stick with the shio koji fried chicken I guess. I spoke to an acquaintance who works at Nijiya part time and she agreed with me saying the karaage was so tough she could barely swallow it.

Sad.

Nijiya Market
3860 Convoy St Ste 109
San Diego, CA 92111

Tadian Café and Paris Sandwiches Revisited

July 13, 2023 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

Man, did some one flip the "summer switch" or what? I was actually planning on doing my post on Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai last night but it was just too hot to even think about ramen. So, I thought perhaps I'd do it today….but after stewing in my juices (literally) I decided to just put off that post until next week. I think folks would enjoy a post on ramen more when (if?) the weather is a bit cooler or at least when we're at the point where we've grown a bit more used to the heat.

Of course the rather warm weather has changed my eating habits a bit……..so here's what I've had for lunch this week.

Tadian Café:

It had been a while since I've had a sandwich from Tadian. The fact that they open at 9am is convenient as is the fact that an online order can be placed with no service fee. So, I can order online and head on over and pick up my sandwich in no time at all. As always, my sandwich was waiting on the counter when I arrived. The young lady who works here is always smiling and friendly.

As before, I got the Thai Roast Beef ($10.75), on which I requested jalapenos and extra toasted (no charge), and avocado ($1.25).

I removed my fairly hefty sandwich from the package and quickly noticed the, ahem, "skid marks".

Tadian Rev 01

And yes, the bread at the bottom of the sandwich, even though I ordered it extra toasted was saturated. The sandwich is quite "bready", so the addition of jalapenos really adds some umph. I enjoyed the interplay of the creamy avocado and the pickled, banh mi-ish veggies. Also enjoy the cucumber, though I wish there was more cilantro on this. I can barely make out the "peanut sauce" used on the sandwich.

Tadian Rev 03

Like I noted previously, this is almost like a bready, pseudo banh mi. I think I'll pass on the mayo next time.

Tadian Cafe
5955 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92121

Paris Sandwiches:

I know, I just posted on Paris Sandwiches two months ago. I actually drove to the area thinking that I'd do some takeout from Ngon Ngon. But when I got out of my vehicle it felt so darn hot that I turned right instead of left and headed on over to Paris Sandwiches.

Paris Rev 01

For some reason, some nem nuong sounded good to me so I ordered the Nem Nuong Banh Mi ($6.75).

Paris Rev 02 Paris Rev 03 I enjoyed that the bread was airy, crusty, and slightly yeasty. The bright and acidic pickled veggies pared well with the good amount of cilantro which was mostly leaves…having a banh mi full of cilantro stems is a pet peeve of mine. There were two slices of sinus clearing jalapenos in the sandwich. I enjoyed the savory, slightly sour, nem nuong, which also had a nice slightly chewy-meaty texture.

Paris Rev 04

I'm appreciating the consistency of the banh mi at Paris. Heck, I may have just found my new favorite banh mi shop in San Diego!

Paris Sandwiches
10606 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126

I hope everyone is keeping cool and staying hydrated!

Barrio Donas Opens in Old Town and Phuong Nga Restarts Dining In

June 20, 2023 mmm-yoso Bakery, Desserts, Exploring San Diego, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Barrio Donas has closed their Old Town location

I recently saw the banner up for Barrio Donas in Old Town when dining at El Cata (post coming up). I had been waiting for the shop to finally open in the Old Town Urban Market. I decided to check the place out the following weekend. Of course I went early, this location of Barrio Donas opens at 9, so I could find some parking.

The shop is in a nice bright stall in the market.

Still, the young lady was still putting things out and told me if could wait another 10-15 minutes. So, I decided to take a nice stroll in Old Town. Which I think is a pretty nice when it isn’t over run with crowds.

As I walked past the Church of the Immaculate Conception, I realized that I had never taken a look in the church. It was before the daily mass times, so I took a quick peek in.

I think I’ll drop by for a longer visit one of these days.

Looking across the street, I noticed that the long standing O’Hungry’s/Hungry’s had closed!

Man, I think the place had been around for almost 50 years? Quite sad…..

When I returned to Barrio Donas, half of the stock was up.

By the size of the shop, I knew that I wouldn’t be getting tortas like A la Mexicana which I enjoy so much. So, I picked out something on lower end of the sweet scale; the Horchata Donut.

Now, I could have had a seat in the peaceful patio area, which would have been great. But, since things were so quiet on this morning, I decided to head on over to one of my favorite places in the area; Heritage Park.

I’m not sure if it’s generally known.

But if you head to the right of Christian House, you’ll find a short trail.

It’s not difficult; heck I did it with a coffee and donut in hand. Just don’t fall on any of the cactus……that might not be very enjoyable.

Soon enough you’ll see a bench. There’s even a trash can there.

It was so serene on this overcast morning.

And was a nice place to have a pastry or breakfast of your choice. In this case the Horchata Donut.

And enjoy the “best seat in the house”.

Barrio Donas – Old Town
2548 Congress St.
San Diego, CA 92110
Current Hours:
Tues – Sun 9am – 5pm
Mon 10am – 5pm

Bun Rieu from Phuong Nga has been a takeout staple for us the last couple of years. And on last Sunday, the Missus requested Her Bun Rieu fix so I drove on over.

Since the start of the pandemic, Phuong Nga has only been doing takeout. And in the last six month or so, the days that Bun Rieu was available had shrunk. At last check it was only available on Friday, Saturday, and Sundays.

And I’ve visited on a couple of weekends when they just didn’t have any Bun Rieu. On this day I walked on in and the young lady, the owner’s daughter I presume, smiled at me and said, “we have Bun Rieu every day now!”

And then she pointed over to the former dining area which was covered with supplies. There were now four tables clear.

She told me “we now have enough staff and can open dining in and make bun rieu everyday”. Good for them!

I did still get my bun rieu to go though. When my order was ready, “Mom” brought it out to me. She then shook my hand and told me something in Vietnamese. Her daughter translated, “she said thank you very much for helping us stay in business.” Whoa, I never thought she even knew who I was. Somehow I was deeply touched by this. It made my weekend.

Phuong Nga
4016 54th St
San Diego, CA 92105

It’s those little moments that can always make my day!

Thanks for stopping by!

Ngon Ngon To Go

May 31, 2023 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Vietnamese Restaurants

Back during June of last year, I saw this signage on the side of Vinh Hung Market when I first noticed Paris Sandwiches was opening in Mira Mesa.

Ngon Ngon 01

Ngon Ngon Food to Go? Well, that was interesting. Then of course, we did a bunch of travelling. And then, on one of my visits to see if Paris Sandwiches was open yet….they weren't, I decided to check things out.

Ngon Ngon has one of the shops down the hallway, before you get to Song Huong, right across what I think is a Filipino Bakery that never seems open?

Even though the name of the shop includes "Food-To-Go" there are several simple tables for those who want to dine in.

Ngon Ngon 02

One thing I liked right away was the menu….this ain't your typical pho shop.

Ngon Ngon 03

I went ahead and did a take-out order for something I hadn't had in a while, Bo Luc Lac. I then went and got some 85 Degrees stuff for the few folks in the office. When I returned my order was waiting. These folks are pretty darn fast.

Here's my Bo Luc Lac ($16).

Ngon Ngon 04 Ngon Ngon 05 This was actually not bad. The large salad did have some brown leaves, but while the rice looked dry, it wasn't.

The beef was pretty good, with a pleasant toothsomeness. The sauce was a bit on the saltier side, but not overly so. I do like a hint of sweetness and deeper savory tones in my Bo Luc Lac, which was missing here. I usually expect a bit more green and red bell peppers, but really enjoyed the onions in this as it added a much-needed pungency to the dish.

Ngon Ngon 06

This was actually better than what I expected.

So, I fully intended to return; though I guess with my schedule, trips, and such, I kind of left this place on the back burner. And when I did return to the plaza, I usually ended up going to Paris Sandwiches. Of course, it took one of our great "FOYs" to wake me from my slumber. In my post on Kumo Japanese Sandos, "Elle" inquired if I'd ever be doing a post on Ngon Ngon. Oh, yes! Thanks for the reminder Elle!

I really wanted to try a couple of dishes. So, on one of the days Calvin was actually in the office, we decided to head on over for lunch.

Ngon Ngon 07

We started off with the Garlic Butter Chicken Wings ($9). These came out super-fast.

Ngon Ngon 08

So, I believe the wings were being kept warm then fried quickly again before serving. The interior was on the dry side, but the batter was quite crunchy. Not much in terms of butter, but there was more than enough garlic to ward off any possible vampire attack. Good amount of salt as well.

Of course, we had to try the Bun Cha Hanoi ($15).

Ngon Ngon 09 Ngon Ngon 10 A generous plate of fresh-looking bun, basil, mint, et al was provided. The nuoc mam cham was on the sweeter side of things. The sauce for the Bun Cha was on the sweeter end of things but wasn't too bad. Loved the pickled veggies, which helped to cut the sweet and saltiness. There were two good size pork patties, which were on the chewier end of things. The actual pork slices were much more flavorful in my opinion.

Ngon Ngon 11

This was a pretty good version of the dish. I'd order this again.

The last item to arrive was the Cha Ca Thang Long ($17). This looked pretty bad.

Ngon Ngon 13 Ngon Ngon 14 While it arrived on the typical sizzling plate….well, it wasn't sizzling. The dill and onions were soggy and wilted, and the fish cold. This was quite strange. Totally a far cry from our favorite version in SoCal. The fish tasted slightly muddy as well.

It did come with the usual accoutrements and the Mam Tom wasn't bad at all.

A pair of women came in a bit after us and ordered the Cha Ca and it arrived sizzling; so perhaps this was just a mistake? Perhaps our plate was sitting for too long? Still, even if it was an "oopsie", this is bad quality control.

Ngon Ngon 12

I'll give them a pass this time…..

The woman brought us some rice pudding for dessert which was a nice touch.

Ngon Ngon 15

As things stand; I'd have the Bun Cha and Bo Luc Lac again and I may try a couple of other dishes at this no-frills stand. The woman working is very nice and with Bolsa closing, this place fills a niche.

Ngon Ngon 16

Ngon Ngon Food To-Go
10550 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Tues – Sun 9am – 8pm
Closed on Mondays

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