Recently, during the short stretch of warm weather we had here, I decided to head on over to Paris Sandwiches for a banh mi. While driving thru the parking lot I noticed a new sign posted.
I made a mental note to return to check it out and wouldn't you know, that very afternoon I get a text from Calvin with a photo of what looked like Hu Tieu Mi Kho. So, I made it a point to check the place out.
A few days later I returned. I entered thru the Vinh Hung Market just to confirm that yes, Saigon Corner had replaced Song Huong.
And yes, as I walked past Ngon Ngon, there stood Saigon Corner. "Authentic Southern Vietnamese Food" the sign says.
The dining room looks quite clean and spacious and three a sign for ordering over the counter.
An older gentleman was going back and forth from the kitchen and a really nice young lady brought me a menu.
I had to laugh….I've always joked about Vietnamese menu syndrome….you know, those menus with every variation of every possible dish that ends up being 20 pages long. Well, this is a more abbreviated version of that with everything from Oc (snails) to chicken gizzrds to Hi Tieu and Banh Canh to Banh Cuon to even hột vịt lộn….think balut!
I was actually interested in the Oxtail Noodle Soup, but they were out of oxtails, so I went with the Banh Canh Tom Cua ($16.50), basically the shrimp and crab tapioca noodle soup and because I was curious, I got the Chicken Wings ($9.50). The young lady recommended the "Tomyum" flavor.
The older gentleman brought me various condiments which actually wasn't needed as the soup really had enough flavor. The broth was slightly thick and hearty while also being as hot as molten lava…this really did warm me up!
This was quite the bowl! There was shimeji mushroom, quail eggs, fish balls (not my favorite thing), some ground pork, a couple of slices of char siu-ish pork, fairly tender shrimp (not deveined), and two, really tasty fried crab.
The noodles weren't the typical "udon style" banh canh that I'm used to, but more like a tapioca based Silver Needle Noodles. Small and hard to wrangle with chopsticks, but they had a nice chewy texture.
The broth was fairly thick, molten hot, quite savory. I enjoyed this bowl and would gladly have it again.
The Chicken Wings were another story.
The skin hadn't been fried crisp and were rubbery. The "tomyum" was a a packaged powder that was overly salty. The wings were moist and tender, but the drumettes really dry and tough.
I'll pass on this in the future.
The gentleman swung by as I was finishing up and dropped off a rice pudding dessert. So very nice!
I decided to return a few days later, with some hints as to the menu. I had sent out some text messages to friends and was warned about the Oc not being up to snuff. As for the hột vịt lộn, well, I had a nice chat with the young lady before leaving mentioning what we'd had in Sapa and she laughed and said that their version is not as "old" (as in it doesn't have feathers and feet yet). Still, I think I'll pass on that; for now.
On that visit to Paris Sandwiches when I first saw the sign for Saigon Corner, I noticed the "old timers" weren't outside drinking coffee. Well, I figured out why as I entered the restaurant from the parking lot. There were three tables of guys getting their coffee and conversation.
I was seated and handed a menu….in the short few days between visits; there were more items on the menu. Like now they offered Banh Mi.
The one thing that was the same was that they were still out of oxtail. So I went with the Hu Tieu Mi Go Sai Gon ($14.75), a very popular street noodle dish. It's basically named "knocking noodles" I've heard because the street vendors used to knock together sticks while walking the streets to indicate their presence.
What struck about this dish were the noodles, both the hu tieu and the mi (egg noodles) were prepared perfectly, the hu tieu had a nice pull, the mi a pull with a bit of "crunch". The soup was a bit on the salty side and there was a little bit of everything in this, some shrimp, fish balls, slices of pork; though no little fried crab and shimeji mushrooms.
Overall, I actually prefer this to any of the noodle soups LHK makes.
I like the folks working here, there is quite a variety of dishes on the menu so I will definitely return. They have some Com Tom dishes so I'll probably drag the Missus along. They have outdoor tables, so maybe JJ might join us. I know my friend "CY" said we'll grab lunch here in a couple of weeks. With Saigon Corner and Ngon Ngon basically next to each other, things are looking up in this little corner of Mira Mesa!
Saigon Corner
10550 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Thurs – Tues 9am – 9pm
Closed on Wednesday
Granted, there was a lot more veggies to shrimp than I recall. But the nice crunch, variety of flavors, with a dip in the wasabi and ginger enhanced Tsuyu, alternated with the perfectly cooked slightly stretchy soba was just what the doctor ordered on this day.
I prefer my cheesesteak to have thinly sliced beef, not chopped too finely like this was. One could not complain about the portion size nor price. Looks like a great neighborhood place to take the family for some slices and maybe enjoy the art, but perhaps not for a cheesesteak. Looks like I'll be headed to Evans or Wise Ox soon…..boy do I miss 
Soon enough my lomo saltado arrived. Quite a bit of onions and papas frita in this. The rice was fairly dry and chewy, but edible, and seemed to have been seasoned a bit.
The presentation was lovely; though the boiled egg was overcooked. The chicken was fairly bland, stringy, and there was a bit too much mayo. The potatoes were nicely done though.
Loved the crust of the empanadas. Even though it wasn't slightly flakey, it had a nice crunchy texture. I didn't care much for the dusting of sugar as I think it detracted from the overall flavor. Like I mentioned earlier, the sauce did well with the pastry, deflecting some of the sweetness and helping with the texture of the beef which was pretty chewy.
This was a lot less stuffed than the version at The Peruvian Spot. It had a drizzle of Mama G's sauce which did a pretty nice job of adding a creamy, mild spice to things. The ratio of camote and salsa criolla to meat was quite balanced.
The young lady working asked me if I wanted to try the spicy versions of Mama G's sauces and brought some over when I said yes. The verde was quite nice, not overly spicy to me. I added a tad more to the sandwich and used it to dip the very dry and limp fries.
It was too delicate; a bit over baked, the laminated exterior just falling off. You know what was going to happen when I actually bit into it, right? A certain song by the Rolling Stones came to mind:
First thing I noticed was how "clear" the broth was. Second thing was how the basil was starting to brown. Well, at least there was some ngo gai, a rarity these days it seems. I enjoy the more intense the peppery-cilantro-ish-slightly bitter flavor it provides. Even this leaf was starting to go south as well; I could use most of it. 
As for the broth…can you say MSG water? With a dose of that sweetness that has been pervading pho in San Diego over the last decade or so. The soup was quite thirst inducing; or perhaps I'm just more sensitive to the stuff as I get older?
There was a good amount of meat in this "small bowl". So perhaps that's the calling card?
The soup, while being a bit overly defatted had some beefiness, mild anise-oniony tones, while it still had that "San Diego" sweet flavor. It wasn't overly salty. This was better than I recall having on previous visits.
The proteins, while not as well prepared as "da cow" were fine, though there was no tendon to be found! The flank and brisket were cut a bit on thicker side, but the beefiness came through. The tripe was a bit more "hard" than crunchy.
The texture of the baozi dough was not as fluffy as I enjoy; but it had a hint of sweetness and was not bad. We enjoyed the pork version more….pork here is mighty tasty. There were hints of sesame oil, ginger, soy sauce….not sure how easy it is to get it in Genoa, but this was pretty good overall.
The portion of rice was quite large there was corn and edamame scattered about the hot plate. The beef, supposedly four ounces was topped with a small scoop of butter, which I thought wasn’t necessary.
