mmm-yoso!!!

Soup weather returns, time to head back to Mien Trung

What the heck is going on with the weather? Overcast for this time of the year is semi-normal, though it usually doesn't get that way until the end of April. But what's with the morning drizzle? It's not "cold" per se, but the breezes kind of chilly.....at least to my wimpy San Diego bones.

The Missus was craving some Banh Nam and I some Bun Bo Hue, so we headed on over to Mien Trung, which was doing pretty good business on this Sunday morning. Seems we weren't the only ones craving some soup.

We've really come to enjoy Mien Trung over the years, it's been a good seven years since we first visited. There are some inconsistencies we've noticed over the years. Sometimes the Bun Bo Hue will be too MSG heavy, at times too spicy, but for some reason, the place never fails to satisfy.

I gotta say, by my reckoning, some of the dishes have improved. Specifically the Hen Xuc Banh Trang, a chopped spicy clam dish that has evolved from somewhat fishy and gritty, to a spicy Cinderella of sorts.

This dish has definitely improved over the years. Served with Banh Trang Me, sesame crackers that have been slightly toasted this is delish, salty-spicy-pungent-savory. It doesn't look like much, but there quite a bit of in the little bowl. I especially enjoy taking the left-overs home and having it over rice.

For some reason, the Missus has been craving Banh Nam.

Ever since we visited Ngu Binh back in February (I know, I'm really late with that post), She's been asking for this every other week or so.

This one is a bit on thicker side and is more tender and less elastic than most versions. The Missus loves the light smokey flavor that banana leaves impart. It's also a plus that Mien Trung doesn't water down their Nuoc Mam.

The only complaint the Missus had about the Bun Rieu is that Mien Trung changed their noodles maybe a year or two ago. It's now ultra-thin noodles, not the thin rice noodle that is standard for Bun Rieu. Not sure why.....

And of course, my Bun Bo Hue. Didn't get the Dac Biet this time, we had the other stuff.

There's nothing to add that I haven't written before about the Bun Bo Hue on this blog, or elsewhere. There's something very comforting about this soup that just gets me going "aaaaah".

It's always fun watching folks who enjoy spicy food have the bun bo hue here for the first time. Recently, my co-worker YZ joined me for lunch at Mien Trung. She mentioned that the Bun Bo Hue (Dac Biet) was too large, but proceeded to finish everything off.....down to sucking out the marrow from the pig's feet! Now here's someone who can eat with me anytime!

Mien Trung Restaurant
7530 Mesa College Dr
San Diego, CA 92111

Hoai Hue Revisted

It had been a while since we'd visited Hoai Hue Restaurant, and a good amount of time since I last posted on the place. The Missus was craving some Banh Nam, so we decided to return to see how the place was doing. Business looked good as the place was half full when we arrived and filled up totally by the time we left.

I can't help but remember how the original Hoai Hue Deli used to be.

The folks here have always been nice to us and today was no different. The older gentleman brought over extra bowls for us to share everything.

The Missus got Her Banh Nam.

Loved the flavor imparted by the banana leaves. The Banh Nam seemed pretty thin, but the texture was very good. This was the best item of the meal.

We also quickly noticed that the fish sauce here is super watered down.

I went with the house version of their special Bun Bo Hue.....can't call it Dac Biet, because there is already a Bun Bo Hue Dac Biet on the menu. This is called the Bun Tom Hoai Hue.

 This has basically stayed the course over the years....you gotta give it to them for consistency. THe meatballs are still on the bland side, as is the Cha Lua. The other cuts of meat are a step above Mien Trung, the thick cuts of pork more tender, the pork hock has nice flavor, and the tendon chewy, but not too hard.

As for the broth, it still doesn't bring the heat and is  lacking in the lemongrass tones as well.  They seem to serve it a notch below what I think is optimal BBH temperature. The broth just seems kind of timid....something I'd usually never think of saying with regards to Bun Bo Hue......

It's not a bad bowl, just not quite up to Mien Trung.

The Missus also ordered the BanhIt Ram, basically glutinous rice dumpling on top of a fried glutinous rice base "dumpling" two ways.

The Banh It, the top "dumpling" was not bad, decent texture, slightly elastic, nice shrimp, though I'd like more pork, pretty good overall. The Banh Ram was not very crisp and much too chewy, even for Banh Ram, which really doesn't have much flavor anyway....if it's even harder then what we deem as normal, then yikes. Add to that lousy nouc mam cham. This stuffs sinks to the bottom of your belly and stays there.

I still think Hoai Hue has the (very distant) second best Bun Bo Hue in San Diego and the flavor and the rest seem pretty consistent. And the Missus enjoyed the Banh Nam, so we may be back sooner than I think.

Hoai Hue Vietnamese Restaurant
4660 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Revisits to Da Nang Food to Go and Pho Viet Cali almost seven years later....

It's quite easy to fall into a routine, going back to those places that have proven to be "tried and true" or convenient. This year, I'm trying to make it a point to revisit some of those places that had kind of slipped from my mind for one reason or another. Here are two places that I last visited in....are you ready? 2006......man, I've put a whole lot of miles on the odometer since then. What were you doing in 2006?

Da Nang Food to Go:

It's easy for this place to just kind of slip your mind. Located in a teeny spot next to a 7-11 and a jewelry store on El Cajon Boulevard, it's one of those blink and you'll be past it kind of places. Add to that the fact that there now only seem to be five parking stalls(down from 7) now available.......

The place looks just about the same as our visit back in 2006. Same wood siding, same tables, same chairs.....

Menu prices seem to have gone up about a buck....not bad really.

The food is based on Central Vietnamese specialities; Bun Bo Hue, Banh Beo, Banh Bot Loc, that kind of thing. Feeling kind of hungry I started with some Banh Bot Loc ($4); which I thought were pretty good all those years ago.

These were huge by Banh Bot Loc standards and the tapioca flour based wrappers were way too gummy for my taste. There was a nice piece of shrimp inside, but these dumplings were just too much wrapper.

Of course I had to try the Bun Bo Hue ($5.95), which arrived appropriately steaming hot.

 Strange, but I noticed that the usual pork hock was MIA in this bowl. The noodles were pleasantly slippery and firm, and the herbs, sprouts, and vegetables were fresh, though it was mostly bean sprouts, lettuce, and cabbage.

The soup seemed a bit odd to me; it was very sweet and lacking in spice. The thick cut meats were in attendance, but there was nary a piece of tendon to be found...... I wonder if they "gringo-ized" this? I still enjoyed the Gio Lua here, the nice peppery flavor and meatyness makes it one of my favorite versions.

I do want to try other items on the menu, if I can remember to return. Funny thing, I mentioned this place to MrQ.....even though he grew up near by, he hadn't a clue this place existed. Da Nang Food to Go is funny in that way I guess.

Da Nang Food to Go (aka Quan an Da Nang)
4745 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Pho Viet Cali:

Here's another place that I visited back in 2006. I really didn't care for the Pho, but I was on the West side of Mira Mesa Boulevard, so I thought why not?

Like Quan an Da Nang, this place looks just like it did in March of 2006.

Pho Viet Cali has remained in my memory because it was the first place where I saw Pho for over six bucks....a threshold that's long been passed by most places. So now a $6.95 bowl of pho doesn't faze me.

I got the #4 - Well Done Steak, Flank, Brisket, Tendon, and Tripe.

Man, other than the noodles....and  the soup being hot, this was pretty bad. The soup was on the unpleasant side, bitter, and quickly gave me the MS heebie-geebies.....I've got a decent tolerance of the stuff, but this was too much. I recall the bowls having a good amount of meat, but things have apparently changed.

I guess the tripe and tendon were out sick on this day and the flank had that stale "ice-box" flavor that made it inedible.

Instead of going through this in excruciating detail....I think I'll stop here. I'm sure you get the picture, right?

Pho Viet Cali
6755 Mira Mesa Blvd. #113
San Diego, CA 92121

I'm hoping for better luck next time......

It's soup weather: Mien Trung, Ramen Yamadaya, Sushi Yaro, Roseville Cozinha

Is it just me, or does it seem that the weather's a bit colder this year? Brrrrr....... It's obviously time for something like this.

Actually, it's been a hot comforting bowl of noodle soup that I've been craving. My mother nce told me that during the her pregnancy she constantly craved noodles and soup. It's no wonder I was practically screaming for saimin from the time the pediatrician slapped me on the behind!

I've been purposely passing by the local bank every morning. They have one of those clocks-slash-temperature displays. The other morning; I go to work early, it read 39 degrees! 39 degrees! I won't vouch for the accuracy of the temperature, or time (it always seems off 2-3 minutes), but it did seem mighty cold.....especially for us wimpy San Diegans. Still, it wasn't like the hail and frost in Cathy's neighborhood.....but more than enough for me to start hunting down noodle soup! Here are a few recent bowls.

Mien Trung:

When it gets cold and I need a little kick in the pants, I go to Mien Trung for a bracing bowl of Bun Bo Hue. I believe I've hit just about every place that serves BBH in the San Diego area, and Mien Trung comes out on top.

The bowls do vary on visits. Sometimes it's more spicy, there are times when I find they've gone a bit too far with the MSG. But as whole, it always hits the spot. On this day, it was the normal scalding hot that BBH should always be to take care of the shredded greens and herbs, the MSG level was rather low, the spiciness on medium low.........

And it was just right for me........

I was also lucky that I wore dark colors.....no visible little red dots after slurping up those noodles!

Mien Trung Restaurant
7530 Mesa College Dr
San Diego, CA 92111

Ramen Yamadaya:

I had thoughts of going to Yakyudori for some ramen, but my last couple ramen visits haven't gone too well, and I wanted something a bit richer. It had been a while and since it wasn't a zillion degrees outside, I thought it was time for another visit. It's still fairly warm inside; great during winter, but I'm not too sure how things will be when summer rolls around.

Ordering for me was easy...well relatively, I do like the curry here, but it was a warming bowl of rick tonkotsu style ramen I was looking for. I'm not a big fan of the chashu here, but wanted to check it out again. I hedged my bets and went with the Kotteri Ramen, an extra "fatty", I like to use the word rich broth, with a side of kakuni pork. Slow cooked pork belly.

 The broth had that nice tongue coating richness I enjoy....not greasy, but nice and rich. It also wasn't as salty as on previous visits. The noodles were too soft and mushy this time around....I'm toying with idea of getting them extra firn next time. The chashu is tragically tough, dry, and low on the flavor scale for me....better to go with the kakuni, which was unfortunately ice cold....guess I'll order the kakuni ramen, kotteri.....

 I could go on a bit more....but I won't bore you with the minutae. It did the job, that's the main thing.

Ramen Yamadaya
4706 Clairement Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Soki Soba at Sushi Yaro:

My buddy Sam has ramen and all kinds of other stuff on the menu now. For me, the best noodle soup he serves is the soki soba, an Okinawan noodle soup, served with "soki", simmered spare ribs.

The only other version I've had of this; at an Okinawan Restaurant on Oahu was a bit different and yet the same. The noodles there were wide noodles; here it's udon, but was cooked perfectly. The broth like this was dashi/kombu based. I enjoyed the spicy vinegar provided, it help to balance out the broth, which teetered on the high sodium end. There were two riblets here, though they had pretty much melted to pieces. Still, I was surprised that Sam did a pretty good job with this....I'll have it again.

Sushi Yaro
7905 Engineer Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Cioppino at Roseville Cozinha:

The Missus said I should give stew some equal time. I think She meant I needed to mention the cioppino She enjoyed recently at Roseville Cozinha.

She loved it........it had a nice zing to it, but wasn't too rich. Well flavored seafood based broth too. Nice fresh seafood.

She enjoyed the simple, pure flavors of the shrimp in this as well.

But that's not a soup or stew so I can't count it.

Roseville Cozinha
2750 Dewey Rd Suite 104 (Liberty Station)
San Diego, CA 92106

So tell me....what have you been eating to keep warm?

 

Finding the Pho in Phoenix: Pho 43 Express

 Kirk needs a break and Cathy is reeeallly busy, so today ed (from yuma) is posting about some place not in Yuma or San Diego.

Knowing that we were going to be in the Phoenix area around Presidents' Day, Tina and I thought about some places to eat.  Both of us, as it turns out, were hungry for Vietnamese.  A little research on Chowhound turned up a list of Vietnamese restaurants.

The one closest to where we were going to be was Pho 43 Express on 43rd Ave in the Maryville district of Glendale.  We figured we'd give it a try.

The restaurant is a stand-alone building with plenty of parking in a neighborhood of multiple ethnicities -- so far, so good:

The large number of family members (no school on Presidents' Day) let us know that this was a family restaurant, not a pho factory like some of the assembly line SD pho restaurants.  The folks were friendly.

Looking over the menu, we realized that this was primarily a noodle House, with bun, pho, hu, and mi dishes predominating. That made ordering easy. A large combination pho and bun bo hue.

The garnishes arrived first and were all on one plate.  There were plenty of bean sprouts and shredded cabbage, abundant mint and basil, lemon wedges, and a few jalapeno slices:

Although a few leaves of basil were blackened at the edges, we had plenty.  

The first soup to arrive was the bun bo hue:

I thought it was a pretty decent bowl of soup. The nearly spaghetti size noodles were nicely cooked.  They still had some pull and were not all clumped together. There was enough chili spice and a slight taste of the sea underneath the meat flavors in the stock.  Kirk, of course, would have deemed it insufficiently funky and reached for the shrimp paste. But he wouldn't have found any on the table:
The beef in the soup was good (though not memorable), but the meaty highlight of the dish where the pieces of pork leg.  Look at this:
And here's another:

Loved all the tender pork meat and the abundant tendon. 

Still, I think we liked the pho even more:

Again the noodles were extremely well prepared.  Separate and not overcooked.  The stock rich, slightly sweet, with a nice anise flavor.  The jalapeno slices and basil contributed nicely.

Unlike the bun bo hue, this soup had very little tendon and not much brisket.  On the other hand, it was full of crunchy tripe and had remarkably flavorful rare steak:

I was impressed by the slices of rare steak.  Normally that is my least favorite, and to my palate, the least flavorful pho meat.  Here, it was really good and steaky.  Amazing.

We also had good homemade lemonade:

To be honest, I was pretty impressed with this little restaurant.  Maybe we just got lucky, but the pho was better than most that I've had in San Diego.  And I would order the bun bo hue again as well.

I have not included prices because I'm sure that the carry out menu that I carried out is out of date.  That large bowlof dac biet pho must cost more than five dollars, and the bun bo hue has got to be more than $4.90.  However, I'm sure they are still incredible values.

Pho 43 Express, 2844 43rd Ave, Phoenix AZ 85009, (602) 269-3383. Open 8 am - 8 or 9 pm every day but Tuesday.

Song Huong - Mira Mesa

I've been kinda hesitating "pulling the trigger" on this post. Based on comments and emails I've gotten, it seems that opinions of Song Huong are somewhat polarized....... But after a recent third visit to Song Huong I decided it was time for a post..... and I still waited and visted one more time....just to make sure..... When my good FOY (friend of yoso) "Yummy Yummy" told me that there was going to be a second Song Huong opening in Vinh Hung Market, I had mixed feelings. We've had a couple of decent meals at Song Huong on El Cajon Boulevard, but it just seems that the same dish was never the same twice.... perhaps some would find the somewhat whimsical preparations an interesting surprise. For us it was just plain maddening.

And then they opened..... and folks started emailing and commenting. On one side, "Yummy Yummy" and "Janfrederick" were thumbs down. On the other hand "Joe" (you can read his comments on this post) enjoyed it. "Melanie" (thanks for the emails!) was more on the positive side. By the time I finally visited I already had some recommendations......and some dishes to avoid as well!

 

If this doorway looks familiar, this is where Chibugan used to be (more on Chibugan at the end of the post).

Looking at my photos of Chibugan; it seems that the folks removed a good amount of the interior clutter and opened the place up a bit...... I never realized how high the ceilings here were!

 

The place does end up being on the cold side, and things tend to echo.

Like the ECB location; this place seels all manner of shakes and drinks, one thing which the Missus always enjoys at the ECB shop.

I pretty much knew what I wanted to order...... Melanie and Joe recommended the Banh Cuon. So I went with the Banh Cuon Dac Biet ($6.50):

 

As things go; this was decent by San Diego standards. The rolls used Banh Cuon Uot, and the pork was fairly bland and dry. The Nem Chua was pretty good, I like mine a bit more sour, and there was only one slice of it.

 
The Banh Cuon were a bit drier than I enjoy as well. The Nuoc Mam Cham also tasted watered down. The Cha Lua - lean defatted pork sausage were decent. Overall, I thought this was better than the version at Tan Ky Mi Gia, but not even close to say, Banh Cuon Tay Ho. Of course nothing beats having it made fresh in the morning. To be honest, I returned at a later date and had this again, this time it was much better(though they gotta bump up that Nuoc Mam Cham)....... so I guess YMMV??

I sitll wasn't quite sure about this place, so I returned and got the very thing I was told NOT TO get..... the Pho. "Joe" did mentioned that the place had changed Pho cooks, so perhaps my bowl of Pho Tai, Chin, Nam, Gau, Gan, Sach..... heck just call it #6 ($5.75) would be ok.

 

I swear, this could be the twin of the bowl I had at Vietnamese Cuisine on Miramar Road. It was cloudy and lacked any distinctive character.... it was far from terrible, but maybe a "C-". The garnishes were fairly scarce. The noodles however, were prepared perfectly.

Where this bowl fell really short was in the protein department.....

 

For some reason all the cuts of meat were very dry, none more than the flank which was tough as well. The worse was the tripe which had that unpleasant soapiness to it.

Still, I returned...... And when I ordered my Banh Cuon the second time, I was starving so I decided to try the Thit Nuong Cuon (grilled pork spring rolls - $3.75):

 

Aside from being a bit too wet, and the bun being on the mushy side this was ok. I also thought these were on the skimpy side, and would have appreciated more herbs to cut the saltiness (in a good way) of the thin slices of the pork.

Being on the wetter side, these started falling apart pretty quickly.

I guess I'm a glutton for punishment because I returned to Song Huong one more time...... this time for the Bun Bo Hue ($5.50):

 

All thoughts that this was going to be a "bland bowl" went away as the bowl arrived, and the funky fragrance of Mam Tom, fermented shrimp paste hit me before the bowl arrived. For me, the over-riding smell sends mixed signals, as what passes for Bun Bo Hue in most Pho shops is a basic clear broth with Mam Tom and chilies, something which totally misses the mark. And unfortunately this was, well, that. I liken it to having a trio play something designed for a quintet...... all the music is there, but certain parts aren't played. The plate of finely shredded cabbage and bean sprouts, though on the small side did fine. I could have used a bit more mint to add a herbaceous flavor to the bowl. The lime came to good use.... it helped me cut through the strong shrimp paste flavor.

 

There was a tiny speck of meat on the pork hock, and the thick slices of beef were tough and dry.... and to think folks complain about the meat at Mien Trung, which along with Hoai Hue is in a total different league.

On the good side; the broth was scorching hot; as must for this type of soup, and the noodles were cooked properly.

In the end, the food here is not terrible; but when it comes to everything other than the Banh Cuon, in my opinion there are other much better options in the area. I do really like the young lady who I believe runs the place.... she is quiet, but very nice.....they've never charged me for tea, and "round down " my check. As to whether I'll return? Maybe after a fairly long break....

Song Huong
10550 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126

Postscript:

So what happened to Chibugan? Well, they moved over to a smaller space one door over:

 

One thing I've always liked about Chibugan is that they serve vertically challenged folks like me! Hah, just kidding.... but that's the first thing that went through my mind when I read "We make short orders!!!" Got a crispy pata for shorty over here?

It's called the revisits game - can you guess where? ***10/10/10 - It's Homestyle Hawaiian/Pho King/Mien Trung

I'm feeling a bit tired today, so I thought I'd minimize the writing and post mostly photos. So here are some revisits. I know I usually post the storefront before the food, but this time I'll post the food first, then at the end, I'll post the storefront. I've posted on these places maybe too many times, so if you've been reading for a couple of years, you'll recognize them right away.

So here goes.....

#1:

#2:

#3:

So, made your guesses?

All right then.... here are the restaurants.

The first place is:

That Loco Moco is from Homestyle Hawaiian.

That Hu Tieu Mi Kho can only be from....

 
That Pho King Restaurant! Sorry, I couldn't help with the childish humor.... in fact, I named the photos "more Pho King".  OK, can I have just one more? The folks in the office enjoy.....whoa, almost did it again, they like....well.....oh geez.....you get the point! I was drinking my coffee one day, and I mentioned that we hadn't eaten here in a while. To which "MG" exclaimed loudly, "oh yes, I miss Pho King!" The expression on her face after saying that was classic.....she had that "I wish I could reach out and grab what I said and stuff it back into my mouth" look. I nearly snorted my coffee out of my nose.... and could only manage a weak.... "I think you'd better tell your husband." Such is the "Pho King effect". 'nuff said.....

And finally that bowl of Bun Bo Hue is from:

So how many of you got three out of three?

Hoai Hue Vietnamese Restaurant

Over a month ago, I mentioned that Hoai Hue Restaurant would be opening in the former Huynh Hoa Tuu location. A quick check down the street confirmed that they closed up their old shop, and had moved to larger and more pretty digs. Truth be told, I was going to miss having people look for Hung's Tattoo Parlor and the Alcoholics Anonymous to find the place......

And if the recent cold weather didn't put you in the mood for Bun Bo Hue or Bun Rieu........

The pepto bismol pink interior has been repainted, and a few decorative items added, but "the bone structure" of the restaurant is the same.

The menu here reflects some regional differences in the names of a couple of dishes. For instance, what we usually call Bun Rieu is Bun Tom Cua. Still, there's no mistaking the freshness of the veggies that arrive in advance of your soup.

The brisk freshness of the herbs and greens, and the abundance of mint makes this one of two areas where Hoai Hue is superior to our favorite, Mien Trung. 

The Missus's Bun RieuBun Tom Cua ($6.75) arrived first, looking quite nice.

The Missus went over Her key points with regards to Bun Rieu.... the correct style noodles were used, and was cooked perfectly. The flavor of the broth was milder than Mien Trung, could have used a bit more of a pungent-savory punch, and for what is a deal breaker for the Missus, it was served lukewarm. We prefer this style of soup to be very hot, to better soften the usual amount of herbs a vegetables one adds to Bun Rieu and Bun Bo Hue. The usual crab-seafood patty is replaced with what is almost a seafood ball. It has a bit too much "squeak", and wasn't as pleasurable as the soft and tender crab patty.

There are three different Bun Bo Hue on the menu here, the Bun Bo Hue, Bun Bo Hue Dac Biet, and what I ordered, Bun Tom Hoai Hue($7.50), which had the addition of the seafood "meatball".

The second thing that Hoai Hue does better then Mien Trung are most of the cuts of meat. The pork hock has nice flavor. I'm not a fan of the two different "meatballs" served in the soup; the afore mentioned seafood meatball, and the bland meatball that replaces the typical Cha Lua was also not a great addition in my opinion. The broth was milder then Mien Trung's version, and really didn't have that spice, along with a nice lemongrass kick. Less pungent meant the addition of Mam Tom as well. My soup was also barely over lukewarm, but the noodles were perfect in texture.

We did notice that the soups here have changed a bit over the years, and now looks a bit more refined. The young man running the place initially thought we were Vietnamese, and was surprised when we told him we weren't. Hoai Hue still makes a decent bowl, our favorite next to Mien Trung. And it sure has been great Bun Bo Hue weather recently!

Hoai Hue Vietnamese Restaurant
4660 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Revisiting the Rotation: Mien Trung and Izakaya Sakura

A couple more revisits to our rotation.

Mien Trung:

Our recent cold weather meant an immediate return to Mien Trung, easily my favorite Bun Bo Hue in San Diego. I've had my share of Bun Bo Hue  and keep returning to this little Mom and Pop shop. It is literally a Mom and Pop shop; back in 2007 Mien Trung was closed for almost a month. When they reopened we asked why they were closed for the better part of a month. The answer was simple, "Mom was on vacation. No Mom, no soup!" It does beg the question of what happens when Mom decides to retire.... But let us consider more pleasant thoughts for now.

The Bun Bo Hue:

The soup was as usual spot on, full of lemongrass flavor with a nice lip and back of throat heat, and a mild savory fermented component to boot. One aspect I think is important with Bun Bo Hue, is the temperature of the broth. The main reason being the shredded veggies served on the side. The vegetables to me, are an integral part of the dish, and the soup needs to be very hot to soften the veggies a bit. I've become used to the thicker cut meat in Bun Bo Hue, those who want the tender rare steak, should stick with Pho Tai, as at all of the more traditional Central Vietnamese shops that serve Bun Bo Hue serve it that way. The noodles always seem to be served a perfect al dente at Mien Trung.

The perfect panacea for the cooler weather...... I have encountered a problem with eating Bun Bo Hue and Bun Rieu. It is the matter of attire, slurping around the annatto tinged broth, you are better off wearing something where little red dots aren't so conspicuous. I mention this because Ed from Yuma always seems to wear white or other light colors when we've eaten at Mien Trung......

Mien Trung Restaurant
7530 Mesa College Dr
San Diego, CA 92111
 

Izakaya Sakura, yet again:

Yes, another place that we've posted on many, many, times. Though if you think we pay a bit too much attention to Sakura, you should check out Dennis's posts on Sakura, which truly defines the word obsession dedication, the heights of which I've never seen in the world of blogging. I'm kinda glad cooler weather is upon us, since I haven't seen Kazu around much during lunch hour. No Kazu means no Chirashi, no natto-maguro don, etc, etc.....

So on this day, the Missus got Her usual, the Unadon - Unagi Rice:

 
The Missus really enjoys this... perhaps a bit too much, as She now visits Sakura solo. That in itself is not too bad, but She always makes sure to call me and let me know what a great lunch She's having!

I went with the Curry Udon:

The pleasantly hot, but somewhat thin broth was topped with a "slick" of Japanese Curry.

A little stirring with the chopsticks, and viola!

The curry added some heat, richness, and flavor to the rather thin and bland broth which I tasted before mixing. The noodles had a nice pull to it, which of course posed another problem....has anyone invented a "slurp proof" shirt yet??? Maybe Dennis might know!

Even though the curry had bits of ground beef in it, I had thought this would be a bit short on the protein, and it in fact was, which justified my ordering the Chicken Karaage.

I usually end up making my own Chicken Karaage at home since it's so easy, but I think Sakura's version is nice and light, if a bit short in the flavor department.  

So I guess with all these visits, Izakaya Sakura easily stays on our rotation.

To finish up, I just thought I'd throw in a coupla photos of the ever changing "special bento", just for the heck of it.

Anyone know where I can get a "slurp proof" shirt?

Izakaya Sakura
3904 Convoy St Ste 121
San Diego, CA 92111

O' Yea! Vietnamese Cuisine

Over a year after reading Mizducky's post on the quaintly named O Yea! we finally made it for a visit. You can read all about it in her post here.  If I recall, this used to be a Thai Restaurant in a former life. The interior is rather pink.....

   

The one odd thing is not the color, or any of the decor. In many kitchens you'll here the "ding" of the bell when a dish is ready for pick-up. At OY, you'll hear Big Ben Chime...."ding-dong-ding-dong.....ding-dong-ding-dong"!

The menu is just a tad South of huge, with 96+ dishes ranging from Pho Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup) to full on Hot Pot Dinners (Lau), and this doesn't include the 30 or so drinks. It's enough to trigger off "Vietnamese Menu Overload".

I decided to order the combination Com Tam pictured on the tabletop ($6.50):

 

The first thing I always try to note is the fragrance of the broken rice; for some reason it always stimulates my appetite. Unfortunately, the aroma of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline was lacking. It was appropriate as this dish was basically a "non-starter". The grilled pork was hard, greasy, and tough, though the "Cha" (steamed egg) was moist but bland. The "Bi" was dry, and lacked flavor.

 

The Missus had Her mind set on one thing from the beginning, those savory orbs of rice flour called Banh Khot ($6):

 

The Missus, an avowed Kanom Krok fan, had expected something similar with regards to texture; crisp exterior, light at first bite, with a still molten, custard like interior. This was already cold by the time it hit the table, and it was soggy all the way through.

Not a great meal by any stretch of the imagination. Still, I decided that I'd give the place another shot. Though the Missus decided to stay home and have leftovers.

Again, faced with the sizable menu, I was at a loss as to what to order. Not that the very nice young lady waiting for my order was pushy, when she was in fact quite nice......I think she's used to the initial state of confusion. I finally went with the Bun Bo Hue, one of my favorite noodle soups.

When the bowl arrived I was very surprised at the portion size.....it is priced at only five bucks($5):

 

In spite of the promising appearance, I could barely detect the scent of fish sauce. Nor could I pick up the aroma of lemongrass nor shrimp paste. Tasting the broth confirmed what my nose had not detected. The broth was very bland, annatto colored, salt water bland. The broth was also South of hot. BBH demands a scalding broth to take care of the herbs and vegetables provided. Notice I said vegetables, not garnish. For me the chopped greens are an integral part of the dish.

Too bad because the noodles were prepared well, and in spite of the lack of Cha Lua (steamed defatted pork sausage), there was meat galore in this bowl. The meat was very tender, the brisket full of flavor. The addition of Rau Ram (Vietnamese Coriander) added a nice peppery component to the bowl.

This bowl reminded me of the version at Pho Hoa Cali Express. It's Bun Bo Hue designed for Pho lovers, if you're looking for that, it's waiting for you here. I found this lacking the earthy, spicy, bright flavors of a good Bun Bo Hue.

I had really to like this restaurant; the prices are good, and I had really nice and friendly service. So maybe one of my FOYs (Friends of Yoso) out there can tell what of the 90 plus items on the menu is worth trying????

O'Yea! Vietnamese Cuisine
4660 El Cajon Blvd #102
San Diego CA 92115