Pho' Cali

*** Pho Cali has closed

No it's not Pho' Hoa Cali, nor Pho' T Cali, nor related to any other Pho' something Cali's in San Diego. It's just Pho' Cali.

Around the time of the Tet Festival we started noticing all these little signs on almost every corner announcing "Now Pho' in Mission Valley!" As if this event was the greatest thing since sliced bread. I mean really, there are two Pho' places right up Ulric Street in Linda Vista, Pho Hoa Hiep and Pho' Hoa, not ten minutes away. Well, call it great marketing if you will, but a few weeks ago, I decided to pay Pho' Cali a visit.

I was impressed with the bright and clean interior.

This being Mission Valley, I was prepared for the higher prices, so about a buck more for Pho' didn't bother me. But don't turn the page of the menu; the Banh Mi here is $4.99!

Being the creature of habit that I am I ordered the Pho' Dac Biet(Combination - $5.99). In this case a bowl of Pho' with rare steak, well done steak, flank, brisket, tendon, and tripe. I ordered, and the garnishes arrived.

The most skimpiest amount of garnish I've ever seen! One sprig of basil! There was however, one leaf of Ngo Ngai. It was tucked away under the bean sprouts, in almost an apologetic manner, as if embarrassed to be associated with such a meager amount of bean sprouts.

I will say that the Pho' Cali served me the fastest bowl of Pho' I've ever had; it arrived at my table in less then 5 minutes after I ordered. Almost beating my ice water and garnish.

I started my Pho' eating ritual; first tasting the broth before adding anything to it. My observations? Nice amount of oil, yet the broth was not very rich, with a slight anise flavor and mild garlicky undertones. Not bad, not good, and pretty generic. There was a fairly small amount of meat, and I didn't find any well done steak. The rare steak, though sliced nice and thin, was tough, as was the tendon. The brisket had no flavor. I even almost chipped a tooth on a tiny piece of bone.

The worst thing was the giant clump of noodle on the bottom of the bowl:

This was why the Pho' arrived so quickly! I separated the noodles, and found that the noodles in the interior portion of the clump was cold! A big no-no. Also, the noodles were mushy, and had no "pull" to them. This was the second worst Banh Pho' I've ever had. I never finished the noodles, though I did a pretty good job on the broth, which tasted much better as the flavor from the garnishes, green onion, cilantro, and sriracha I added started to fuse together.

In the end, the best thing about Pho' Cali was the pond right outside.

I don't know if you'll notice. Normally, I'd visit any Pho' Restaurant at least twice before posting. In this case I see no need to do that. I guess Pho Cali is pretty great compared to the "Chain Restaurant/Fast Food Purgatory" that is Mission Valley. But I'd rather just drive up the street to Linda Vista.

Pho' Cali
1400 Camino De La Reina #105
San Diego, CA 92018

Open 9:30AM- 9:30PM Daily

Comments

[clare eats]

What a shame.
I am still shocked at how few garnishes you got, really amazed, perhaps they think you won't use them?

[Jack]

What kind of measly garnish plate is that? You should have gotten maybe 2-3X that amount. Like you said, Linda Vista is just a mile or two away if you are in the mood for pho. BTW, is Kona Kakes still in that shopping center?

[minote]

You would want to try pho at the Lucky Seafood restaurant in Mira Mesa. It is inside or, you can say, next to the Lucky Seafood grocery place in Mira Mesa & Black Mountain Rd. It has been my family's favorite pho place ever.

[Candice]

What's your favorite place for Pho? I was at Phuong Trang last weekend - I love their food but I don't think the pho is the best.

[Kirk]

Hi Clare - Perhaps you're right - but I do consider the garnishes to be one of the key compnents of a good bowl of Pho'

Hi Jack - I saw the sign, but didn't check to see if they are still in business.

Hi Minote - That's coming up, first I'll do Lucky Seafood, and then I'll do the Restaurant. BTW, how's the "Mi" (egg noodle soup) place that just opened in the same mall?

Hi Candice - Well of the places I've posted on so far - I still rather enjoy Convoy Noodle House(thought the broth can be very heavy on clove). I think Pho Hoa Hiep and Pho Ca Dao are very similar, and very consistent. I really don't get the Pho' at Phuong Trang or Saigon(way too much Anise for my tastes). I thought Pho Hoa Cali, now Pho T Cali was okay. I've never been to Pho Hoa Cali in Mira Mesa so don't really know. I enjoyed the broth at Pho Hoa on ECB, and Pho Hoa on Linda Vista, but need to revisit, I also need to revisit Bolsaa and Bolsa, I can't remember much about them it was so long ago. There are waaaay to many places to try, like Pho Van, etc.....

[Green Turtle]

Though not Vietnamese, a new Thai place just opened up on Clairemont Mesa Blvd called Bangkok West (a little bit east of the Spice House Cafe). Have you tried it yet and if so, will a review be showing up here soon?

[elmomonster]

Muahahahaha! That plate of garnish was pathetic. Stingy and sad. But like I commented on EDBM's latest post, it's actually fun to read about bad food than it is about good food. Thanks for posting this one!

[Kirk]

Hi Green Turtle - I've passed that new strip mall several times, and aim to visit sometime next week! I wish they had another interesting restaurant there instead of Rubios.

Hi Elmo - Fun for you.... Actually, some fun for me as well.

[Brian]

Jack,

Yes Kona Kakes is still there. How do I know? My sis works there :) hehe

[Kirk]

Hi Brian - Thanks for the updated info.

[Rachel]

yuk! nothing worse than cold noodles. loved your comment about the ngo ngai being embarassed to be seen with suck skimpy garnish hehe.

[Rachel]

err thats such skimpy garnish not suck

[howie]

That's too bad. It's always nice to have another pho place handy. Now that you've eaten in practically ever pho place in SD, maybe you should do a roundup post like you did with the loco mocos? Or maybe for bun bo hue. You could give scores for broth, meat, noodles, and garnish.

[minote]

Hey Kirk,
I'm not sure which Mi place you talked about. I saw there's a new restaurant just opened near by. I will check later. There's another Pho place *don't remember the name* inside the BoA complex which is the complex next to Lucky Seafood. It is behind Wings 'n Things. It seems lots of people like to eat there as well. I tried it once and I thought it's ok, not as good as Pho in Lucky Seafood.
I have been trying a lot of Pho places, in Linda Vista, off Bernardo Center Drive, near the Denny's place off in Mira Mesa, but I still end up getting my Pho at Lucky Seafood.
Maybe you want to explore other dishes, you can try Bali Thai in Mission Valley, they have a mix menu from Thai dishes to Indonesian dishes.

[Kirk]

Hi Rachel - Cold noodles is a big no-no.

Hi Howie - I haven't posted on too many Pho' places to date. I need to revisit many places from my pre-blogging days, and then I'll do a summary.

Hi Minote - Funny you should mention, Pho Hoa Cali - the one behind wings n' things. Many people I know consider it to be the best Pho' in San Diego. I did have my "buddy" Reid from Ono Kine Grindz take a look at the Indonesian Menu of Bali, to make some rec's for Indonesian Food. I did think the prices were kind of high.

[JKP]

I enjoy reading about your food adventures. I have neither the time nor the patience to go through w/ blogging, but enjoy reading other people's work.

Although I agree with your post on Pho Cali that the garnish and broth are pretty weak, I like this place because in my experience, the noodles and broth have been hot--almost scalding--on all visits except my last (last week), and the meat has been consistantly good. I always get the pho dac biet as well. I hate it when the pho becomes lukewarm and eventually cold by the end of the meal, and it has yet to happen to me here at Pho Cali. Maybe you caught them on an off night, or the place is falling off. Hope it's not the latter.

[Kirk]

Hi JKP - Thanks for stopping by and commenting! I'm glad that you enjoy the Pho' at Pho' Cali. Personally, I feel I can get better just a few minutes away in Linda Vista.

[stef]

LOL at the garnish plate. It looks like they dumped the giant basil there to "hide" the embarrassing amount of sprouts, etc.

[Kirk]

Hi stef - welcome back! pretty sad garnish, isn't it?

[Stephanie]

I have only been to Pho Cali once, and it was just okay, there are many others in San Diego that are much better...I have found that Pho Sao Bien on Garnet Ave has excellent bbq'ed shrimp Pho, and the portions are generous. Also, a longtime favorite that is always great is Pho Ca Dao...I have gotten to know the staff, and less than 5 minutes after I walk in the door my Seafood Pho is brought to my table along with the best spring rolls in town!