Thien Thanh

*** Update Thien Thanh has since closed, sigh.....

I've still got 2 more posts on Portland, but I thought I'd take a short break and return "home" to San Diego. I've passed Thien Thanh Vietnamese Restaurant on El Cajon Boulevard hundreds of times. I thought it would be a good idea to finally have a meal there.

I don't ever recall hearing anything on Thien Thanh, so I thought it would be at the least an interesting visit. Thien Thanh is located in a strip mall on the corner of El Cajon Blvd and Menlo Avenue, just East and across the street from the strip mall that houses A Chau and Minh Ky.

The interior of Thien Thanh is quite clean, and bright. The menu is quite varied, and even has a section titled Dac Biet(Specials) which was almost all in Vietnamese(except the Steak & French Fries!!!):

 

Not quite sure what most of these are, I'm pretty sure the first 5 items are salads, but does anyone see anything interesting.....except the sashimi.

We started off with the Banh Xeo($6.00 - Vietnamese Crepe). A plate of very fresh lettuce, mint, and Tiet To(Purple Perilla), along with two small bowls of Nuoc Mam Cham.

Honestly, some of the freshest garnishes I've ever encountered in a Vietnamese Restaurant.

The very rich looking crepe arrived soon after. The Missus took a lettuce leaf, some garnishes, a large piece of the crepe, dipped her "bite" into the nuoc mam, bit into it, and made a face....... "What, is that taste....too rich!" I put together my crepe, and took a bite. It was very clear, to me. "There's alot of coconut milk in this."

Those that enjoy the taste of coconut milk will love this. I thought the strong coconut flavor detracted from the excellent ingredients. In the crepe were large plump shrimp, strips of pork(instead of the usual ground pork), and the crepe was fried to perfection.

The Missus ordered her remedy to the hot weather; Bun Cha Gio(Vermicelli with Egg Rolls - $5.95):

The Missus declared this Her favorite version of this dish. What set this apart, was the generous amount of Mint and Tiet To cut into a chiffonade. The Nuoc Mama Cham also went well with the dish, as it wasn't too sweet. Sounds like we'll be having a few more of these in the future.

I ordered the Com Tam Dac Biet(Special Broken Rice - $6.50):

As with the Dac Biet Com Tam dishes, a mixed bag. The Grilled Pork was tasteless and dry, and the Fried Bean Curd Skin with Shrimp was fried perfectly but bland. The Shredded Pork, which on a bad day can be like chewing on rubberbands, except rubberbands have more flavor, was surprisingly moist, and there was a little surprise, little pieces of garlic gave the pork flavor. I still haven't met a Steamed Egg(except one) that I didn't like.

And this was no exception. The broken rice was very moist as well. A pretty good dish on the whole.

I think we'll be making another visit to Thien Thanh in the near future. The service was very nice, and there are other interesting dish on the menu, like Bun Bo Hue, Bun Rieu(Northern style crab flavored broth with vermicelli), Bun Rieu Oc(the above with snails), Curry Lamb, and other items from the Vietnamese Menu. I found prices to be on the high side, but the quality and freshness of the ingredients explain why. No Pho Bo' on the menu, though Pho Ga' (Chicken Noodle Soup) is.

Thien Thanh Vietnamese Restaurant
4658 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Sun-Thurs 8am-9pm
Fri-Sat 8am-10pm

Comments

[Kady]

I love LOVE love Bun Cha Gio. Thank you so much for listing the Vietnamese names for the dishes so that if I'm ever in that area I know what to order. I HATE not knowing the languages to go with my favorite foods. If we're ever near there I must get some Bun Cha Gio. When I was in college I lived on that whenever possible.

[mizducky]

Oooh! Another yummy-looking place to check out! :-)

[SK]

Thien Thanh is two blocks from my house so we go there all the time. The proprietor is really nice-- she always takes time to chat with us if she's there when we come in.

Try the Thai-style (?) hot and sour soup, it has a nice mix of shrimp and vegetables and a flavorful broth. I also like their version of chow fun-- it's one of my comfort foods, and their version has a good mix of meat and vegetables and isn't too heavy.

[ed (from Yuma)]

Looks good. I suspect that it is one of those places that you need to eat at several times to find out what they do best.

But I am surprised you didn't just point at one of the specials and order it.

The hard part of doing that is when they say, "you sure you want hen xuc banh da?" you have to stick to your original choice and to prove you really wanted it, you have to eat all of whatever it is.

[Kristy]

Hmm...you dish didn't sound too good but I'm glad the Missus liked hers. Not boding well for my trying to like more Vietnamese foods. I did, however, come across a great Vietnamese food site: http://www.vietworldkitchen.com ...with recipes, links to good Vietnamese eats, and other Vietnamese cultural information. =)

[Anna]

the Chim Cut Ro Ti is "roasted pigeon" although i suspect they'll probably serve squab...Canh Ga Chien Bo is fried Chicken wings but i'm not sure if the "bo" refers to method or taste (can't see the accent mark)...Ech Chein Bo is fried frog legs...#12 De Nuong is grilled goat...#13 Oc Buu Xau Xa is Lemongrass Escargot...#14 Long Heo means Pig innards? not sure how that's cooked....#18 Cua Hap, Tom Hap, Nghieu Hap is Steamed Crab, Steamed Shrimp, Steamed Clams...#17 Cua Xang Me is Crab Stir-fried with something...

Sorry my Vietnamese is not perfect - i knew i should listened to my mum and kept taking my lessons when i was young. :0)

[Kirk]

Hi Kady - Then you may want to chkec out Thien Thanh.

Hi Mizducky - One of many places on ECB........

Hi SK - Thanks for the recommendations.

Hi Ed - I'd usually try something from the Dac Biet menu, if I have a slight clue as to what they were - in this case I kinda knew the salads, but had no clue as to anything else. And when we asked, we were told they were appetizers....and not much else.

Hi Kristy - That's the thing with Com Tam Bo 7 Mon, or other combinations, most times, not everything will be good - but having a variety clues you in to what the restaurant does well. I've visited Vietworldkitchen a few times - thanks for reminding me.

Hi Anna - Thanks so much for the help - #12 looks like the way to go for us next time, or even #13.

[Passionate Eater]

Yum, fresh herbs and delicious spring rolls and bun! Sounds like a place I'd like to visit if I am ever in San Diego.

[Kathy]

Banh Xeo is my absolute favorite Vietnamese dish! Sorry it was so heavy on the coconut, but oh man, amazing stuff when done right with the light, crispy and flaky "skin" and sweet shrimp and sprouts :) - you know what I mean!

[Kirk]

Hi PE - On a hot day like today, Bun Cha Gio sounds really good.

Hi Kathy - I know what you mean. The crepe would have been really good if not for the heavy handed coconuttiness......

[ed (from Yuma)]

Went there on my most recent visit to SD. Very friendly people. I was actually thinking about bun riu, but when I asked if it was spicy, the server said no that if I wanted spicy, I should have the bun bo hue. So it was fate.

It was wonderful. Light complex broth. Packed with stuff - 3 pieces of pigs foot with meat, beef slices, pork loaf slices, and tons of noodles. Some chopped green leaves on top. And the garnishes were astounding. Mint, something like red shiso leaf, some sliced green stems of something, bean sprouts, jalapeno slices, galangal slices ? (I didn't recognize - there were all these thin slices of something that looked like very brown colored onion). Anyway, for the first 10 - 15 minutes as I was eating, I kept adding stuff. All in all, a very complex mix of flavors. Well worth trying. Like no other bun bo hue I've eaten. Total cost $6. Thanks again Kirk!

[Kirk]

Hi Ed - Sounds like you found one for your rotation.

[Jack]

Thanks Kirk. I don't know how many times I have passed this place but never ventured in.

[Kirk]

Hi Jack - I think you'll enjoy yourself, the people here are very nice.