Mien Trung Part 2

I first heard of Mein Trung when the Twins at Sandwich Emporium mentioned both Mein Trung and Hoai Hue Deli as having the best two versions of Bun Bo Hue in San Diego. And while we were on vacation, the ever intrepid Cathy managed a visit and write up, so please read it first here. Think of this as a sort of addendum to Her visit.

I was told that Mien Trung didn't actually serve Bun Bo Hue in the restaurant until recently. At first the Bun Bo Hue was only made for "catering" orders, and you can still see that today, as people arrive bringing in large metal pots to be filled, returned, or picked up wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. I guess the demand was finally large enough for Mien Trung to start serving Bun Bo Hue in the little restaurant on Mesa College Drive. So let's start with the food......

The Bun Bo Hue Dac Biet($4.99):

The Bun Bo Hue broth is very balanced, neither too sour, spicy, pungent, or oily. I'd say that the broth has a great attribute, that I really can't put my finger on, or my tongue around, I'll just call it that complex something extra, a rich combination of flavors that makes a good bowl of Bun Bo Hue what it is. Another mention should go to the often under appreciated noodles which are always served at an excellent al dente state, I've often had my Bun Bo Hue with soft over cooked noodles, noodles that have been cut, or have some short coming that I don't enjoy. The noodles also hold form during the whole eating process. I also enjoy the Gio Lua - the lean pork sausage, this version is studded with peppercorns which are a pleasant surprise. I do end up adding a small spoon or two of fermented shrimp paste, and maybe a bit of chili oil to give the broth an added punch. I've found that the other meat provided are pretty pedestrian; the thick cut beef is just okay and sometimes dry and tough, the tendon served is usually two to three small pieces that are of the thick cut variety and hard to eat. On occasion, the pork hock has a good bit of meat, that always feels like a bonus...sort of like the cherry on top of an ice cream sundae. This is possibly the best Bun Bo Hue in San Diego......

The Missus has found a new favorite noodle soup; it's the Bun Rieu, She alternates between the Bun Rieu($4.50):

and the Bun Rieu Oc Dac Biet(Oc=snails $5.75):

She enjoyed these soups so much, that we had to return 5 times in the two weeks after we had returned to San Diego from our vacation. For those who've never had Bun Rieu, it's a seafood based broth, traditionally made from a dark brown crab found in rice paddies. The crab is cleaned, than pound into a paste, shells and all, and strained several times. Eventually after this process is completed, the crab liquid is clarified, and the remaining meat is formed into patties. The soup is than made with the crab liquid, tomatoes, and other seasonings, resulting in Bun Bo Hue. I really don't know how this soup is made, but it's mighty good. You can still see the tasty "crab cake" that is provided, along with fried bean curd. The soup has an additional slightly sour flavor, and the fried shallots, sliced onion, and cilantro add wonderful flavor to the broth. You'll find that the "Bun" is slightly thinner than the variety used for Bun Bo Hue. The Oc', or snails really don't have much flavor, and some Nuoc Mam Cham is provided for the slightly rubbery snails. After having this a few times, the Missus grew tired of them, and now gets Her own variation. She now asks for Bun Rieu "Dac Biet", while placing Her hands about 18 inches apart, and now gets a jumbo size bowl of Bun Rieu. You could say it's the "Rieu thing"!

So while the Missus has been enjoying Her Bun Rieu, I've been exploring a few other dishes, like the Bun Mang Vit(Rice Vermicelli Soup with Bamboo Shoots  and Duck$4.99):

The broth for the soup is on the lighter side, and the taste of the reconstituted dried bamboo shoots adds a woodsy flavor. Overall, I found the duck to be rather flavorless, and to me there really wasn't enough bamboo in the soup. The soup comes with the usual topping of cilantro, fried shallots, and sliced onions. I still prefer the version at Chinese Kitchen, mainly for the amount of bamboo, and the flavorful duck. The broth at Mien Trung is more complex.

I also had a chance to try the Hen Xuc Banh Trang($4.99), and interesting appetizer, sort of like Chip n' Dip with an attitude:

A plate of stir fried baby clams, topped with sliced onions and cilantro is the "dip". The clams are very mildly spicy, with the distinct taste of black pepper. A large toasted Sesame Cracker(the chip) is provided for scooping purposes.

I found the clams to be somewhat gritty, and the Missus thought the whole dish to be somewhat fishy. Funny thing, I took the leftover clams(it was quite a bit), and used them in my packaged ramen broth, and man did it taste good!

We also partook of a few of the Central Vietnamese "Banh" (Steamed Cake) dishes. Starting with the Banh Beo($3.75):

Man this was alot of Banh Beo! It was kind of on the dry side, but did it have alot of ground dried shrimp on it, but it never tasted very fishy. It was all topped off with two slices of Gio Lua.

The Banh Bot Loc($3.75):

These steamed tapioca flour dumplings filled with a piece of shrimp and pork is steamed and served in a piece of banana leaf that adds a wonderful smoky, almost tea like flavor to the dumpling. The Missus enjoyed the flavor, though thought the pork was very tough. It was served with a little dish of Nuoc Mam(fish sauce), with sliced red chilies in it that was super spicy...as in burn your lips of spicy.

The Ban Nam La($3.75), which Cathy covers in detail:

As I mentioned at the outset, for more details please read Cathy's post on Mien Trung. Mien Trung has been added to rotation, the Missus peeked over my shoulder as I was typing this up, and said "mmmm, we need to get that this week!"

The service at Mien Trung is quick, and the folks are friendly, and the soup is always served hot.

Mien Trung
7530 Mesa College Drive
San Diego, CA 92111

Open Tues-Sun 11am-8pm

Comments

[nhbilly]

The 2 soup you guys had is pork base. The meatballs for the bun rieu - aka rieu is made of ground pork, eggs, and "damn I forgot what you call it."

Bun rieu and bo hue is more aromatic due to the fact of the YUMMY shrimp paste.

I'm so hungry now...geesh thanks!

[Kirk]

Hi nhbilly - Sorry to stir up hunger pangs so early in the am. I've been told that this Bun Rieu is Pork and Crab based, and it's not quite as pungent as other versions.

[Trent]

Thanks for covering this place, it's a neighborhood favorite of mine that I think gets overlooked.
BTW, was that blood cake peeking out of the Bun Bo Hue? I thought you usually passed on that!

[clayfu]

one day maybe it'll be open when i go during normal business dinner hours of 7pm !!!

[Didi]

Hi Kirk, glad you got to review the place, and that the Bun Bo Hue is very much to your liking.
I do love the broth at Mien Trung no matter what I ordered.

Hmm, must try some of the Nuoc Mam.
I'm hungry now. Must go there.

[Andy 食神]

the iron gates are usually in the back of the restaurant, but this one puts it front to invite customers inside.

that bun bo hue looks good!

[reynila]

Kirk
Welcome back!

Is that coagulated beef blood in the soup (1st few photos)?

[Kristy]

Hey Kirk! This is a place MS would probably like!!! I may be driving down to SD this weekend... I'll see what we have planned... Can't wait for you to come up to LA!!! Do I finally get to meet the Missus??? Miss ya!!!

Kristy

[howie]

Those are some pretty tasty looking bowls of noodles! The appetizers look very delicious too. Now that I'm off my diet, I'm gonna pop on over here this week. I haven't had BBH in months!

[Chubbypanda]

Man, you *and* Kathy. I let my guard down for a little bit and everyone starts steppin' up the feeding frenzies. But imma make a comeback. You can bet on it. =)

- Chubbtpanda

[Kathy]

Awesome post Kirk!!! I'm actually on the phone with my mom right now, demanding an explaination as to why she's never introduced me to Hen Xuc Banh Trang before, lol :) (my parents are from Vietnam and I thought I had some culinary ground covered...but you're far ahead! :)

[mizducky]

Yay for Mien Trung! Now I'm hungry too! I guess I'll have to patiently wait till daylight ... :-)

[Robwonton]

Man, those pictures look good. Since having our baby, meals out for food have been few and far between. I have been making a list of places to try based on your blog and can't wait to try out. Keep up the great blogging.

[clayfu]

haha i went again yesterday.
they dont take credit card only cash =(

[Guilty Carnivore]

Looks awesome. When I used to live in SD, (not having a car) I would on my day off (or during a "doctor's visit") at times take the trolley east to check out the Vietnamese restaurants.

The Bun Rieu looks amazing! I have never really mustered up enough courage to order Bun Rieu in a restaurant, after seeing the care and time it takes for my mother pull to pull it together growing up - the trust factor has always been an issue. Here in Portland we've had waiters even tell us to avoid it. But this I would try in a heartbeat.

And it seems like Vietnamese food prices have hardly grown since I lived there in the late nineties - they don't seem to index against inflation! Here in Portland Vietnamese prices are 20-50% higher across the board. $7.99 for a bowl of Bun Thit Nuong that's mostly rice noodles and bland nuoc mam - c'mon!

[Ed]

Yum, blood cake! When I was in Oulu, Finland on New Year's Day 2004, I went out with a couple of friends to Sokeri-Jussi Kievari, a restaurant specializing in traditional Finnish food. I ordered the local specialty, which was a soup with bacon, potatoes, and cubes of blood cake! I was in heaven - and I garnered the admiration of my Finnish colleagues, who were worried that I wouldn't like the soup because of the blood cake. Not to worry, I said, as I proceeded to tell them about the old Filipino standbys, dinuguan (blood stew) and pinapaitan (bile soup with tripe)! I wish I had a camera to capture the collective expressions on their faces!

[Kirk]

Hi Trent - We asked to exclude the blood, but I think they forgot...it wasn't a big deal, we just move it to the side.

Hi Clayfu - Your Mein Trung adventures are starting to grow to almost soap opera proportions..."will Clayfu ever get his Bun Bo Hue...stay tumed tomorrow, or the day after, or the day after......" LOL!

Hi Didi - Yes, the broth at Mein Trung is the star.

Hi Andy - The Bun Bo Hue here is very good.

Hi Reynila - It's pork blood cubes, I've found that most Central Vietnamese noodle soups have it.

Hi Kristy - Happy B-Day again! Nice to hear from you, I think MS may like the Bun Bo Hue at Mein Trung.

Hi Howie - Let me know what you think.

Hi CP - Well of course we're just waiting for that leeeetle opening, and WHAM! LOL! Can't wait to see what you come up with.

Hi Kathy - At the time I didn't recall seeing that at other restaurants...but maybe I never paid much attention before, because I've just seen it a two other places!

Hi Mizducky - It's good stuff, ain't it?

Hi Rob - Man, Maya sure is growing! It's just a matter of time, "U-ni Daddy, Suki-yaki Daddy".....

Hi GC - You know, I spoke to someone recently and got about the same statement...they don't ever have Bun Rieu because Mom makes an awesome version...

Hi Ed - Dinuguan, huh? That must've been funny...

[Jose Ojeda]

How does the Bun bo hue compare with Pho ca dao?? I thought ca dao's was very spicy and salty! But I loved the lemongrass flavor.

[Kirk]

Hi Jose - Pho Ca Dao on ECB makes my 3rd or 4th favorite Bun Bo Hue, the Bun Bo Hue at Mien Trung is not as pungent, nor salty. It is much more balanced and has much more depth. I could go on in much more detail, but maybe this post will help:

http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2007/07/the-bun-bo-hue-.html

[Liver]

So Kirk, is one supposed to drink all of the broth in the bowl of bun bo hue, a la the ramen broth in Tampopo?