Nha Trang Vietnamese Food

*** Nha Trang has closed.

On a recent trip to Asia Cafe I noticed that a Vietnamese Restaurant had opened up in the strip mall across the street. I don't think there are too many Vietnamese Restaurants in the area, so I decided to check it out.

The name of the restaurant is Nha Trang, and is located between a donut shop and Mexican Bakery. The interior had obviously been recently "freshened up", and though the furniture seemed a bit on the crowded side, the restaurant was nice and clean.

The menu is small, and consists of mainly Pho Bo(beef) and Pho Ga(chicken). The gentleman running the place dropped off a menu, basically a two page laminated sheet, and I placed my order.

I started with Goi Cuon(spring rolls - $3):

  This version came with a little dish of Nuoc Mam Cham, which was nicely spiced, if a bit on the sweet side. The ingredients of the spring roll was very fresh, and you could tell it was rolled when ordered. I thought the spring roll was short on herbs, and was almost all lettuce and bun(rice vermicelli), making it rather "blah". It was also rolled too loosely.

As is my habit when trying Pho for the first time at any restaurant, I ordered the Dac Biet (special - large $5.25). Based on the Goi Cuon, I was ready to be underwhelmed. And when the bowl arrived I was not dissuaded in the least bit:

My initial reaction was that this bowl was on the small side, and the broth looked very light and low in oil. The very skimpy amount and variety of garnishes was also uninspiring.

But as I dug into the bowl I noticed something....though the broth was not especially "rich" it was also not heavily salted, and I could taste a hint of a pleasant sweetness. The noodles were perfect, and though in a clump, the texture was great, a bit of pull, and not mushy. The meat, other than the tough and rubbery meatballs, was excellent....the slices of rare steak were soft and tender, same with the mildly beefy fatty flank. The two tiny strips of tendon was soft and buttery, I only wished that there was more of it.

I managed to speak to the Owner, who is very nice and pleasant. He and his wife used to run the Chinese Fast Food restaurant at this location, but decided to go back to their Vietnamese roots. He also told me that they take pleasure in serving fresher foods, and were planning to expand their menu. Since they had only been open for 2 weeks at the time of this visit, I'm sure they are still straightening things out. I just may check them out again in the future.

Nha Trang Vietnamese Food
4676 Market St
San Diego, CA 92102

Comments

[Christine D.]

Eeyah....for $3 I'd expect a lot more. I hope that they expand their menu to include more seafood dishes. Nha Trang is a very famous coastal town.

[Kat]

I'm probably wrong, but I thought the not-deep fried ones are called summer rolls and the deep fried ones are called spring rolls. Anywho, both dishes look great :)

[yummieyummy]

I got the chance to visit Nha Trang during my trip to Vietnam and the sand and the beach are just beautiful. This will go on to my soon to visit list. Thanks for the post. They should give out a little more basil. I love basil!

[howie]

I noticed this place a couple of weeks ago too on a trip to Asia Cafe. It's good to know that the pho is promising. I will definitely check it out soon.

[nhbilly]

Looks decent, but the spring roll is lacking "MEAT" and where is the peanut sauce.

[Emily]

These are the exact same spring rolls that I find in Paris (rouleau de Printemps). When you get them for take out they are wrapped in cellophane.

And the pho looks pretty Parisian too. Perhaps that means it is really Vietnamese! Good luck to them.

[janfrederick]

I don't think I've ever had pho meatballs that weren't tough and rubbery. Where can I get some that are otherwise?

[yummieyummy]

Most pho meatballs are tough if the meatballs don't have enough tendon in it. Usually when I make my pho, I like to boil the meatballs in hot water for 3 minutes, then it will be more on a crunchy side and not so tough anymore. You can try to buy meatballs at Huy Ky Bakery. They distribute meatballs to restaurant and also sell them retail. Their meatballs are smaller than the regular size. The texture is not always the same though. But it's not too bad. Huy Ky Bakery is on corner of Chamoune Ave & University in City Heights.

[Kirk]

Hi Christine - Yes, not worth the $3.

Hi Kat - Yes, you are correct...sort of. I usually go by the restaurant's description of the dish, and in San Diego, these are called spring rolls....they are more accurately Salad Rolls. Summer Rolls was something I used to see in Hawaii, and I see in a few Thai Restaurants.

Hi YY - Yes, more basil, and some Ngo Gai......Thanks for the tip on meatballs too!

Hi Howie - Yes, check it out, nice folks.

Hi Billy - They substituted Nuoc Mam......kinda threw me off as well.

Hi Emily - How neat.....it looked Parisian....I like that!

Hi Jan - The good meatballs have a bit of "squeak" to them, and resist when you bite, but are not rock hard.