There are times like this, when my avocation takes a back seat to my vocation. This past few weeks has been a challenge, finding time to eat, much less portioning out part of the day to post, sometimes took a bit of effort. It is during these times that I'm thankful for Cathy's help! I am doing well, and to quote Ed from Yuma, quoting Samuel Clemens, "the rumors of my demise were greatly exaggerated". I'm still alive and kickin', if a bit tired.
I don't have enough fingers, and toes for that matter, for which to count the number of people I know who consider Pho HoaCali the best place in the greater San Diego for Pho. My personal favorite is Lucky Pho which is right across the street, but I wouldn't fault you for having Pho HoaCali listed as your favorite. My usual time for a visit is before 11am...and sometimes as early as 8 or 9, I love Pho for breakfast! It also helps that at during that time, the packed and crazed little restaurant is a bit more peaceful. It also ensures that I get a great parking space.....I'm sure there are some who have never been able to get within sniffing range of the front and center parking stall!
PHC, has one thing in my opinion that put them head and shoulders above the other Pho shops in the area.....the meat. In this photo "from the vault", of a visit last year, you can see what I mean.
On this visit, I ordered the Dac Biet (special), large bowl, which at that time was somewhere around five and a half bucks. My favorite by far was the brisket and tendon(duh!), both of which shone. The garnishes were of good quality, and the amount adequate.
The noodles had the perfect texture, just right right amount of pull, and not over-cooked as id the case at many other places. What was disappointing, was that the broth lacked a good beef flavor, which was strange because I've always thought that the broth at PHC was pretty good and beefy, if a bit lacking in other flavors. It was also much too salty. Hmmm...I decided to give PHC a rest. This visit was not without some "interesting" vignettes however. I saw one customer get up and start berating the Server. Doing my best "fly on the wall" impression, after a few seconds I understood that the customer was angry because he believed that when the Server moved the Pho from the tray to his table, the Server had stuck his thumbs into the soup! I also viewed the phenomenon from which PHC earned the nickname "Hoisin City" from a friend of mine. Folks dumping huge amounts of hoisin and sriracha into the Pho, without nary a taste to see if the broth needed it.
And so I just kinda gave PHC a rest. Until reading about several folks who just raved about the Bun Bo Hue at PHC. Bun Bo Hue happens to be one of my favorite soups, so I just had to check it out. And however misguided or somewhat esoteric it may be, over the last few years, I've kinda developed my own "shortlist" of what I look for, or more appropriately sniff, stare, and taste for, in Bun Bo Hue. So here's how the BBH at PHC (you gotta love the abbrev's) was for me.
First off, the price (small) $5.65:
The bowl arrived, and it looked downright delicious if a bit short on the "annatto red" that I'm used to. It also lacked any type of serious lemongrass-shrimp paste fragrance. I enjoyed the flavor of the Rau Ram(Vietnamese Coriander), but other than that, this broth really lacked the bright flavor of a good bowl of Bun Bo Hue. First off, the lemongrass and mild ginger flavor was sorely lacking. The broth was also seriously lacking in heat, and had only a very mild hint of the shrimp paste flavor I've become familiar with. The broth had a nice amount of oil, which was very noticeable because the bowl was delivered lukewarm. It is important that my BBH...or even Bun Rieu be delivered absolutely tongue scortching hot. Why? It's because of this:
While the herbs served with Pho are considered "garnishes", I've come to understand that the herbs and vegetables served with Bun Bo Hue and Bun Rieu are treated more like vegetables, and are an integral part of the dish. It is also important that the broth be served hot, so that the vegetables, in this case only shredded cabbage(?), will soften a bit.
The noodles were okay, if a bit too soft. If there was one redeeming feature of this Bun Bo Hue, it would be the meat, all of which was top notch. I did lament the lack of Cha Lua(steamed defatted pork sausage) in this bowl, but not for very long, as the excellent tendon (just as good as Pho Ca Dao on ECB) soon diverted my attention.
All things considered, this bowl lacked the soul of a bowl of Bun Bo Hue. And after eating it, I can understand how misguided individuals can call Bun Bo Hue, "spicy Pho"(please forgive me Wandering Chopsticks). That's basically what it tasted like.
I really didn't want to do a post at a place where I've enjoyed a good many bowls of Pho over the years, and end things this way. So recently, before things got too crazy, I went for another bowl of breakfast Pho. With the various combinations of meats available on the typical sizeable Pho menu, you'd think I'd be able to get my "dream combination" - brisket, flank, and tendon. But alas, it isn't available on the menu(though I'm sure that I'd be able to request it), so decided to order the #7, rare steak, flank, tendon, and tripe ($5.65).
What came my way was a steaming hot large bowl (and I was only charged for a regular). The garnishes were again of good quality, if a bit sparse. On this day the broth was as I remembered, mildly beefy and light. The meat was good as it always is, and the noodles perfect. It was a good bowl of Pho........
I've found the service at Pho HoaCali to be efficient. It may be because I usually eat there in the mornings, but I've never had the "menu dealt out, and the Server standing over you with the ordering pad" thing done here. The Guy who mans the register has alway been nice and friendly, and I'll gladly go back for some Pho...no Bun Bo Hue for me though.
Pho Hoacali Express
9170 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126
I was just at Bolsa down the street last night getting some Pho. I've driven by this place many a time and will stop by next time!
Posted by: sharon | Monday, 29 September 2008 at 09:35 PM
I don't think I'll be craving pho for awhile. I cooked about or close to 3-4 gallons worth of pho! 2 package of ox tail 4-5lbs, 2 package of beef shank with bone in 4lbs, 1lbs of brisket with all the fat, and 5lbs of beef bone. My family ate it all up in 1 day for lunch and for dinner. And the bone marrow is so so so goooood. I wonder why some of these shop have to resort to adulterating their pho if just making it wholesome and simple it would sell. I think I spent closet to $80.oo to feed close to 20-30 people. And I only spend 10 hours to cook it. FYI - making it with the more expensive cuts to will cut down on your cooking time. And I never use MSG nor do I have any in my cupboard.
Posted by: nhbilly | Monday, 29 September 2008 at 10:00 PM
this is a nice pho place, altho i have not been there for a while. i like lucky pho too haha. i have not gotten the bun bo hue there, although i have gotten it at that place where i read a post about and that was my first time trying bun bo hue...it was really good. i forget the name, but its in the same plaza as k's sandwiches. that plaza had my favorite pho place, pho pasteur..i liked the broth there a lot. and as a bonus, i'd walk to ks after to pick up some sandwiches, for some midnight munchies. also, i believe a taco truck used to be in that area too, from another post that i read on this site...not sure if you kirk were the one who wrote it tho. and let me tell you, my friends and i loved that taco truck....last i heard though from a friend that that taco truck was gone. hopefully that isn't true. hurray for pho!
Posted by: sawyer | Monday, 29 September 2008 at 11:23 PM
it has been raining here all day, this pho looks like a nice way to warm up :)
Posted by: kat | Tuesday, 30 September 2008 at 12:06 AM
Here I thought I was the only one not especially fond of rare steak, yet that seems the default meat usually at pho places - it comes with virtually all the meat combos.
But jeez, I'd love to have a pho place here. Even a mediocre one. With just rare steak as a meat option. Please.
Posted by: ed (from Yuma) | Tuesday, 30 September 2008 at 07:10 AM
Kirk, you must have been reading my mind. I'm going to PHC for lunch. Rare steak and tendons for me please. I think the one in MM is a bit more consistent than the one in RB, which the Mister and I go on the weekends. But I'll have to remember to try pho for breakfast one day. Sounds wonderful, especially on a cold morning.
Posted by: Carol | Tuesday, 30 September 2008 at 07:57 AM
Ha! Ever since I started working for a company with folks who aren't huge fans of anything but McDonalds, I've become a Pho breakfast guy myself. I usually hit up Viet Cali (VC!) on the other end of MMB (take that!), but I do kind of miss going to PHC. About a year ago, the express PHC in RB, but it isn't quite the same as Daddy, which takes me back to my first heady days of living in San Diego...and by the way, moving from the Bay Area, one of my big concerns was finding suitable Pho down here...fortunately, it can be had.
Anyway, I'm rambling. I just wanted to thank you for this trip down memory lane. I'll have to head back this week for MY dream bowl of brisket, flank, tendon, tripe, and MORE tendon. And yah, I'm guilty of hooking up the hoisin and chicken sauce without nary a taste. But I guess I enjoy abusing my palette.
Cheers!
Posted by: janfrederick | Tuesday, 30 September 2008 at 08:39 AM
Hi Sharon - They do a pretty good job...though I rather have Pho from Lucky.
Hi Billy - It's because it's all about $$$, and competition makes it impossible to raise prices.
Hi Sawyer - I think you mean Mien Trung? They make my favorite Bun Bo Hue....we're there almost every week during the winter.
Hi Kat - The weather's been kinda strange here, so Pho tasted pretty good.
Hi Ed - I'm still thinking it's just a matter of time....
Hi Carol - What's better than a nice bowl on a cold morning...than you can go home and go back to sleep! ;o)
Hi Jan - LOL! I get a bit lazy at times and tend to abbreviate.....it is kinda funny. I'd take a Banh Mi over a Egg McSomethin' any day of the week....
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 30 September 2008 at 09:26 AM
Haha! I love that you can spot lemongrass and shrimp paste as the "soul" of bun bo Hue. :)
Posted by: Wandering Chopsticks | Tuesday, 30 September 2008 at 11:54 AM
You can always ask for the meat combination at pho restaurants. It probably helps to know the Vietnamese words although I confess that I haven't learned them yet.
PHC on MM can get pretty busy on weekends, although I've never had a problem finding parking (just not primo). The PHC in RB is newer, and I'm guessing they're busier on weekdays.
And I'm always amused at the polo shirt colors worn by the workers. Light blue day? Dark green day?
Posted by: Sandy | Tuesday, 30 September 2008 at 12:23 PM
pho for breakfast - no wonder you're my hero!
i wonder if most pho places open for breakfast...
Posted by: cheese cheese | Tuesday, 30 September 2008 at 03:36 PM
Hi WC - It takes a lot to make a good bowl of Bun Bo Hue, but I believe that the broth is the key.
Hi Sandy - They probably have a color coded calendar.....
Hi CC - Many Pho' shops open early....like 8am. In Hanoi, it is breakfast food.
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 30 September 2008 at 10:19 PM
Wow, you got an intense showdown-show in addition with your meal! Golly, I wouldn't be that angry about the thumbs in the soup. Servers should have clean hands anyway, and the soup was served scorching hot, so the bacteria wouldn't have survived!
Posted by: Passionate Eater | Wednesday, 01 October 2008 at 02:23 AM
Hi Kirk!
I used to go to PHC all the time when I lived up in Mira Mesa. Out of all the other vietnamese places I've eaten at, I think PHC does egg rolls the best!
Posted by: Fred | Wednesday, 01 October 2008 at 10:00 AM
that tendon has me smacking my lips Kirk! and I don't know that I've ever really paid attention about fingers in my soup, but that grosses me out and that's a good thing to call out.
Posted by: foodhoe | Wednesday, 01 October 2008 at 06:37 PM
Hi PE - You know, I don't think I would have noticed if someone delivered Pho to my table with his thumbs in the soup....I mean with hot broth it would hurt like heck! But of course, now I check out the thumbs as the Pho arrives!
Hi Fred - Check out Pho Sao Bien's Cha Gio.....they use the right kind of rice paper.
Hi FH - I've been keeping my eyes on my server's fingers since that episode....
Posted by: Kirk | Wednesday, 01 October 2008 at 08:24 PM
By the way, I just returned from Viet Cali where I ordered my dream bowl of pho. "brisket, flank, tendon, tripe, and MORE tendon"
Actually, I skipped on the brisket, but it was durned good.
Posted by: janfrederick | Thursday, 02 October 2008 at 01:16 PM
Hi Jan - You know, I've got give that place another try....I really didn't care much for it on my previous visits.
Posted by: Kirk | Thursday, 02 October 2008 at 08:06 PM
Hi, Kirk! I just tried my first pho in Korea and posted about it. Maybe you can swing by and check it out when you get a chance. Please try not to cry!
Posted by: Jenn | Wednesday, 08 October 2008 at 11:58 AM
Hi Jenn - Oh my, that looked horrid....
Posted by: Kirk | Wednesday, 08 October 2008 at 08:41 PM