Pho in Rancho Bernardo - Pho Hoang Express and Pho Ca Dao & Grill

It's getting to be that time of year again.....the mid-morning and afternoons may still be warm, but the mornings are quite cool. Perfect for Pho. Though I've had recommendations for Pho Hoang in RB, I never thought of making a special trip North to RB. Until Pho Ca Dao opened a new branch just a stone's throw (if you were Roberto Clemente) away. So one recent cool morning, I bolted on my spare stomach, and made my way up the I-15 to Ranch Bernardo.

Pho Hoang Express:

Is located right off the Bernardo Center Drive exit. If you didn't know it was there, along with Spices Thai Cafe and Passage to India Restaurant, you'd think you'd be driving right past another business park.

 

The interior is on the dim side, and has an almost classic Vietnamese restaurant feel to it. From the simple tables and the spoon and chopstick stand, to the ubiquitous paintings of Halong Bay and a Hmong Woman and Baby scene. The service here is also classic..... you walk in, are pointed to a table, menu tossed on table, the guy stands waiting for you to order. Not rude, just no nonsense..... 

Usually, I'll just order the special ("Dac Biet") when I eat at a new Pho shop, just to get a nice overview of the various meats. But I've really gotten tired of the same 'ol rare steak in San Diego, which is usually of low quality, dry, and tough. You can get it on the side if you want, but it really doesn't make much of a difference.....maybe if the meat was, say, Shabu-Shabu quality, a nice dunk might be great. But until I start seeing Filet Mignon Pho served in San Diego.....

I went with the #4 - well done steak, flank, brisket, tendon, and tripe ($5.70). In less then three minutes, my plate of garnishes, and my bowl of Pho made it's way to my table.

One large and one small (and withered) sprigs of basil, lime, a couple of slices of jalapeno, Ngo Gai (culantro...yay!), and maybe a half handful of bean sprouts. This is about right for San Diego nowadays. The Ngo Gai was fresh, and had that light, but slightly more anise cilantro like flavor. The bean sprouts reminded me of a funny encounter I observed at Pho Hiep and Grill. A Korean Gentleman was apparently trying to show off to the two women eating with him. He did the whole Neoc Beo, meat on the side, etc, etc...... running the poor Server crazy by not making his requests with his order, but piecemeal. And not in a very nice way as well. He did things in a very superior - narcissistic, "I'm the customer, and you'll serve me" kinda way. I specifically remember him telling the two women, "yeah, I eat Pho all the time, and this is how I roll....." Finally, when the garnishes arrive, he tells the very good natured young man to take his plate back. He wanted is bean sprouts "blanched". The Server was really accommodating, and trying to be friendly he told the young man, "oh, you have false teeth?" The Korean guy, "what....no, I have perfect teeth, no trouble!" The Server; "oh, because my mother and grandmother have no teeth, and they need to have their bean sprouts made that way....." The two girls started giggling, the Korean dude turned several shades of red, all the while the Server kept a straight face, with a look of total innocence. So I'm still not sure if he was getting a bit of revenge, or if he was dead serious...... It was funny though.... I guess "that's the way he rolls....."

Back to the Pho:

 
The broth was on the dark side, but clear. The flavor was mildly beefy, but lacked any good pronounced clove-anise tones, and could have been more savory. The noodles were bunched in the bottom of the bowl, SOP..... and were a bit overcooked and mushy.

There was a good amount of meat, the best being the tendon which was buttery and excellent. The brisket was cooked much to long; it had good flavor but had fallen into tiny pieces. The flank looked good, but had a slight "refrigerator" flavor.

Not a bad bowl, I've had much worse, the amount of meat was impressive. As in most Pho restaurants, everything happened pretty quickly, and I was out in 20 minutes.

Pho Hoàng Express
16425 Bernardo Center Dr
San Diego, CA 92128

Right up Bernardo Center Drive, taking a left on Rancho Bernardo Road, and I was at Pho Ca Dao.

Pho Ca Dao & Grill:

Open just two weeks at the time of the visit, Pho Ca Dao was much more well lit, and had folded the usual "Pho dining set" into kind of a shiny pseudo-tropical looking dining area.

The service here was much more friendly, though not as efficient in the "well oiled Pho machine" way of Pho Hoang. My water was even refilled three times during my meal! But as different as the two restaurants were, there was much in common. The prices looked the same, and the well done steak, flank, brisket, tendon, and tripe was item #4 here as well. And when my garnishes hit the table, it looked like the exact twin of what I had at Pho Hoang.

That's where the similarities ended, as this bowl of Pho looked totally different from Pho Hoang's version:

In fact, it was markedly different from the soup at Pho Ca Dao's El Cajon and Mira Mesa locations. The broth was very light and clear, with almost no oil. I got a spoon of the broth, and took a photo.... it's almost transparent.

The broth actually had more anise-onion-clove flavor than Pho Hoang's, but was much more salty, and obviously less beefy. The broth also did better with regards to being able to taste the couple of leaves of basil and Ngo Gai. The noodles were perfect, a bit of stretch, and a mild toothsomeness. The meat was on the sparse side, and even though some of my favorite tendon is served at Pho Ca Dao's ECB location, this wasn't even close. Actually, I thought the flank, though a bit chewy had the best overall flavor.

I was asked twice how things were. The service is bordering on Western in standards. Even with all of this, I was still out in 40 minutes. Very quick for lunch, maybe forever when it comes to having a quick bowl of Pho. The folks working here are attentive, and have obvious pride in their shiny new digs.

Pho Ca Dao & Grill
11808 Rancho Bernardo Rd
San Diego, CA 92128

So which do I prefer? I dunno, it's a toss-up. More meat, it Pho Hoang. Want a clean and sparkling restaurant? Pho Ca Dao. Dark broth, Pho Hoang, lighter broth Pho Ca Dao..... you get it. Half a dozen of one, six of the other. It's nice to have choices, isn't it?

Comments

[Dennis]

Hi Kirk, loved the broth macro! he he. The "how I roll" phrase made me do a double take cause that was what I named my first Pho post a while back (on Pho Hoa). Your experience makes me want to rename it!

[kat]

perfect all day long here!

[nhbilly]

I wish there was choices here too but then again it sure is a hassle to cook pho.

[Carol]

It's been so long since I've been to that location, I didn't even realize it was no longer Pho Hoacali. I'll have to check both places out. I can't remember what used to be where Pho Ca Dao is.

[Rosa]

I miss my Pho * places in SD... Used to frequent Pho Hoa Cali and Pho Ca Dao in Mira Mesa when I lived there.

Haven't found a Vietnamese place in LA yet... got any ideas? Now I have cravings!

[Kirk]

Hi Dennis - I'm sure you don't treat your Server the way this guy did. Hopefully, you don't "roll" that way.

Hi Kat - Soon to be the same here too!

Hi Billy - I hope you do get more choices in the future.

Hi Carol - Yeah, it's now Pho Hoang.... I think it's the same folks, though.

Hi Rosa - My goodness, there are a ton of Pho places in LA.... of course, it depends where you live. I only know of places in the SGV - here are a few. Oh, and Pho Filet uses filet mignon for their Pho.

Pho Huynh
9706 E. Garvey Ave.
El Monte, CA 91733

Pho Minh
9646 Garvey Ave
El Monte, CA 91733

Pho Filet
9463 E. Garvey Ave.
El Monte, CA 91733

Good luck.

[Janfrederick]

Oh wow. Yah, the Ca Dao used to have a semi-decent Japanese restaurant. It might have been an Italian place for a while after that.

When I first moved to San Diego and workd in RB, we'd regularly zip down the 15 to Mira Mesa for our fix. I guess the folks are realizing they have an audience in the area.

[Lynnea]

Some people just don't know how to behave in public. Whether the server intended to tease or not, a little embarrassment was probably good for that narcissistic gentleman.

[Sandy]

It's kind of hard to believe that Rancho Bernardo has *two* pho restaurants now! We'll have to try this Pho Ca Dao and see how it compares to the other branches.

Pho Hoang Express seems to have a broader menu, and they seem to have a lot of customers. I hope both restaurants do well.

[Kirk]

Hi Jan - I think it's great progress....

Hi Lynnea - It did make for some interesting people watching....

Hi Sandy - I hope so too!

[DavidD]

Kirk,

Have you you done a Pho tour of Escondido yet? People have been raving about couple places like the new Pho Lena and Pho Saigon who is the local favorite.

[Kirk]

Hi David - I've visited Pho Saigon which I thought was pretty good, but my photos didn't turn out. I'll have to get up there......

[DavidD]

Cool Kirk look forward to it. I have yelper friends who tell me Lena is even better pho saigon and there's a really good Banh mi san marcos not too far away that you could perhaps swing by.

Our house we are very very picky and finicky with pho since my aunt and uncle have eaten the best pho in vietnam so we don't eat pho around here unless we're really craving it. BUT I have persuaded them and we'll go to pho Lena this sunday so if you want I can email you some photos and tell you the low down on it if it's legit.

[Loren]

Just ate at Pho Ca Dao on sunday. For one the service was outstanding - they did a good job explaining everything to my parents, who are pho rookies. For another I don't think I ever finished a glass of water, they refilled it every time.

The broth I think has gotten darker, it definitely wasn't as light as it is in your picture. Mom and Dad had chicken pho and really liked it, i admit it was pretty tasty even if it might be sacreligious. I had a mixed bowl and the brisket and tendon were perfect. I really enjoyed the whole experience.

Only negative were the egg rolls and spring rolls, weren't very tasty

[Kirk]

Hi Loren - Thanks for the report! I'll have to get back up there. Pho Ga is nothing to apologize for; when it's done right it's very comforting.