Minh Ky revisited

It could be that all roads lead back to Minh Ky...... every couple of months we find ourselves back in that lousy parking lot on the corner of El Cajon and Menlo.

 
Minh Ky, like the Tan Ky Mi Gia's and Luong Hai Ky specialize in Chinese style noodle dishes. And though the interior hasn't changed since I first posted on the place back in January of '06, it seems that the food here has gotten better over time. As I noted in my Mi comparison, the broth for the soups has seemed to gain flavor over the years. So I thought I'd just do a short post on some of the other dishes from Minh Ky, save one, which I'm saving for one of those comparison posts.

On one of our visits, we saw a young girl and her mom working through a plate of chow fun....they sure made it look good. So on our next visit we ordered the Seafood Chow Fun, at $7.25, one of the more expensive (ahem, it's all relative) dishes at Minh Ky.

This was a load of food for just over seven bucks. The noodles were cooked adequately, no wok-hay, but not mushy. The shrimp was perfect, still soft and tender, but the squid was a tad over-cooked. The gravy was excellent, nice hints of the savory flavor of oyster sauce, with a touch of sweetness. We enjoyed the dish, and proceeded to order it again.... this time it had less gravy, which tasted a bit off, and my feet started swelling after a couple of bites. I usually have a pretty tolerance when it comes to MSG, and I really don't mind it being used to "finish" a dish. To take it to the next level, but this was a bit too much.

The Roast Duck Egg Noodle soup is a bargain by San Diego standards at $6.25. And the broth for the egg noodle soup is still pretty solid with regards to flavor. I also don't remember there being so much 'Mi' in the egg noodle soups; that alone was enough to fill me up.

The duck was nice and meaty, but very low with regards to anise-savory tones. It was also too fatty, and fairly greasy. And the skin was quite rubbery.

Maybe next time.......

On one of our visits, I decided to order the Bo Kho Hu Tieu (Beef Stew-Hu Tieu):

There was a ton of meat and tendon in the bowl. The beef was cooked well, and though not melt in your mouth, it was fairly tender. The tendon could have been softer, though. As you notice, like most of the 'Mi' joints in San Diego, it rice noodles, aka Bánh phở that's used, not "bánh hủ tiếu". The overall flavor was on the weak side, lacking in the rich-savoriness of a good beef stew.

It was nice trying some other dishes beyond the usual Egg noodle soups...... I'm thinking we'll be going back to the Sate/Won Ton/Dumpling Egg noodle soup. I will give that Chow Fun another try though.

Minh Ky Restaurant
4644 El Cajon Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92115

And yes, there's still that aisle of parking with no outlet..... you either hope that no one is parked in one of the stalls on the west side so you can cut out, or you have to back all the way out. Or you could jump the curb.....

 
Recently, we've been parking in the stall behind, pot holes and all.... but be careful, we've seen two cars hit nails......

Comments

[Gastronomer]

I adore Minh Ky! But that parking lot is a nightmare!

[Kirk]

Hi G - Yes, that parking lot is terrible.....

[kat]

sounds like crappy parking!

[Dennis]

Hi Kirk, as far as I remember your RDNS description spot on mirrors what I had. For restaurants these days though "gotten better over time" is so refreshing to hear!?

[bill]

The food looks good and parking seems to be typical of any Asian place.I didn't realize there was such a Asian present in SD.

[Kirk]

Hi Kat - This is one tough parking lot.

Hi Dennis - Yes, it seems that Minh Ky has gotten better over time.

Hi Bill - This parking lot is even worse than most! ;o)

[SK]

I used to live a block away from Minh Ky so we got to be regular customers there. I find the chow fun to be one of the better dishes there, generally good balance of sauce vs. noodles and a little smokiness from the wok. I usually get the beef with gai lan.

The roast duck is generally okay but is never great.

I really like their fish porridge especially since you can get fresh you tiao to go with it there.

[Sandy]

Lousy parking lot is right. How can you have an aisle that is a cul-de-sac?

I've never gone to Minh Ky, but that chow fun looks yummy. I'd try to park on the street first. However, it seems that I'm usually at that strip mall to pick up food from A Chau, and you really do need to park close by for getting large orders.

[Kirk]

Hi SK - The first time we had the chowfun, it was good, they second time.... it was a totally different dish!

Hi Sandy - Whomever planned that parking lot should be cited.....