Mignon Pho + Grill

I thought I'd better hurry and do this post before temperatures hit the high eighties and low ninties that the weather folks said is coming up this week. Over time, I've stopped ordering Pho Tai.... rare steak, simply because everyone in San Diego uses a very low grade cut, and it really doesn't matter if you get the beef on the side, in the soup, or on top of your head for that matter, it all ends up being tough and tasteless. Filet Mignon Pho is a whole different story, and I've been waiting for a good long while for what I had at Pho Thanh Lich to make it's way to San Diego. So I was quite happy to see the sign for Mignon Pho go up at the end of August. And yet, there was that little seed of doubt that the name of the place was just a tease..... so of course I had to find out.

 

Mignon Pho + Grill's grand opening was this past weekend. There was a week long soft opening while I was away........

The interior of Mignon is very clean and modern. High ceilings, wood panelings, and of course, two large plasma televisions complete things. I like the decor, but the high ceilings tend to make things echo, and the hardwood paneling reflect sound, making it a pretty loud dining area.

 

Pho prices here are on the high side, starting at $6.50 for a regular bowl with two proteins. A bowl of Filet Mignon Pho goes for $8 for a regular size and $9 for a large sized bowl. I went for something called a "trolley bowl", which would probably be called Dac Biet in other places..... a combination of meats. The regular bowl went for $7.95. When my bean sprouts and herbs arrived, I quickly noticed that this place goes for the modern "big plate" approach. Everything is served on, or in large plates and bowls. I will say that the herbs were extremely fresh, especially the Ngo Gai (Culantro/Saw Leaf Herb).

And of course I went for a side order of Filet Mignon on the side, which cost $1.75 more, for three slices of Filet.

 

The meat was super fresh, and cut to just the right thickness.

Soon enough, my bowl arrived.

 

I loved the look of the broth, medium dark and clear. The really nice young lady who served me said it was simmered for sixteen hours. I think a bit more oil/fat would make for a richer broth. In spite of the looks I found the broth to be very mild, and lacking in character. And even though I knew that this broth wouldn't have strong anise or clove accents based on a sniff of the soup, it was also a bit mild in the beef department as well. On the good side, I could tell instantly that this broth wasn't MSG laden. The one aspect that I thought could have instantly improved this was the temperature of the broth. The Filet Mignon is cut a bit thicker than the usual Rare Beef Eye of Round. It should be eaten just barely "colored", letting the beef sit in the broth will just cause it to seize and get more chewy than it should be. Warm broth makes you leave the meat in the broth too long causing it to cloud the soup and get tough. This was probably one of the smallest portions of noodles I've ever had, and it was a bit over-cooked edging on mushy.

The meats were pretty good, especially the tendon which was very soft and buttery. Unfortunately, there was much too little of it in the bowl.

 

The beef meatballs, usually not my favorite were also pretty good.

This bowl of Pho went over the ten dollar mark with tax..... on the high side for a fairly small bowl. I'll probably have this again, but I'm going for the brisket and tendon with a side filet.

One thing about this restaurant; all the young folks working on this day were very cheerful, polite, and just plain nice. In fact, the young lady who served me took some time to chat with me. She was very proud of the quality of the ingredients as well as how the food was prepared. I was told that I should come back and try the Com Tam, which she preferred over the Pho. And just based on her enthusiasm and attitude, I returned a day later for lunch and went with Broken Rice with Shredded Pork (Bi), Egg Meat Loaf (Cha) and Pork Chop ($7.50):

 

The rice was cooked perfectly, fairly soft and moist. Even though I think it could have been more fragrant, it's still the best I've had in San Diego.

The best item on the plate was the steamed egg, perhaps a bit on the dry side, but full of savory flavors. I was disappointed that it was only the size of a petit four. Notice the scale of the Cha and the spoon next to it.

The pork chop was fairly tender, and better then most versions in San Diego, though not quite on the level of Pho King. It wasn't very salty, and was perhaps a bit too mildly flavored. The Bi was too dry, and lacked the usual nutty-savory-porkiness that good versions have.

 

On this day, the service was again very friendly..... that may just bring me back again.

On both visits, I noticed quite a few older folks eating here.... I think they were just like me; curious to see how Mignon was going to be. It would be interesting to see if they return. Mignon Pho + Grill seems to be going for a bit higher quality food, served in a modern environment. Personally I don't think Mignon Pho has delivered food prepared at the level I expected, but they've just opened so hopefully things will improve over time.

Mignon Pho + Grill
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Comments

[kat]

pho would be perfect today, so windy!!

[caninecologne]

hi kirk,
i figured you'd get to this place - looks pretty good. too bad the steamed egg was a tiny portion though. bert, tc and i will have to try this place soon.

[Dennis]

Hi Kirk, I hope things improve soon as well. I was pretty disappointed to say the truth. The filet mignon slices were great but the Pho was just not there. I thought the Saigon Wings were way under marinated. Can't touch Que Huong's by a long shot.

[bill]

Kirk, maybe you should give them some in your face feedback. This place seems like it has potential "just cook it".
Looks good but the portion leaves me sad.

[MikeW]

Age divide on my wife's side of the family. Older generation didn't like due to lack of flavor like you said, no fat, anise. Really hated paying per cup of tea LOL. Younger generation liked it. Will be back with there friends. I agree with you I like that rice dish with pork and the service was nice. Also great time to try there pho its buy one get one free

[Kirk]

Hi Kat - I hope you keep everything bolted down!

Hi CC - The place has potential, and the service was really great.

Hi Dennis - I did have the wings, which I'm saving up for a future post. You've become quite a "wing-nut" like me, huh?

Hi Bill - This place has potential, but they just need to execute in the kitchen.

Hi Mike - I guess I know which side of the fence I fall on, huh? ;o) I did think the broth was very bland, in spite of looks. I think the buy one, get one free expired on 10/31, but could be wrong.

[Sandy]

I just read Kirbie's post on this place. It's good to know what to expect, although I may put off a visit till after this next heat wave.

[kirbie]

How funny we both posted on this place on the same day and that we were both there over the weekend. I actually had a ton of noodles in my pho; I couldn't even finish my noodles and BF was barely able to finish his. Also my noodles weren't mushy, in fact they were still a little raw and opaque when I got mine, but then they turned white after a few moments. I loved that they served the saw leaf herb.

[Rosa]

For a moment, I kept reloading your page thinking I was stuck on Kirbie's page due to you both posting about Mignon Pho! Hahaha...silly me.

[Kirk]

Hi Sandy - It's funny that both Kirbie and I visited during almost the same time.

Hi Kirbie - That kinda gives a hint on what might be some inconsistency. I'm surprised I didn't see you when I visited..... great minds must think alike! ;o)

Hi Rosa - LOL! Isn't that a funny coincidence???

[Faye]

That's awesome that you and Kirbie posted same place on same day.

That's unfortunate that you didn't like the Pho as much. I personally like the broth to be SCALDING hot. I don't understand how it can't be that way when they give you a side of raw meat :)

So will you be returning to this place for pho in future (considering all the other pho places in Convoy). Not sure if it's worth paying a bit more if they give you less food and the taste isn't all that special (in comparison w/ other pho restaurants)

[Lynnea]

matthew and i have been waiting for it to open and for your review. now we'll have to try it too =)

[Jess]

Hi Kirk,
Usually I don't eat pho because of its unique strong aroma and fragrance, but after hearing this place uses a clean tasting broth without MSG, I went to try it out with the B1G1 special. With where I am coming from, the broth was done pretty well and had good flavor. The regular bowl looked big but somehow I still felt hungry afterwards. Considering it's beef noodles soup, the Taiwanese NRM is more up my alley.

[Jenne]

Hi Kirk, Howie and I tried it the other day but we really thought the broth was lacking in, well, it sounds pretentious, but lacking in complexity.
It was just, like, SALTY! SWEET! ANISE! BEEF! and that was it.

Am I overthinking this? I might be. :-)
We also had the egg rolls, and I thought the filling was tasty.

[The Food Detective]

I like ngo gai so much that I'm growing them right now in my back yard. I will give you some when I get a lot.

I can't believe how small the steamed egg is. I need to try this play with Ms. K soon.

[Kirk]

Hi Faye - I probably will try it again in the future to see if things get better.

Hi Lynnea - Let me know how you and Matthew like the place.

Hi Jess - I'm glad you liked it..... I thought it was kinda weak for me.

Hi Jenne - It's so nice to hear from you..... I hope all is well! It's a pretty flat broth... too bad, because I've been looking forward to filet pho.

Hi TFD - Sounds great.... I want to make some Shado Beni sauce.

[Jenne]

Yep, things are good. We need to plan another outing soon! Meanwhile, I'll see you at the beer dinner!

[Kirk]

Hi Jenne - It'll be nice to see you! It seems like it's been such a long time.

[janfrederick]

I tried hitting up this place yesterday at 10 AM and found out that it wasn't open until 11 AM. I was way too hungry to wait and so headed up the street to Convoy Noodle House. I must say, they hit a home run with the tripe and tendon. So I wasn't disappointed, but I still want to try this place.

[Kirk]

Hi Jan - I think Convoy Noodle House makes the best Pho in the area. Check this place out and let me know what you think.