Pho-raging around Kearny Mesa: Pho T Cali, Pho Mignon and Grill, Pho Cali, Pho Fusion, Phuong Trang, Pho Convoy Noodle House, and Viet Bakery and Pho

A couple of months ago, I was having a particularly terrible bowl of Pho in the Kearny Mesa area. Thinking I'd try to be especially witty, I texted "aw-pho", sorry, it was a bad pun exacerbated by bad soup, to a bunch of my friends. Which started a terrible round of bad phopuns lasting almost two days....I think it ended when I texted something using "pho-lam-bouyant", yikes! The one sane person in all of this, "Yummy Yummy" set me off on a mission with one profound statement, "yes,it's sad that there's no good pho in Kearny Mesa." Really.....really??!!?? Then I stopped and thought about it.....perhaps she was right. I had to find out for myself. So I ended up going to seven different pho shops in the next two weeks....sorry, at the end, I just couldn't see myself going to Quoc Te....I was "pho-ride"...my apologies for that one!

After all of this, I had to think about how to do a post......I mean really, there was the possibility of maybe 2,000 words (I'm alread past 170). So pardon me if I just kind of blaze through these, ok? Plus, I'm still suffering from P(ost) T(raumatic) M(SG)D(disorder).

Pho T Cali:

**** Pho T Cali has closed

This is the place that got me posting "aw-pho".

 Broth that looked, and sort of tasted like dishwater.....salty dishwater, with very little beef flavor, and not much else. Mushy overcooked noodles. Though the cuts in this, flank and brisket especially were decent, but I had to send out a search party for my tendon. Oh, let's add insult to injury, the scallions in the broth were turning brown as well.

Actually, this is almost exactly the same as my last bowl here, so this can't really be a fluke, right?

Formula in the perfunctory service. Sad....

Pho T Cali
7351 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Pho Mignon + Grill:

I gotta say, the service here is nice....perhaps not efficient, but very nice. Still, I haven't had much luck here. It's kind of bad when the best item you've had from a shop with Pho in it's name are the french fries. I've struck out twice on the filet pho, so I went with the "trolley bowl", which according to the menu is "flank, well done steak, tripe, tendon, and meatballs".

Man, there's something about this broth that I find strange, beyond how it's totally defatted. This time around it had a burnt shallot flavor with a "tinny" finish.

The noodles were fine, the proteins mediocre, except for the tendon which was pretty good, and I still haven't figured out why the ngo om with pho? I'm missing something here.

Sorry, I just couldn't do the broth at all......I hate to waste, but this just doesn't agree with me.

I love the idea of craft brews.....the service is sometimes a bit scatter-brained, but always nice. But man, I just don't like that pho.

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

Pho Cali & Grill:

**** Pho Cali and Grill is now Pho Duyen Mai

Man, it's been a while since I've been here.

 This would have been totally MOR (middle of the road) pho, if not for the super salty broth.....super salty, as in there wasn't enough lime to cut the salt. And the meat being on the dry and tough side.

The noodles were clumped, but fine....but man, this was salty.

Pho Cali and Grill
5375 Kearny Villa Rd
San Diego, CA 92123

Pho Fusion:

Man, here's another place I haven't been to in a while.

This really looked like a lighter version of Pho Mignon....I really didn't have high hopes for it. The broth had a very mild beef flavor and was pretty weak overall. The noodles were done well and I gotta say, this was the best tendon I had while doing this. The rest of the assorted protein wasn't too bad, though the flank cuts are on the dry and tough side.

I also should say that the service I received was very good. My water refilled twice and when I looked at the rather skimpy amount of herbs and bean sprouts, the young man told me, "please let me know if you want more, we'd be happy too...."

Pho Fusion
8038 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111 

Phuong Trang:

What to say about the poster child for MOR (Middle of the Road) Pho, other then man, has it really been three years since I had Pho here?

 This place has usually been consistent, though on this visit the broth was rather cloudy. The broth is rather light on the beef, but at least you can make out hints of anise-onion-clove. Noodles were fine.

The meat was meh.......flank tough, tripe soapy tasting and scant in quantity, tendon tough and not much of it....you get the picture.

The older gentleman who always used to make me laugh wasn't here. In his place was a very friendly young man........who I thought was quite charming....until he brought me a fork for my pho? Lets call it what it is....a "pho-pa"....

Phuong Trang
4170 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Pho Convoy Noodle House:

**** Convoy Noodle House has closed

This used to be a dependable stop, but I was sorely disappointed on my last visit. I wondered, was that a fluke? So I had the same thing, #2, well done steak, flank, fatty brisket, tendon, and tripe.

 And while the broth had recovered a bit.....slight beef flavor, mild anise, still a mere shadow of what I recalled; the meat, especially the already chewy flank....was almost inedible and without flavor.

The noodles were fine....but I still remembered the pho being much better here. I'm not sure what happened.

Pho Convoy Noodle House
4647 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Viet Bakery and Pho:

*** Viet Bakery and Pho has closed

Based on my previous visits, I really wasn't looking forward to having pho here. But since the place had "pho" in its name (though probably based on pho ga), I thought it only proper to grab a bowl here. The shop had undergone a major overhaul with regards to looks since my last visit. It looks less like a bakery and more like a proper restaurant.

There really fussy menu has been replaced with something perhaps a bit too spartan, but perhaps that's the right fit. And i'm sure you can get any combination of items you really want. I went with the "Pho Viet", with rare beef, brisket, and meat balls.

 I really don't like having preconceptions when having a meal at a restaurant, but based on history, perhaps I expected the worst. This was actually not bad....not good, but not bad. The broth was on the cloudy side, but had a decent beef flavor. It was light with regards to the anise-clove component, but at least wasn't too salty.

The meat, being the rare steak or the brisket didn't appeal to me, being tough and dry. The meatballs tasted exactly the same as what Mignon Pho served. The noodles were a bit overcooked for my taste.

Still, this was much better than anticipated.

Viet Bakery & Pho
3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

So there it is........ and after having all these bowls of pho, I can only conclude that "YY" is pretty much correct. And after thinking about it; whenever I think about having a nice bowl of pho, places in Kearny Mesa never come to mind.

What do you think?

Comments

[Sage]

Heh, funny thing – I was sick last week and pho is my comfort food, so I hit up a few Kearny Mesa pho places last week. TBH, the hard part is that I pretty much find all Kearny Mesa pho to not be inherently bad, but inherently inconsistent. I’ve had some awesome pho at Pho T Cali (last week – really fresh, plenty of tendon) and some terrible bowls too (salty dishwater, as you said). The single worst bowl of pho I’ve ever had was at Pho Convoy a couple years ago, but I’ve also heard many high praises. Sometimes Pho Fusion is on point, and sometimes leaves me unmoved.

At the Mira Mesa places, you pretty much know exactly what you’re going to get at each location. In Kearny Mesa, it tends to be a total crapshoot.

[Dennis]

Hi Kirk, nice round up. I gave up on Pho Mignon + Grill after a few tries that were spread apart. Don't know how a broth that dark can have so little flavor! My first and last bowl at Pho Fusion closer to opening days was ok (never posted) but haven't been back since. I don't know how much longer Viet Bakery & Pho is going to last as I hardly see people in. My Pho experience was similar to yours.

[kat]

too bad these were hit or miss...they sure look good as photos...

[Kirk]

Hi Sage - Inconsistency is a terrible thing.... When I was told that the pho around KM was terrible, I really didn't think agree...until I actually thought about the last time I had a great bowl in the area. Strange.

Hi Dennis - It's kind of sad. One would think you'd be able to get a decent bowl in the area.

Hi Kat - I know.....it was really hit or miss.

[ken]

At least you didn't spend a phortune on the dining experiences....

[Jack]

What a sad post Kirk! One would think you could find a decent bowl in the area...

[MrZ]

My first choice is to drive up to Lucky Seafood for pho, but it's a bit of a long drive for a lunch hour for me. Mostly I go to Pho Hoa these days, but they have a tendency to serve lukewarm pho.

[Kirbie]

Wow 7 bowls in 2 weeks...

[Kirk]

LOL Ken! I bet you think you're pretty "Pho-ny" huh? ;o)

Hey Jack - Yes, my thoughts exactly.

Hi MrZ - That's usually what I do as well.....

Hey Kirbie - Talk about MSG overload.....

[Vicky (SF Bay Area)]

Wow... I'd be so sick of Pho!! We have a Pho Hoa near us that's really crappy but open until 3am. It's our default go to if its super late and we need food. After eating there regularly for 2-3 months, I was completely Pho-ed out. *shudders* I can only imagine what it's like to eat that many bowls within two weeks!!!

When I was living down there, we'd drive out to Pho Ca Dao in Mira Mesa.... maybe when you're over the MSG disorder you can head north! :D

[Michael Schwartz]

Thanks for the detailed reports. I've also been searching the KM with little love.

Out of curiosity, where to your taste IS the best bowl of pho in San Diego?

Or, what is the best in the MM and the EJ corridors.

Thanks, Kirk!

[AZ]

"pho-pa" made me LOL :)

[Kirk]

Hi Vicky - My favorites are actually in the MM area - Pho Lucky and Pho Cow Cali. With this cold weather, I'll probably get back there when I recover!

Hi Michael - Thanks for dropping by and taking the time to comment! My favorites are, Pho Lucky, Pho Cow Cali, Pho Ca Dao (City Heights location only).

Hi AZ - I'm glad you enjoyed my silly puns.....my friends and I had spent several days texting really bad one's back and forth.

[Ricky]

I fully agree - Pho Fusion's pho's pretty terrible. The portion sizes of some of the sides are a complete joke too.

What I find extremely annoying with some of these Vietnamese places is that they would bring a menu while walking you to your table as you enter, and as soon as your rear end touches the seat, they would ask if you're ready to order. No, buddy, I have not memorized your menu since it's my first time here, and when I say please give me a couple of minutes, that's what I mean, not standing next to me waiting for me, or coming back within LITERALLY 15 seconds. That's less time than an actual TV commercial break.

[Cliff]

This is why I used to just go farther to mira mesa. much better there.

Unfortunately I haven't had better luck with pho in Boston..

[Kirk]

Hi Ricky - That's SOP for many pho places. You should see how it is in VN!

Hi Cliff - That's true....our favorites are in MM.

[Kha]

My favorite pho place is the one inside Lucky Seafood as well. Similarly, I work in the Convoy area and have tried all of the above places and came away unimpressed each time. If I want soup, then I get ramen, with my current favorite being Yamadaya off of CM Blvd.

On a different note, do you have a favorite cha ca thanh long place in SD?

Keep up the good work on your blog. I find it very informative.

[Kirk]

Hi Kha - Thanks for reading and the kind words. For Cha Ca, there's nothing like the Cha Ca Thang Long you'd have in Hanoi, or even at places like Viendong or Ha Noi in Littel Saigon. The version at Que Huong is a bit different, but we'll get it on a occasion...if anything, it's a bit less oily, but I still love the stuff we had in Hanoi.

[Kha]

Kirk - I went to to Cha Ca Thanh Long in Hanoi too, and it was delicious. My parents say Song Long in Westminster is better. I haven't tried it yet, but it is a place you may want to keep on your radar.

[Kirk]

Hi Kha - I've been told by another person about Song Long, so know we'll have to check it out! Thanks for letting me know!