Pho Hut and Grill

It seems that Pho Hut opened while we were away on vacation. Didn't hear much.....or make that nothing about the place. I guess folks are just plain focused on all the places opening on the blocks East of here. Well of course I had to check them out....

This used to be Quiznos, which I don't has fared quite well over the last couple of years. I believe we need some good independently owned west of the 805, so this was, at least for me, a welcomed sight. The interior has been redone, in what I call "modern pho".....that is, it is clean (should be because it's new, right?), simply done, sort of like Pho 46 or The Pho Shop. Of course, the standard issue televisions were present and accounted for as well.

I believe the owner also owns Pho Nam Cali in National City.

You know what I ordered, right? Looking at the location and then the menu I knew that this shop catered to more western sensibilities with regards to pho....in other words you won't find every combination of protein for pho on the menu. It's basically 8 variations, including Pho Filet. i just went with the Dac Biet. A small will set you back $7.50.

I didn't anticipate much in the way of garnishes and my expectations were met.

The broth looked disappointing, fairly cloudy, a bit too defatted. Almost no nose to speak of, very faint beef, no anise, savory-onionyness. The flavor was quite salty, but very flat after that. The portion looked quite small, which is fine since the broth was too salty to finish, even after touching it up with lime to cut the sodium.

The clumped noodles were quite good with a nice stretch.

As for the proteins....tripe MIA, the rare steak really tough and overcooked by the time the bowl hit the table....need to order this on the side. The tendon was good, soft and close to that buttery texture I like. The brisket was tasty and well prepared. Not much meat in the bowl though.

Not really a good value in my book. The guy running the front was very nice though. Quite friendly and efficient.

Since the place is close to home and work, it was easy enough to make multiple visits. Wasn't sure what to order on my second go around. I saw the Goi Cuon on my previous visit and it really didn't seem like something I'd enjoy here.

So I started with the Bò nướng hành ($6.50) - basically Grilled Beef Rolled around onions.

The fragrance was nice, the beef a bit on the tough side, but well flavored - sweet-salty, very straight forward teriyaki/bulgogi like. The onions were mild and overall this was a pretty good choice. The nuoc mam cham was on the mild side and the portion is gringo sized.

I also ordered the Bun with Pork, Shrimp, and Cha Gio ($9.95). Again, this seemed a bit on the pricey side.

Too much filler in the standard issue egg rolls, but the grilld pork was nicely flavored and not too tough. The shrimp seemed a bit overcooked. This looked like a pretty large bowl and I thought it was going to be a total carb bomb. However, half of the bottom was filled with lettuce. So in terms of being a salad.....well, this was pretty good. The bun was prepared perfectly as well. I did have to ask for more nuoc mam cham for this. A fairly expensive lunch, but not bad.

As I mentioned earlier, the guy working here was very nice and service was fine. So.......third time's the charm, right?

Plus, I did want to try the Fried Chicken Wings ($6.95), actually butter wings.

Not quite top notch, the fry job wasn't perfect and the skin wasn't as crisp as I would like. The seasoning left a bit to be desired, more pungent flavors, even, gasp, more salt! It was super hot, though there seemed to be a bit of "seepage", that is a lot of the meat had dark pigment, which made me wonder about how this was handled when freezing.

I finally took a good look at pages other than the first two on the menu and noticed Phnom Penh Noodle Soup ($7.95) under "Specialty Noodle Soups"....wow, one of my favorites. So I ordered it.

In retrospect, I sould have known better. I mean, how many Pho shops do you know that serve a good Hu Tieu Nam Vang? From the unblanched bean sprouts.....a good indication of the portion size is the bean sprouts in relation to the soup spoon.

The noodles were Banh Pho, not Hu Tieu. The meat, what what there was; was dry and flavorless chicken breast, standard issue meat balls, and shrimp, which actually wasn't bad. I actually had to bust out the chili paste to dip the pieces of chicken in.

The broth was terrible, bland and insipid. Bad move on my part. Lesson learned.

So there you go. New place, nice and clean.....really nice folks, but "pho not to offend". Honestly, there are worse places for pho in the area, but that's not really a reason to laud yet another mediocre bowl, right?

Pho Hut & Grill
5252 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92117
Hours:
Open Daily 10am - 9pm

Comments

[kat]

:(

[Junichi]

Bummer. I live down the street so had high hopes. Guess I'll stick to Pho Hoa in Linda Vista.

[Michael]

I was going to message you about it, but I was always told if you don't have anything nice to say....

Spot on about the pho broth--it really tasted diluted with hot water to me. I hated it.

I've started going to Pho Hoa and Pho Hoa Hiep in Linda Vista lately since I'm tired of driving up to Mira Mesa. They are growing on me!

Welcome home.

[nhbilly]

They couldn't at least do one dish well.

[Kirk]

I was bummed Kat.

Hi Junichi - We live fairly close as well...so double bummer. Still, you may want to try them out.

Hi Michael - It's good to be home...sort of. That broth really needs work. I feel bad that a whole generation of pho eaters expect it to taste this way.

Not a single one Billy....or maybe I'm too picky.

[nhbilly]

Picky? LOL
When the competitors are abundant wouldn't you make that effort to stand out? I mean stand out in terms of awesome food not craptastic food. IMO ranting.....

[Kirk]

Hi Billy - I've been accused of being that way. As long as folks will pay for mediocrity, this will be the result.