Revisits: Hoai Hue Vietnamese Restaurant and Pho King

A few more revisits as I completed my weekend morning "honey do" lists.

Hoai Hue Vietnamese Restaurant:

It was just after 9am when I decided to see what was up with Hoai Hue. I think it's been about a year and a half since I last visited. And like my last visit, the place was doing bang-up business at 915 on a weekend morning.

Man, this place sure has come a long way since they moved from their old location a couple of blocks down ECB.

I ordered my usual, the Bun Tam Hoai Hue, basically Bun Bo Hue but with the crab cakes that are usually in Bun Rieu added. As usual, the broth, while steaming hot was on the sweeter side, with the presence of lemongrass or real pungency missing. In this morning the pungency was easily remedied with that huge squirt bottle of Mam Ruoc, fermented shrimp paste.

Don't get me wrong; the BBH is not terrible, it's just a little lighter in flavor and spice than what I really like in a bowl of Bun Bo Hue. I did enjoy the thick slices of Cha Lua. The pork hock was also quite large and fun to gnaw on. The tendon was much too hard to enjoy on this visit. Those slippery, spaghetti like noodles were done well and the sprouts, greens, and herbs were sparkling fresh.

It was a very filling, generous portion.

Hoai Hue Vietnamese Restaurant
4660 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Pho King:

Man, has it already been almost 9 years since PK opened? I hadn't visited in over a year, so I thought I'd head back. This little strip mall has gotten kind of odd over the last couple of years. On one of my visits back in 2014, some guy kept asking me for money as I entered and left. I even saw him looking into my car windows while I was eating. I notice that there are now a couple of homeless folks living in the corner of the strip mall. 

PK is slowly starting to look its age and the menus are showing some wear and tear.

But my favorite dish at Pho King, the Hu Tieu Mi Kho is still a solid choice. From the Chinese Celery, which adds that intense celery flavor and a nice crunch, to the pork studded mildly sweet soy-sauce mixture, to the broth on the side, it's a nice combination of flavors and textures for me.

For some reason, I also like the combination of having the stretchy Hu Tieu to go along with the more crunchy egg noodles, but that's just me.

Pho King Restaurant
4658 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

I'd like to finish up the post by thanking "Hien" for the very nice email. He mentioned that he was born and raised in City Heights, but moved away for college and now work. He says that he enjoys reading our little blog because we often post about places he went to when he lived here and have a special spot in his memory. Hien, I'm glad you enjoy our posts and that they bring back nice memories. Thanks for reading!

Comments

[Soo H]

Wow! You must have a nice car. Nobody ever looks in the window of my car.

[Kirk]

Hey Soo - My car is ten years old......

[janfrederick]

Interesting how "pain in the hiney to eat" items end up being fun to eat. You with the hock, and for me, I always struggle with those bun bo hue noodles. Bamboo utensils are a must. That being said, I've never given up. And I guess it forces me to slow down and savor the meal.

[Kirk]

That's true Jan....so long it tastes good. Though if you're hungry those slippery noodles are a major pain.

[kat]

nice email :)

[Kirk]

It sure was Kat!