The recent weather has been downright wintery; by San Diego standards. I even had frost on my windshield one morning....for the briefest moment. I'd been wanting to see if the soon to open Mi Quang shop was affiliated with Mien Trung. And since it had been a while since my last visit, the timing seemed right. Things were pretty quiet on this Sunday morning.
I'm wondering if it's just me or has the broth at Mien Trung gotten spicier over the last couple of years. There also seems to be quite a bit more meat these days. Nice spice, slight funkiness, definite lemongrass, and did I mention the spice? Soup was scalding; perfect for getting the sprouts and veggies to the right temp without compromising the broth. Nice slippery noodles and too heavy on the MSG.
One good hint for eating at MT, is to wear dark clothes......because of the red tinge from the annatto in the broth. My good buddy, the late Ed from Yuma would never fail to wear a white shirt when we ate here. He'd end up leaving, sweating and satisfied, but with a pattern of small red dots on his shirt.
There was a time when Mien Trung was a weekly ritual, but a very warm spring and summer had kind of put the place on the back-burner. There was also a rather "rough patch" of time where things weren't up to our expectations, MT has mostly returned to form.
And I really appreciated the place on this chilly Sunday.
Mien Trung Restaurant
7530 Mesa College Dr
San Diego, CA 92111
had to smile with the “white shirt” hint...just like satoshi
Posted by: kat | Saturday, 24 February 2018 at 03:38 PM
Lol Kat! Oh my......
Posted by: Kirk | Sunday, 25 February 2018 at 07:15 PM
It's been pretty spicy the last few times I've been. Another cold and wet week means more noodle soups!
Posted by: Junichi | Monday, 26 February 2018 at 11:21 AM
I do think the broth has been getting spicer over the years Junichi. I'm glad I'm not imagining things. I'm actually enjoying the recent cold weather.....all soups...all the time!
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 26 February 2018 at 11:48 AM
ha..ha..ha..good advice on the shirt.
the broth indeed has been spicier and i love it these last 3 months.
i still can't believe Ed is gone. I would never have gone to eat at Flattop Grille or Tacos Mi Rancho in Yuma were it not for Ed's reviews.
i'm glad you got to visit Ed and Tina, and ate at his favorite places, Kurt, last september.
do you think he'd have enjoyed the spicier broth?
Posted by: Didi Tee | Thursday, 01 March 2018 at 11:57 PM
Hi Didi - It's so nice to hear from you! I think Ed would have enjoyed the spicier version....and hopefully he would have worn a ncie white shirt! ;o)
Posted by: Kirk | Friday, 02 March 2018 at 06:41 AM