I'm sure folks who read our humble little blog knew that I just had to check out Mi Quang Mien Trung when they finally opened in the old Da Nang Food To Go location. I was even more fascinated when the folks at Mien Trung told me they were not affiliated. So, two weekends ago, I drove on up to City Heights fairly early in the morning to find the place open.
I found some parking close by and walked in. Well, the place was half full! All old-timers...I guess I'm one "of them" these days, huh?
The menu is fairly tight, a good 20 items, Canh Bun, Bun Bo Hue, Banh Beo, Com Am Phu ("Hell Rice"), and of course the namesake Mi Quang ($8.50). Which is, of course what I ordered.
But first....some fairly decent tea....
I have to say, they've got the presentation done pat....this looked wonderful.
You have to love the vibrant colors and the symphony of textures; the peanuts, the crisp and sparkling veggies, the perfectly cooked, legit tumeric colored noodles. The shrimp, head and tail removed, but with the shell left on (yes!), was fresh, flavorful, and moist. I took a sip of the broth; in typical style, this had less than a cup of broth.....and how does that sound go? "moah-moah-moah......." It was so watery and tasteless; no porkiness or flavor of dried shrimp, or shallot. And that radioactive looking pork was dry and tasteless.
Man, it had started so well, and looked so vibrant. But in the end it was a bit of a let down. I'm not one who is just happy to "have something available". I'm hoping for better next time I have this here....
While eating, I noticed all the old-timers were eating the same thing. So the following weekend I headed back up to have the......
Bun Bo Hue ($8.50).
I was again taken by how lovely the bowl of soup and especially the bright and crisp veggies looked.
The noodles were cooked just perfectly and his was such a hearty and hot bowl of soup.
The broth had a nice mild porkiness, with a hint of onion/shallot, a touch of funkiness, however......
Yes...however....it lacked spiciness and that nice aromatic lemongrass flavor. Not enough annatto oil to give it that Bun Bo Hue "look" as well. It wasn't bad, but it didn't strike me as really being bun bo hue. The fermented shrimp and chili paste did help.
The pork hock was one pretty large slice of chewy-gelatinous goodness. The slices of beef and especially tendon were really rustic and thick......even chewier than Mien Trung's version. I really kind of enjoyed it in this framework.
To be perfectly honest, I might like this version more than what Hoai Hue offers, which I think is a bit on the overly sweet and lacks spice.
The gentleman working here is very mellow. I don't think the food is bad at all and will try out some other items in the future. It's nice to have places like this and Phuong Nga 2 opening up. It just makes "noodling around" that much more fun. Check them out and let me know what you think!
Mi Quang Mien Trung
4745 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115
Hours:
Wed - Mon 8am - 8pm
Closed on Tuesdays
Kirk,
Unless you are gumming your food brother, I don't think you can quite put yourself in the old timers category just yet...Now go back to sitting on your front porch screaming at the neighborhood kids to get off your lawn....
Posted by: Alan in Clairemont | Monday, 12 March 2018 at 08:37 PM
Sounds like you're describing a couple of my neighbors Alan! ;o)
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 13 March 2018 at 07:09 AM
Bummer. The Mi quang looks so pretty.
Posted by: Junichi | Tuesday, 13 March 2018 at 09:30 AM
It wasn't bad Junichi. Just not worth a special trip.
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 13 March 2018 at 10:50 AM
Too bad the mi quang was flavorless. It looked so good too. The parking lot there is not that great.
Posted by: caninecologne | Tuesday, 13 March 2018 at 08:44 PM
:(
Posted by: kat | Wednesday, 14 March 2018 at 03:42 AM
Hi CC - You should give it a try since you like Mi Quang. I usually end up parking on the side streets.
It wasn't terrible Kat.
Posted by: Kirk | Wednesday, 14 March 2018 at 07:08 AM
The mi quang both looks and sounds different than on my trips. The shrimp were head on (a very good thing in my book), the broth flavorful and the meat nearly ground. Your description of the bun bo hue, on the other hand, sounds just like mine.
Posted by: Michael Gardiner | Sunday, 18 March 2018 at 05:04 PM
I'll have to try it out then. My standards are lower than yours, lol! :)
Posted by: caninecologne | Sunday, 18 March 2018 at 09:32 PM
Hi Michael - Glad to see you're checking out places in City Heights. Hopefully they are getting things straightened out.....that was one diappointing bowl of Mi Quang.
Hi CC - Hope you get a good bowl of Mi Quang!
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 19 March 2018 at 06:50 AM
Hey Kirk,
I haven't been on your blog for sometime. I moved down to the City Heights neighborhood and wanted to see if you knew of any hidden gems around that I should check out. I am pretty familiar with the Vietnamese restaurants around here. What else should I check out?
Posted by: Kha Hoang | Thursday, 22 March 2018 at 09:58 AM
Hi Kha - It's nice to hear from you! Hope you are doing well. Here are a couple of places you might want to check out that are not Vietnamese.
Ban Lao - http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2017/09/ban-lao-cuisine.html
Eli's Peruvian - http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2018/01/elis-signature-peruvian-kitchen.html
Of course the Crispy Fried Chicken, Su Pan and others.
Have fun exploring.
Posted by: Kirk | Thursday, 22 March 2018 at 12:03 PM
finally tried their mi quang today and yeah....you were right. :(
Posted by: Caninecologne | Saturday, 03 November 2018 at 05:58 PM
Bummer CC.....though I recently had it again and it was pretty much the same.
Posted by: Kirk | Sunday, 04 November 2018 at 07:42 AM