Pho Van (new 2nd location- in Santee)

mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog with posts from Kirk or Cathy.  Kirk is unavailable today, so Cathy is writing.

At the end of August, a second location of Pho Van opened in the old Pho Santee spot, across the street from the Sheriff office. The change has been a great addition to the Vietnamese choice in this East County city. 
The interior is neat, clean and busy almost every time we have stopped in for lunch. There are televisions on each wall. 
 Two shrimp and pork spring rolls ($3.75) had to be a first order, sort of a 'test'.  These were not pre-made and the shrimp and pork were both still warm when brought to the table (very much a plus). Another visit required me to order fried egg rolls (4 for $6.50) {both the spring(#26) and egg (#27) rolls are priced the same per order} and these were very interesting- you can see the elongated shape, nice fry as well as the fillings being plentiful.  Great starts to our meals.
  During those first three weeks of Grand Opening, all the bowls of Pho were half off.  This large bowl of Ga Tom Bo (chicken, shrimp and rare steak) (#16) is normally $8.36. It is worth it.  The flavors of everything- broth, beef, chicken and shrimp- were each excellent.  The noodles were chewy but not clumpy.  The add- ins, though sparse, were just enough with so much else in the bowl.

 #98 on the menu, charbroiled pork with bean curd shrimp paste ($8.50) was at first 'warned' to us when we ordered...that it wasn't whole shrimp and that it was bean curd sheets, not tofu.  {We know what tau hu ky is; look at the results when you type that in the Search Bar (top left of this page).}  Anyhow, this version of shrimp paste stuffed into tofu skin was excellent; crispy, filled and flavorful.  The grilled pork is very well grilled and flavored and the rice is a better quality.  The vegetables here are always extremely fresh.
#65- Beef stew with french bread ($7.87) was both a wonderful surprise and slight disappointment.  The stew was great; tender beef (though not much tendon), carrots and onion. The serving was huge (it's served in a large pho bowl). The disappointment? The bread.  It was warm and with a crispy crust, but for some reason the interior/bread part tasted like yeasty french bread and not a bahn mi. Not a biggie, and you can order beef stew with rice, rice noodle or egg noodle.  
   Bun cha gio (#46, $7.87) was ordered the one time I visited and wanted the egg rolls but also the salad and chilled noodles.  The salad part included cucumber, shredded mint and bean sprouts and was served in a fairly large (I'm guessing the small pho sized) bowl. This satisfied my cravings, especially because the pickled radish and carrot along with the fresh chopped peanuts added so much texture and flavor to all of the things under the egg rolls.    The 'House Specialties' part of the menu is also interesting.  #25- rare lemon beef salad ($13.50) is wonderful- large and lemon marinaded beefy with shredded radish, onion, fresh herbs (mint, basil and sawtooth) and topped with chopped peanuts and fried garlic.  There is enough to share on this plate.  
  Also from the 'House Specialty' menu...the bottom item (#29 C) "Bowl of soup wonton" ($3.50).  Small, but just enough if you want to eat light or have a small side dish.  The wontons are so fresh, nicely filled with both shrimp and pork and the soup broth is not salty, with a chicken flavor.  

If you are in Santee, this is the place.

Pho Van 8790 Cuyamaca Street, Suite K Santee, CA 92071 (619) 631-7878 open daily 9-9

Comments

[caninecologne]

Very nice looking beef salad!

[Soo]

Good deal on won ton soup!

[kat]

bummer about the bread

[Cathy]

The lemon beef salad was really great on a particularly hot day, cc.
Ordering from the 'House Specialty' side of the menu anywhere has turned out to be the key to finding something great, Soo. The won tons were great and the portion size was just right for a quick, light meal.
I know, Kat...simple banh mi but it wasn't...and the texture of the crust was right...but I tasted yeast and it was so odd. Still, Pho Van is a great place close to home.