Nhà Hàng Chay Hoa Từ Bi Tâm

A few months ago, I drove past the latest incarnation of a restaurant at 4591 El Cajon Boulevard.....and did a double take. It looked like yet another restaurant has taken the space; the last three, including a location of Saigon Sandwiches moved in and out so fast I never got a chance to check them out. What got my attention was the "Organic - Veggie" lettering on the sign.

I really wasn't too keen on checking this place out but "FOYs" (friends of yoso) Elle and Phuong both mentioned this place in the comments section of my Banh Mi Boulevard post. So why not? The following weekend, I drove over. Hoa Từ Bi Tâm opens at 8am, so I decided to head over for breakfast.

They've really "greened out" the place and one thing clued me in.....that this was a real "vegetarian" place; there's a bit of Buddhist literature around. This ain't no hipster - tree hugger joint. there's even floor seating available; just don't ask me to do that, I've gone though my lack of flexibility, which has turned into a bit of a phobia over the years. Well, here you can sit on the floor if you want to.

Another interesting thing.....just about everything on the menu (the Banh Xeo is $6) is five bucks!

I decided to start with the Banh Beo, something I hadn't had in a while.

The tapioca - rice cake was way too soft and was ungainly...it also strangely lacked the mild hint of sweetness. While there was a good amount of toppings; it was quite bland and sorely in need of a more savory component. The faux nuoc mam cham was super sweet and amplified the need for something savory in this dish.

In looking over the list of noodle soups; two were quickly eliminated; Bun Mam is only served on Thursdays and frankly, since that soup is a major umami bomb, I'm not sure how things would manage to hold up without seafood or meat, and the version of Bun Rieu which might have been a possibility, was only served on Tuesdays. I chose something that I thought would do well in a vegetarian format; Bun Mang; dried bamboo soup.

The highlights of this soup were the noodles; while the portion was rather small, was prepped perfectly, it shows that they really take care with what is being served. The rehydrated bamboo shoots had a nice crunch and earthy flavor. Unfortunately, not enough of that flavor was given to the broth what was surprisingly salty and on the "sweet" side. The bean curd items were standard issue....and I'm not a big fan of some wheat gluten products; which has a weirdly chalky-"off" meat flavor to me. And those items; especially the faux cha lua tasted that way.

Still; this wasn't terrible and I decided to return this past weekend to try a few other items.

I started with the Bo Bia; Jicama Spring Rolls.

I think these had been sitting a while for a couple of reasons; unlike my previous visit, where things took a while to hit the table, this came out in five minutes. In addition, the wrapper was dried out and really chewy. Third, in addition to the crunch of Jicama, I usually detect a pleasant light sweetness, which was missing here. The dipping sauce; which tasted peanut based was actually quite good; it held up well, and was nice and thick, coating things well.

Not quite knowing what to order in terms of noodle soup, I went with the Hu Tieu.

Which turned out to be a good choice. The broth, while still edging on being too salty, was fine. Because it was on the milder side, I could really make out the flavors; the lightly sweet cauliflower, the vegetal broccoli, the sliced king mushrooms, earthy and meaty. The bean curd items were fine, though I'm still not a fan of the wheat gluten stuff here. The noodles were cooked perfectly this time as well. I also enjoyed a squeeze of lime to tame the sodium and the addition of crunchy bean sprouts. This was not bad at all.....especially for five bucks!

The folks here are really nice. I noticed that all customers were a bit older; except for one table where a very unhappy young lady sat with her smartphone not eating anything while the two older women with her had noodle soup. I'm glad I tried the place; it looks like they already have a decent customer base and are trying to put out a good product. I hope they do well. I just may return one day for another breakfast...

Hey, maybe if they have one of the those "ear cleaning guys" like at Wenshu Temple? Just kidding....once in my life is enough!

Nhà Hàng Chay Hoa Từ Bi Tâm
4591 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115
Hours:
Thurs - Tues 8am - 8pm
Closed on Wednesday

Thanks for the recommendation Elle and Phuong!

Comments

[Junichi]

Can't complain for $5! You can't even get a burrito for that price nowadays.

[Kirk]

I know Junichi. You can barely get a Banh Mi at those prices....

[Elle]

Nice review! I do like their tapioca dumplings/banh bot loc. It may fall apart a bit, but it's not overly chewy like the meat versions I've had. Looks they are participating with other restaurants for a food crawl at the Little Saigon Stories event this Saturday.

Did you know Royal Garden closed down? I walked by one day and it was cleaned out.

[Kirk]

I've noticed that Royal Garden hasn't been open even during their limited hours Elle. So I kinda figured.....

[kat]

bargain!

[Kirk]

It is a good value Kat!

[nhbilly]

Lots of better asian inspired vegetarian eats in OC.
in no special order
1.Âu Lạc FV - 16563 Brookhurst St, Fountain Valley, CA 92708
2.Bồ Đề Tịnh Tâm Chay - 15352 Beach Blvd, Westminster, CA 92683
3.Sage Plant Based Bistro West - 4130 Sepulveda Blvd, Culver City, CA 90230 - parking here is terrible

[Kirk]

I'm sure there is Billy. Thanks for the list.

[D.A. Kolodenko]

Recommend returning to this location: now called Thanh Thinh Chay, it's a better vegetarian restaurant than before. The new owner, Helen, is a nurse from Los Angeles, who completely redesigned the menu. Everything's made in-house, like vegan egg noodles and homemade (usually complementary) desserts. I recommend their version of Chinese dan dan noodles, but the menu is extensive. It's always crowded now, even though more expensive than before (worth it).

[Kirk]

Hi D.A. - I've actually done one visit recently! I'm going to do at least one more before posting! Thanks for the recommendation!