Pho Duoi Bo from Pho Ca Dao & Grill (Mira Mesa)

Well, I've done it again.....I gave in to the power of suggestion. In my PCD ECB revisit post, both Elle and Sandy mentioned PCD MM, in my PT Eatery post Lynn mentioned that Pho Ca Dao in Mira Mesa had gone downhill since the remodel. Waaaay back when I did my Pho Duoi Bo from the now closed Royal Garden, I mentioned that the Mira Mesa location of PCD had Oxtail pho....at least at one time to Jan Frederick. And so here I was.....seated at Pho Ca Dao in Mira Mesa.

It sure looks a lot more modern than the last time I did a post on this location of Pho Ca Dao. Would you believe that was 11 1/2 years ago! Sheesh. I did return a couple of years ago with coworkers....had a not-so-good bowl of pho and didn't take any photos. But my memory did not fail me (this time). There was indeed Pho Duoi Bo (Oxtail Pho) on the menu.

That's what I was here for.

I was a bit surprised when my bowl arrived as it seemed kind of small...….and just having the clump of noodles on the bottom and two pieces of oxtail with little else made it seem somewhat sparse. There wasn't much bean sprouts provided, though the sprig of basil was quite large.

Cutting straight to the oxtails....well, they were pretty good, nice beefy flavor, tender, but not falling to pieces, not bad at all.

The broth however was a fail.

Lacking in color, light on the richness, this tasted like salt water and like the Missus says "like someone had waved a beef bone over boiled water"...… A bit on the salty side; in need of....well, just about everything....except more salt and MSG.

The noodles were nicely prepared.

And for an even bigger surprise...….well, I didn't expect Culantro (Ngo Gai) and didn't get it...but I really didn't expect Cilantro along with my basil and sprouts. Since when is that a thing?

I'm not much of a big eater these days; but for the first time in I don't know how long; I was still hungry when I left the restaurant.

Another thing I noticed; looking at the signs for the other Pho Ca Dao locations; only RB, Poway, and Mira Mesa are represented. Is the original and other locations owned by someone else? Elle had mentioned the menu had become more westernized....sorry to say I really didn't take time to look at it in detail.

Service was nice, the Pho Duoi Bo fairly pricey for the portion size ($9.85). It'll probably be another decade before I return.

Pho Ca Dao
8373 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126
Hours:
Open Daily 900am - 900pm

Comments

[Elle]

Oof. Seems they are cutting back on portions. The only other restaurant that does oxtail pho in SD is Shank & Bone, but their broth is disappointing compared to old school restaurants.

Although Barona buffet doubled their price for classic members, their oxtail is good whenever they have it out in Chinese section. Luckily, my dad is a platinum member so price isn't too bad haha.

[caninecologne]

Aw bummer.

[kat]

:(

[Kirk]

I did not care for the Oxtail/Bone Marrow pho at S&B Elle.....though I visited shortly after they opened.

It was CC!

Kinda sad Kat.

[Sandy]

Pho Ca Dao Mira Mesa used to be our choice for pho, but I haven't liked the updated menu. Maybe it's time to go back to the El Cajon Blvd location ...

[Kirk]

Or maybe Cow Cali of one of the other places in the area Sandy? In my opinion, PCD on ECD isn't worth a special trip.

[Junichi]

Cilantro must've been a mistake. Never seen that before. Salt/MSG soup no bueno.

[Kirk]

Totally no bueno Junichi.....

[Janfrederick]

Bummer. I haven't been there in a long time either.

[Kirk]

Hi Jan - It was kind of disappointing.

[Loren]

One is coming to Mission Valley, same mall as Costco near the stadium (or what won't be a stadium any longer I suppose).

[Kirk]

Probably a good location for them Loren. Thanks for the heads-up!