Hoooo boy; was it humid this past weekend! The Missus was working as was I this past Saturday, but I got off at a reasonable time and had to head to Nijiya to do some shopping. It was already 11am; kinda late for a typical weekend visit to Nijiya during these times and man, the line into the place was no joke......with temps hitting the 90's and humidity around the same.
I decided that a Banh Mi might be just the thing on a day like this. I'd already tried Cali Banh Mi's Convoy location on a trip home form Nijiya back in June....so, I thought why not give Mignon Pho + Grill another try...make that Mignon Pho + Seafood....and I hadn't tried the Banh Mi there yet.
As always, the folks working here are very nice. I mentioned that I'd be running to Nijiya, so I probably wouldn't pick up my order for another hour, and she told me "no problem, I'll wait and we'll time it for you!" And you know what; I got thru the line and out of Nijiya in around 45 minutes.....as I walked into Mignon to pick up my order; it was just at the window, and ready for me in the blink of an eye. By this time, two of the outdoor tables were filled with folks ready to eat.
I've pretty much considered Mignon to be Vietnamese Fusion, so heck, why not order the "California Banh Mi" ($8). I'd totally missed the part where it says these come with fries.....if I thought the fries would hold up; I would have ordered the Lemongrass Fries, which were the best thing I've had at Mignon to date. I'm glad I didn't because the fries were shot when I opened things up after the 15 minute drive home.
As I figured; this was a pretty "stuffed" banh mi. The bread was dry and crumbly; the egg was nicely fried....large slices of cucumber, and even more scary, look at those thick slices of jalapeno! Spicy too. The pickled carrot and radish were nicely pickled. The marinated beef....being rather bland seemed like it needed more marinating and too thickly cut and chewy. The menu said there was ponzu on his; but I really couldn't taste it.....I would have settled for a nice pate.
Well, I've just one more place to do takeout from in this strip mall…...
I really like the folks who work here and just wish the food was a bit better.....
Mignon Pho + Grill
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
bummer :(
Posted by: kat | Tuesday, 25 August 2020 at 01:09 AM
Totally, Kat.
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 25 August 2020 at 12:54 PM
Only been there for happy hour which lasted til 8pm every day. Never took a liking to their pho. Looks like the banh mi is no dofferent.
Posted by: Junichi | Tuesday, 25 August 2020 at 01:59 PM
Other than the lemongrass fries; I haven't had anything I liked here Junichi.
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 25 August 2020 at 02:05 PM
That is a really stuffed banh mi
Posted by: Som Tommy | Wednesday, 26 August 2020 at 05:50 AM
That looks extremely mediocre... what's your favorite san diego Banh Mi place Kirk? I've been going to Bale but might change it up.
Posted by: Jason | Wednesday, 26 August 2020 at 09:58 AM
A bit too "stuffed" with not great flavor ST.
Hi Jason - You know; I used to enjoy mainly the bread from Baguette Express, but my last visit was not so great. Last decent banh mi I had was from Lena's, but haven't been since Covid-19. Also Banh Mi Baguette Cafe - which I think it still closed; and of course the Banh Mi Ba Chi from Cafe Dore - which I also haven't been to since Covid.
Posted by: Kirk | Wednesday, 26 August 2020 at 10:38 AM