"Them Bones" (Xí Quách Suon Bò) and Nuoc Beo From Pho Duyen Mai

A couple of weeks back "FOY" Sage  sent me a Tweet letting me know that Pho Duyen Mai now had an option for "Fatty Broth with Green Onions" for 50 cents extra. Well, that got my attention as I figured it was Nuoc Beo. A lot of places will provide Nuoc Beo on request; but I don't recall seeing it on the menu in San Diego. So, when our latest storm hit; you know 50 mph winds, hail, locusts....water turning to blood (this is 2021 after all)......I decided that a bowl of pho (while I still had a chance), with some extra fatty broth would really hit the spot. I was tempted to do the online ordering; but quickly noticed that they didn't have "Them Bones" as an option online. So, I decided to drive on over on my way back from the office to check on Frankie. The nice woman was working who remembers me, even with some groovy longer hair and a mask on. She quickly told me that they did indeed have Beef Rib Bones available, which I added to my order.

This being yesterday....Monday the 26th, Duyen Mai was still doing takeout only, with only one party at a time allowed inside the front door at the table.

I was my order would be ready in ten minutes and waited in my car....and about eight minutes later, I was waved back in to pick up my order.

It felt quite hefty and I was a bit surprised when I unpacked things.

Man, along with a larger portion of broth like I had last time; there were four full ribs and all the meat. I was also shocked at how much bean sprouts were included as well.

The beef rib meat was much more tender than on previous visits. It came off the bone cleanly and I shredded it into a bowl with my hands.......nice beefy goodness right here.

I actually saved half the meat and a third of the broth with some bean sprouts and had that as a starter for dinner.

I got the #27...you know tendon, tripe, well done meats....especially since I was taking this togo. A little of the nuoc beo went a long way....not very beefy, though quite "lardy" and the scallions adds a bit of seet-pungency to things.

The proteins were in good shape; I especially appreciated the crunchy tripe, with no off flavors with the tender tendon as a foil. The well done flank as toothsome, but not tough and the brisket was nice and beefy.

Like I previously mentioned, there was a ton of very fresh bean sprouts and also a good amount of basil, which was on the precipice of starting to turn color. That lime came in handy as the broth; while decently beefy...something that is quite rare when it comes to pho in San Diego these days; featured something else that is the status quo with SD pho broth; it had that "sweetness", though it wasn't overly salty.

The only thing problematic were the noodles. Since it was packed with all the ingredients on it; I just moved it to a bowl. I should have removed all the toppings; though getting all the scallions and cilantro might be problematic and poured boiling water to separate. While the noodles were nicely prepared.....it still had some nice "strecth" to them; it was quite a task separating them without tearing the noodles to shreds.

Still, I have no complaints about this (1 - 1/2) meal(s). That rib meat was a winnah' and having the optino for Nuoc Beo.....well my old buddy Dennis of a Radiused Corner would be all over that in an instant.

Much thanks to "FOY" Sage for letting me know about Nuoc Beo and getting Duyen Mai back on my radar. It was so nice on a windy, chilly, rainy day.

Pho Duyen Mai
5375 Kearny Villa Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 560-5354
Current Covid-19 Hours:
Wed - Mon 10am - 8pm
Tuesday   9am - 8pm

Comments

[Sandy]

The recent San Diego Westways magazine (for AAA members) had a feature, Bargain Bites, that featured Pho Duyen Mai and mentioned the beef bones. That is a lot of meat!

[TFD]

Wow, I was expecting to see "one" bone. I need to order #27 asap!

[kat]

glad this didn’t disappoint.

[Kirk]

It was a lot of meat Sandy!

Het TFD - I suggest you call in your order; you can have the rib bones as a side with anything you order; I think..... It costs about $4.99 extra. Have fun!

It sure didn't Kat!

[An]

I like getting the noodles uncooked if you're taking it home! Super simple to cook. Just boil hot water and put the noodles in for a few minutes. Then you don't have to deal with clumpy overcooked noodles!

[Junichi]

Every time I see "them bones" it reminds me of the Alice in Chains song. Glad they still carry it.

[SageOlson]

Glad you liked it Kirk! =) Think I’ll go back this Friday when the next bit of weather sweeps through.

And didn’t know that them bones were still available – good tip!

[Kirk]

Thanks for taking the time out to comment An! I think in this case; and it does have to addressed on a case by case basis; Pho Cow Cali is good about requests for uncooked noodles; Phuong Trang is not; some ramen places will charge extra. In this case; because the noodles were provided slightly undercooked, if it were separate from the toppings, a simple pour of hot/boiling water would have worked fine. It could have been done in parallel with reheating the broth and taken no additional time - especially since I had to get back to work. Thanks for the suggestion!

Yeah, it reminds me as well Junichi! In fact, I think I mentioned that before.......

Thanks again for the recommendation Sage!

[Si O]

I need to get there for this (and their Goi Cuon Nem Nuong). :) Thanks for the reminder of this place.

[Kirk]

Hope you enjoy it Si!

[Jenne]

I was looking for a pho place in Kearny Mesa today so I of course looked on here for recommendations—tried “dem bones” today and they were awesome! I ordered pho without meat to go with but something got confused and I got chicken pho instead. Oh well, it was still good!

[Kirk]

Hi Jenne - So nice to hear from you....I gotta get back here now that the weather is getting cooler. Glad you enjoyed your pho....