Takeout From Da Nang Corner

Back in August; I noticed a shop named Da Nang Corner was opening up on Convoy and was quite happy to see the possibility of more regional Vietnamese cuisine being represented in the Convoy area. The shop opened during November and since around the middle of that month, I've managed three visits. I was really excited to try what I consider DaNang's signature dish to be; Mi Quang. To be honest; I've never had a decent version of Mi Quang in San Diego. The now closed Mi Quang Mien Trung was a disappointment and other versions just weren't very satisfying.

Da Nang Corner has an online ordering system, which I used on all three visits. Or at least tried to use. The first two times, they actually called me to confirm my order and I still had to wait for it when I arrived for pick-up. On the third visit, I got no confirmation call and no one had a clue about it when I arrived....the very nice young lady walked over and pulled my ticket out of the POS machine, so I just had to wait. I know grand opening jitters; but remember, this was over the space of almost 80 days.

Still, nice young ladies, the dining area is very clean and well set-up. I'll definitely eat in when everything settles down.....whenever that may be.

Of course I ordered the Mi Quang Ga ($11.50).

Things were nicely packed, the veggies and herbs were sparkling fresh, I loved that there was a good amount of shredded banana blossom as I really enjoy the texture it adds to various soups and it tends to absorb flavors quite well.

There was more soup than I'm used to for Mi Quang, which while on the salty side had a nice tongue coating finish to it. It wasn't deeply complex, but pretty darn good....with nice savory tones and a hint of sweetness.

The rest of the dish was somewhat problematic. The noodles were unevenly prepared and many of the noodles were broken into small pieces. Some of the pieces were mushy, some were super hard, barely cooked, just not good eats.

The chicken was strangely bland and also on the dry side, like all the flavor had been boiled out of it even though it was dark meat, go figure. The boiled egg was overcooked with that purple ring around the yolk....a true sign it had been boiled too long.

Now, once we're over the pandemic, I'm going to order this to dine in and am hoping all of these issues will be remedied.

I took a gander at the menu at Da Nang Corner to figure out what to try next......and two items got my attention; and no, it wasn't the pho......perhaps someday, but not in my top ten of items to try at a place with Danang in the name. I decided to try the Com Ga Hoi An ($10.50)….Hoi An's famous chicken and rice dish.

This was during the time before the last lockdown when outdoor dining was allowed....but of course I got my order to go. Ordered online, got a call back during my drive over to the restaurant and there was another ten minute wait after I arrived to get my food.

Now in typical Hoi An Chicken Rice the rice is cooked with turmeric; giving the rice, much like the mi quang a vibrant yellow color. It should also be cooked with chicken broth and fat......but in this case, there was barely any chicken flavor and the rice was really hard as well. The chicken was a bit chewy but that's to be expected, the sauce was a bit too sweet, I prefer mine to have a bit more acidity, but it wasn't bad, though there was a distinct shortage of chicken. Loved the herbs in the dish though. The nuoc mam cham was way too sweet as well.

This isn't something I'll order again.

During this visit; I asked the young lady working what I should order and was told that the Bun Bo Hue was really good. I asked her if it was as good as Mien Trung and her expression changed, she gave me a shrug; not exactly the seal of approval, but I decided to try the Bun Bo Hue ($12.75). This was after all outdoor dining had been shutdown, I placed an online order, though this time I didn't receive a confirmation phone call. When I arrived, I walked to the counter and said I had placed an online order receiving a blank stare.....the young lady then walked to the printer and guess what? There was my order....oh well; it's still "grand opening", right?

Once my order was ready, I took my package to the car and returned home, not thinking this was going to be any good......though I would be proven wrong.

I did reheat the broth for this and once put together it looked, and smelled quite good.

First off, while I wished there were more veggies and herbs (especially banana blossom), what was provided was fine.

Second, the noodles were perfectly prepared, good texture, nice and slippery.

Third, the broth was good, perhaps a bit too much MSG, but heck, even Mien Trung goes a bit far at times. But the broth had a mild beefiness, decent spice, and while I think it could have used more lemongrass, that was still acceptable....there was a nice mild spice as well. The cilantro and onions added just a touch of pungency to help move the flavors forward.

In addition to the well prepared beef shank and tendon (better than MT I think), there was a nice and tender meatball like you'd find in Bun Rieu. The only item that was not prepared well was the pork hock which was too tough and rubbery and needed more cooking time. Other than that, I'd say this was way better than typical "pho shop Bun Bo Hue" you'll find in the area and not a bad alternative to Mien Trung in my opinion.

I'll definitely have this again....hopefully this wasn't just a day I hit the lottery.

I'm hoping Da Nang Corner does well and keeps improving. Time will tell.....as I'm not just happy "to have something" available, my hope is that the next bowl of Mi Quang will be much better and that Bun Bo Hue wasn't just a visit on a "good day".

Da Nang Corner
4428 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 737-4919
Current Hours:
Tues - Sun 11am - 7pm
Closed on Mondays

Comments

[Elle]

Thanks for the review! I hope they can continue to improve. I think a few months ago I got the BBH at Hoai Hue, but it was quite salty.

Also, hope Coco Ichibanya can open soon!

[RedDevil]

The bun bo hue sounds good! Will never forget my first bowl of BBH—cubes of blood were unexpected for this honky 😳

[TFD]

I'm sorry, is that all they give you for banh trang? I don't think I ever had egg in my mi quang. Usually its chicken/pork with shrimps. I'll give them a try though. The only place I found that made good mi quang is in OC. BBH looks decent. I would pass on the rice, too. Also, how come you always have trouble with online/call orders? LOL.

[kat]

hoping they keep improving

[kirk]

I hope so too Elle.

But since you're one and original "RedDevil" you performed admirably! ;o)

I think they're were/are still trying to figure out the technology TFD.....hopefully they have things straightened out.

I hope so too Kat!

[Junichi]

Reviews on Y3lp were mixed so I haven't tried them yet. I'll give their BBH a shot to compare with MT.

[Kirk]

Yes, my visits were a mixed bag Junichi. But I always give these places a couple of shots before posting. Hope you enjoy the Bun Bo Hue.

[Jane]

I tried the Bun Bo Hue and it wasn't even the red color that your pictures showed. While the broth itself was fine, there was no spicy notes, which is what Bun Bo Hue is known for, and I was really disappointed. So disappointed that I actually made my own (it really was a labor of love)!

[Kirk]

That's terrible bad Jane....maybe I got lucky!

[SomTommy]

Too bad about the Mi Quang. The Bun Bo looks promising though

[Kirk]

I'm hoping it will be just as good the next time I order it ST.