Minh Ky - Under New Ownership

This past weekend, after returning from our last trip, I was craving some "comfort food"....which at that time meant noodles...and in this case Beef Satay Egg Noodle "dry" ("Kho"). So, of course Minh Ky came to mind. Especially since I've been going here since way "back when". In fact, it was one of my last stops before the Covid shut down in 2020. What has recently changed is the ownership of Minh Ky. I was interested to see if things were different after the change of ownership. I did wait until we got back from our last trip and visited this past weekend.

Upon arrival there were some things that were totally the same....for instance; that parking lot is still terrible. The back parking lot is now totally run by Paris Bakery and there are warning signs posted not to park there. The sign for Minh Ky however, is quite shiny and new!

Though the interior looks the same.

I noticed that prices have gone up since my last visit in March of last year, though my guess is that prices have risen everywhere. The Mi Sate Thit Bo is now $11.95 and guess what? There's now a 50-cent upcharge for getting it "Kho" (dry).

Still old habits die hard, and I really wanted to see if my favorite dish from Minh Ky had changed with the ownership. The young lady working said they've kept the kitchen staff.

    There was one thing I quickly noticed when my bowl arrived; the portion size seems a bit larger than before. Also, the sauce was a lot "redder" in color and while it had a decent savory-nutty - pungency, was also saltier than I recalled. The beef was not quite as nicely velveted and was on the chewy side, though I've had that happen on previous visits.

The broth at Minh Ky had usually been on the weaker and blander side of the scale and perhaps it was me really focusing in on things; but take a look at how pale that soup is. It just speaks for itself.

 

There was a good amount of tomato and onion. The noodles, which were provided in abundance were really undercooked, hard, and brittle.

I'm not quite sure if it was me really focusing on things or what? But the couple on the table behind me was having a lively debate. The young man said that his egg noodle dish was not quite up to par and was very salty; the young woman said her won ton soup was just the same and the kitchen staff is the same. She punctuated the argument by telling the young man "I've been coming here my entire life, you never came here until we met 5 five years ago, so you obviously don't know what you're talking about!" Touche!

So, while I did detect some differences; I'll need to return in a couple of weeks....or months, this was obviously not quite to my liking, and see.

So, tell me; if you've been to Minh Ky since the ownership change, have you detected anything different with what you had?

Minh Ky Restaurant
4644 El Cajon Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92115

Comments

[kat]

hopefully it will be to your liking when you return

[Som Tommy]

I have to see how the won ton noodle is now

[Kirk]

I hope so Kat!

Let me know how it goes ST!

[Junichi]

There were some levels of inconsistencies throughout the years but we do have a tendency to beautify the past. None of my friends have visited since the change. Even if it's close to what it used to be I'm pretty sure it won't be the same. Similar things happen when kids take over restaurants from their parents. Regulars would point out it's not the same.

[Kirk]

So true Junichi!

[Soo]

I visited a few weeks ago and the won ton soup seemed the same.

[Kirk]

That's great Soo!

[Elle]

That's a funny conversation. Sorry to hear about the dish.

Curious on your thoughts on Pho Minh in City Heights. They serve a lot of greens and thicker noodles with their pho. However, I wasn't impressed with their bun thit nuong.

[Kirk]

Hi Elle - Been meaning to try the place out. I've heard good things about their bun rieu. Thanks for the reminder!