Xin Chao Eatery

I had been searching for some new pho places relatively close to work. Yes, I wanted to try something new. And Xin Chao appeared, in Del Mar Highlands Center. Hmmm....... So, I headed on over.

A very nice modern space. Part Vietnamese restaurant, part gastropub..... for some reason Shank and Bone came to mind.

And then when I took a look at the menu with regards to pho...well, no tendon, tripe and such. Though "dem bones", or should I say, a bone (Xí Quách Suon Bò) was available as well as an oxtail version. The folks working the front of house were quite mellow and friendly. I placed my order......

I saw chicken wings on the menu....with a fish sauce version. My instincts was to order the salt and pepper version, but I still miss the fish sauce wings from Que Huong, so I ordered that ($13).

  Geez who'd have thought we would see prices at 2 bucks per chicken wings all those year ago! The wings were nicely battered, more crunchy than crisp, the texture was not bad at all. There was a sticky glaze, which was more toward the sweet than savory, though you could make out the fish sauce. The wings were on the larger side and was decently cared for with a minimum of bitter black portions around the bones. This was not bad at all and had me wishing I had ordered the salt and pepper version.

Looking at the menu, it hinted at "pho not to offend" since there were no options for tendon or tripe. Though thinking about the customer base what should I have expected? I ordered the House Special Pho which clocked in at $18. The key item for me was what I call "dem bones" (Xi Quach Suon Bo), though perhaps it should be called "that bone" since only a single rib was in this. I was soon presented with the basil and sprouts and the sriracha and hoisin.

Let me just say that Xin Chao took the "silver medal" with regards to the smallest portion of herbs and sprouts....the second least amount I've experienced next to Mom's Pho and Grill in recent memory.

Well, at least it was more than the 16 bean sprouts I counted there....I think.

My bowl soon arrived, blazing hot.....like so hot I had to wait ten minutes before really tucking in.

I was able to try the rib bone. The meat was on the chewier side but came off the bone nicely and was actually the beefiest cut provided. Because the broth was super hot, the rare steak was over cooked by the time of consumption. The rest of meats were bland and tasteless as well. 

The waiting for the molten broth to cool down pause also meant that the noodles, which were in the typical clump were somewhat overcooked and headed toward mushy.

The broth, while tending toward the overly "sweet" San Diego style was not bad......it was very clear and defatted thus on the thinner side and lacking in richness, but still had a hint of beefy-anise tones to it. 

This was not bad overall, a modern rendition that bordered on "hipster pho and pho not to offend", but was still pretty good. I really liked the folks working here.

So, I returned.

This time to try the Crispy Salt and Pepper wings.

These wings seemed not as crisp as what I'd had before. So, I'm not sure if they bread/batter the wings differently based on flavor. Still, the garlic-salt-pepper flavor came thru nicely, and the fried appendages were quite moist and tender.

This time I ordered the Oxtail Pho ($17), which came with the same shall we say

As for the bowl, my goodness, it was even more scalding hot than the bowl before!

 But at least I didn't have to worry about my rare steak being overcooked. Based on my last visit, I decided to time how long it took before I could safely partake of my pho. Cautiously taking sips things timed out at twelve minutes and seventeen seconds. As you can see; the soup was very clear, though it wasn't as sweet-salty this time around. It did have a nice beefy "nose" with hints of star anise. 

There were three good sized oxtails, plus one "runt" provided. The oxtails were cooked perfectly, easy enough to take off the bone with chopsticks, but not falling to pieces to be lost in the soup. 

I'm thinking the extra time I needed for the soup to cool enough really messed up the noodles as like on my previous visit it was on the mushy side. 

Overall, a decent bowl.

It seems like Xin Chao is trying to ride that line of pleasing non-"pho-natics", those hoping for a more modern rendition of pho, yet trying to keep the spirit of traditionality. The prices are in keeping with the location...that is, on the high side of things. I like the folks working here, they are quite nice. A far cry from "the fastest pho in the west", which the "pho-natic" in me enjoys. Ok, enough pho puns for a while.....

I'll try and revisit in a couple of months if the weather is cool enough and perhaps see how the bone marrow is as well.

Xin Chào Eatery
3545 Del Mar Heights Rd.
San Diego, CA 92130
Current Hours:
Daily 11am - 9pm

Comments

[Jason]

I live nearby and been a couple times, I agree it's decent but very "safe" pho. That mall is known for drastically increasing the rent, so I commiserate a little bit for their high prices. For us, we go when we don't want to make a longer drive to somewhere else.

[Peter]

Makes me sad to see the words "safe pho" -- why bother? I don't want my food to be safe -- I'd much rather have an edge, a little funk and punch in the nose. Oh well...

[Denver]

Oooo always looking for Pho with good beef ribs. This one looks decent.

[Kirk]

Yes, it's quite "pho not to offend" Jason. That said, folks working were so nice and the pho/wings weren't bad.

I guess it's what they think the masses want Peter.

Hope you like it Denver!

[Soo]

The oxtail and the fried chicken wings look good!

[kat]

nice

[Kirk]

It's pretty good Soo!

Really nice folks here Kat!

[Junichi]

Interesting the broth is that hot. Usually they serve it lukewarm to not offend the masses. Having to wait that long to slurp is some serious heat.

[david g]

i have eaten their veggie pho a few times and enjoy it. it's not a go to pho, but an easy when we're in the area and want some. the noodle mush has always annoyed me, but i never tied it to their broth being too hot! last time my son and i waited almost 15 minutes for it to cool enough to eat, and then we were in a rush as a result. i'll ask for "less warm" next time i'm there!

[Kirk]

Looks like other folks have the same issue with the soup Junichi!

That might work David. I was really surprised at how blazing hot that broth was! Thanks for taking the time out to comment!

[Jack]

I just had a conversation with my son this week about the wings at Que Huong after having mediocre fish sauce wings by his place in El Segundo. I just can't get myself to go to these "new" pho places....

[Kirk]

I can't help but try these places Jack! Though many of them are quite disappointing.