Phuong Trang (again)

Thank you for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog.  Kirk usually writes, but is very busy doing some research for future posts.  Cathy is writing.

The Mister and I haven't had Vietnamese food in a while and the days are beginning to get warmer with cravings kicking in.  I haven't written about Phuong Trang in ten years!  PT is a place we bring people who are unfamiliar with Vietnamese cuisine.  The food here is non-offensive, MOR (Middle of the Road) and made it through the Covid pandemic.  PT only did take out for about a year, which is just not the same as eating indoors.

 Located in one of the larger strip mall areas with plenty of parking,

 the interior is quite large.  When we got here, there was plenty of seating which quickly filled by the time we left.

 The menu is quite large.  Here's a link.  One section is "Rice Paper Wraps".  This is Thit Nuong Banh Trang- Char Grilled Pork ($17.50).  This 'build it yourself' appetizer/meal is quite large and filling.  There was plenty of seasoned ground pork, topped with green onion and peanuts.

 It comes with hard-form rice paper atop a bowl of hot water for dipping and a plate of green leaf lettuce, mint, cilantro, sliced cucumbers, pickled daikon and carrots, pineapple and, of course, fish sauce.  Side note- the water does not have to be warm to get the rice paper to a soft-form.  This was filled in fresh flavors and fun to construct while chatting.

 As soon as we sat down, I ordered a Banh Xeo-Vietnamese Crepe ($15.95).  It takes extra time to prepare.
 This rice flour crepe is filled with shrimp, pork, bean sprouts, onion slices, and mung beans.  It is also served with the plate of greens (minus the pineapple).  Wrapping a bit of everything in a lettuce leaf and dipping it in the fish sauce (another 'build it yourself' meal) makes for crunchy, tasty bites.

 On the "Stir Fried Noodle" part of the menu, we went for it and ordered Hu Tieu Ap Chao Hoac Mi Dao (don) Thap Can-crispy egg noodle stir fried with baby bok choy, broccoli, carrot, onion, meat and seafood (chicken, char siu pork, shrimp, imitation crab, calamari and fish cake) in a garlic sauce.  We haven't had crispy noodles in a long time and this was so very satisfying.  The combination of flavors and textures in each bite was something we had missed.

 Under "Broken Rice Dishes" on the menu, we chose Com Tam Tau Hu Ky- Steamed broken rice with ground shrimp wrapped in tofu and a char-grilled pork patty ($15.50).  This plate was also quite a good size and everything was fresh in flavors-the char on the pork patty was excellent. 

 As always, we order hot tea.  The charge is only $1 each for the pot.

Phuong Trang 4170 Convoy Street 92111 Website Open Wed-Sun 11-8 Closed Mon-Tue

Comments

[kat]

everything looked delicious

[Sandy]

I haven't been to Phuong Trang in years. Thanks for the reminder; a big plus is available parking! Pho Banh Mai in Mira Mesa is my go to for banh xeo; I'll have to try Phuong Trang's version.

[Soo]

The char grilled pork and noodles look delicious!

[Mar]

Those crispy noodles look awesome, thanks for sharing!

[Cathy]

Everything was much tastier than we remember, kat. I think we missed the variety.

Now, I will have to try Pho Ban Mai, Sandy! During Covid, we just didn't want to bother with 'to go' because so much was not the same once it got home. Very happy we stopped here again.

Everything was really fresh/good, Soo.

Those noodles- so many times we've ordered soft noodles, thinking we were being healthy, Mar. Really, we were sort of ordering what we do at home. The crispy noodles were *so* very good...if you're going out to eat, you can order the crispy noodles.

[Frank]

I've been looking for a new place with broken rice dishes. Tried Phở Vân recently and it just didn't hit the spot.

Great post!

[Cathy]

Thanks, Frank. The simplicity of a broken rice dish done well is sometimes rare. We really like Phuong Trang.