In yesterday's post on Sam Woo becoming San Wo I indicated I'd noticed two big changes in businesses within the 99 Ranch Market on Clairemont Mesa. The second one was this little shop, that has taken over the space previously occupied by the longstanding Sau Voi Deli. I walked on over and took a look.
A very nice young lady greeted me and told me they had just opened the past weekend and currently open at 10am. She also gave me a menu to view.
It's a nice and tight menu, just seven items featuring Thai Noodle Soups. Seemed like a nice change of pace for the area, so I decided to return. I arrived at a quarter after ten and there were already three of the five tables filled. I took a seat and the young lady brought me a menu and some water to get started.
I decided to get the Boat Noodles ($15.95) medium spicy, which turned out to be just right as I didn't have to add any chili oil or chilies.
It was nice and fragrant.
It came with a variety of "cuts"; I went for the chicharron right away.
The broth was quite soy-savory, I'd say almost beefy, with a decent amount of spice and anise-cilantro tones. Lots of flavor in this.
There was one large cut; it looked like brisket. I enjoyed the tendon, which looked tough, but was quite tender. There were two whisps of tripe which were nice a crunchy. Even the two pieces of liver were not bad.
The Server recommended I get the rice noodles with this which reminded me of pho. It was perfectly prepared with a nice stretch to them.
Not the largest portion, but enough for me. I thought this was quite good and decided to return for a menu item.
I think it's really hard to find a good version of Khao Man Gai in San Diego, so I was excited to check it out so I returned a few days later. Unfortunately, they were out of the dish, so I had to find something else on the menu to try.
I decided on the Kway Chap ($14.95)
I was happy to note that they actually use the appropriate noodle, the curly-rolled rice noodle sheets known as kway chap in this. Nice and chewy!
Als of note; the eggs while hard boiled weren't overcooked and did not have that greenish-grey tint. Decent soy sauce flavoring as well.
The meats again included chicharron, the rough cut of the tendon, some intestine, various other beef cuts and what tasted like stewed pork.
The broth didn't have any spice, seemed a bit more porky and rich than the boat noodles. I ended up using the chili oil, which also had some nice acidity, and some chili flakes to help cut the richness.
Not a bad soup either.
I appreciated the fact that the portions skewed toward more Thai-sized. They seemed to be doing a pretty good takeout business. The folks working were very nice. I'm glad that we have a place that offers something a bit different in the area and that the prices aren't bad.
Now I gotta try that Khao Man Gai.....
Me Sen
7300 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Tues - Sun 10am - 8pm
Closed on Monday
hope you get to try the khao man gai next time
Posted by: kat | Wednesday, 16 April 2025 at 12:29 AM
Saw the place this past weekend. Need to get some boat noodles
Posted by: Som Tommy | Wednesday, 16 April 2025 at 07:17 AM
Just finished the boat noodle. Wish there was more soup but it was good
Posted by: Franklin | Wednesday, 16 April 2025 at 10:40 AM
Looks like you found a winnah, Kirk! Never seen those kway chap noodles before -- interesting. And funny about that "new" place, Sam Wo BBQ! Their website still says Sam Woo, so who knows??
Posted by: Peter | Wednesday, 16 April 2025 at 11:29 AM
I'm looking forward to trying that Kat!
Hope you enjoy ST!
Glad you thought it was decent Franklin!
Yes, the Me Sen was quite good Peter! Not sure about "San Wo" though! Lol! ;o)
Posted by: Kirk | Wednesday, 16 April 2025 at 03:12 PM
Always on the lookout for some good boat noodles. I'll need to try them out soon.
Posted by: Junichi | Thursday, 17 April 2025 at 01:21 PM
Hope you enjoy Junichi! And if you visit; let me know what you think!
Posted by: Kirk | Thursday, 17 April 2025 at 01:56 PM