mmm-yoso!!!

Chào XO (National City)

Recently, the Missus wanted Her Cheesecake fix from Her favorite place. So, I drove on down to National City. Upon arriving at the normally chaotic Bay Plaza off Plaza Boulevard I was shocked at how much parking was available. Then I quickly noticed that both Big Lots and Joann Fabrics had closed down! 

Since I made the drive down; I decided to grab some lunch. Of course Golden Chopsticks was calling to me, or even Porky's Lechon.

But then I saw this place.

Looked fairly new. I don't recall seeing it before? So, I decided to check it out.

Hmmm....though the name made it seem like a Vietnamese Restaurant; there's a poster of Pad Thai in the window.

The interior is quite lovely and bright.

And even though there was a short wait to be seen and seated; the young lady working was so sweet.

And even though the set-up looked fairly routine.....

But the menu is a whole 'nother story. Yes there's pho....but there's also Birria, Ceviche, the afore mentioned Pad Thai, "Shaken" Saltado (I'm assuming something like Bo Luc Lac), Mushroom Rice, and even a version of Kare Kare? So, I decided to order something "fusiony" and something more in line with Vietnamese cuisine.......like some pho.

As for that Anthony Bourdain Pho; well, I'd heard of a place in Irvine, that makes a bowl of pho inspired by Anthony Bourdain...and it seems like this is a copy? Sup Noodle Bar also makes a version of Lomo Saltado...so I'm thinking..... Anyway, I wasn't ordering that. I'm still haunted by the Missus coincidentally ordering what Bourdain ate for his last meal at Wistub de la Petite Venise in Colmar and hearing about folks wanting to see where he committed suicide in Kaysersberg when we visited the Alsace in the winter of 2018.

For my "fusiony" dish; I decided on trying the Spicy Birria Dumplings ($14).

Which came with some consomme.

 Well, this was a miss in my book. The "dumplings" seemed like fried frozen chicken gyoza you'd get at the market. Cardboardish wrappers, salty - chewy filling.

The birria was mild in terms of complex beefy-smoky-spicy tones (in spite of being warned that it was "spicy" by the nice young lady), it was stringy and chewy. Just not good eats. 

 To me; the best part of this dish was the consomme, not because it had the complex, beefy-savory tones of a good consomme; but because it at least had some decent flavor. Though, it really tasted like "San Diego sweet" pho broth with some birria and beef flavoring. Perhaps this is what the "Birria Pho" on the menu tastes like?

I also ordered the Combo Pho ($17.25), which was noted to be the "Chef Choice" on the menu. First out was the rather sparse plate of sprouts, basil, lime, and jalapeno.

I anticipated a rather small portion of these; but the basil was also starting to turn black as well.

As for the pho.....

   The broth had an abundance of cilantro and scallions which was good. It was very clear, though not seriously defatted. It did lack a definite beefiness and the anise tones I enjoy. As is typical of much of the pho in San Diego, it had that somewhat sweet background to it, in addition to being a bit too salty.

There was an abundance of protein; with the pleasantly crunchy tripe taking first prize and the slightly beefy and somewhat tender flank taking a close second.

The noodles were severely overcooked and in a large mushy mass at the bottom of the bowl.

A fairly mediocre bowl of pho....though perhaps my good friend Xiāngjiāo, who dined here the day after this visit said about the pho; "well it's edible....."

And so, in this day and age with the high prices, if it was just a mediocre meal; I would have let it pass and not done another visit. But this was less than that and I felt bad. So, with the Missus in need of another cheesecake, I headed back down to Bay Plaza. And yes, I decided to do another visit.

This time; I wanted to try the wings; and the nice young lady working this lunch time recommended the Kare Curry.

So, I got things started with the Fried Chicken Wings ($13); I picked the Salt and Pepper version.

 This was comprised of five pieces; two huge drumettes, and three "flats". The seasoning was quite good, some spice, perhaps a bit too much MSG, but I enjoyed it.

The flats were tender and moist; but because of the large size; the drummettes were tough and dry.

On another note; the wings were coated with a lacquer style, crisp batter. Two of the pieces were crisp and light; one had all the coating falling off, and as you notice in the comparison shot below; two of the pieces were not fried enough and the batter was soft and soggy. Still, this was the best item I had during my two visits.

The nice young lady recommended that I get the pork belly with the Kare Curry ($21), which arrived with a bowl of rice.

Looking at the dish; something Xiāngjiāo said quickly came to mind. She had visited with her family and ordered a variety of dishes. She noted that none of the dishes ordered even vaguely resembled the photos in the menu. I actually took a look at the menu and that typical "photos are for reference only" was not to be seen. Anyway, this difference was quite obvious with the Kare Curry.

  Not to belabor the statement; but the color is totally different! As for the dish itself? Well, the sauce/stew was super thick; way too thick, lacking in the nice smooth creaminess of kare kare. Coconut milk had been added and this was overly sweet for my taste. Think of getting a jar of peanut butter and throwing in some coconut milk.....this lacked a satisfying savoriness for me.

The rice was on the dry side, but fine.

The bok choy and the green beans were decently stir fried; but the eggplant was undercooked for my taste.

And finally, the pork belly...sigh. The slices of pork belly were fried before putting in the dish and even though the pork flavor came thru nicely were tough and rubbery.

Well, what to say....perhaps to paraphrase Xiāngjiāo, "well, it's edible..." But after spending nearly $90 for two lunches, well.....at least the service was very nice and friendly. And I am actually glad to have given the place two tries.

Chào XO
1420 E Plaza Blvd.
National City, CA 91950
Current Hours:
Thurs - Tues 11am - 8pm
Closed on Wednesday

Pho G-Beef (Rancho Penasquitos)

Back in the beginning of April, "FOY" Dereck sent me an email regarding a pho shop that had recently opened in Rancho Penasquitos. The part of the email which really caught my attention read:

"I don't want to make any promises, but it was the best pho I have had in a while. The broth was beefy and not defatted. I didn't taste much sweet if any, not much anise, and a little salty, but still it was great."

Hmmm, pho broth not "San Diego sweet"? Ok, sold! I decided to go ahead and make the 20+ mile drive to check the place out; located in the corner of the busy Rancho Penasquitos Towne Center.

The place is very well lit and clean. The young folks working were welcoming and friendly.

I went ahead and just ordered a "medium" G-Beef Special ($15.50).

I was not impressed with the sprouts and basil.

It was a fairly small portion and some of the basil had turned color and were getting slimy.

And soon my bowl arrived.

   I quickly noticed that the soup was quite dark and seriously defatted. It did lack the richness; but like Dereck had mentioned, while short on anise tones, though you could actually taste the cilantro,  it did not have that pervasive "sweetness" that most of the pho in San Diego has. It was also fairly beefy in flavor. Taking a closer look at the soup, I noticed quite a preponderance of small pieces of beef in it. It also wasn't overly salty. This was pretty good.

I then started checking out the proteins, when I noticed something....no tripe, lots of beefy brisket, but no flank; the "Rare steak"....well, there was overcooked thinly sliced beef. As for the "tendon", there seem to be shreds of chewy, what seemed to be neck tendon. Perhaps there was some mix-up? I was the only customer in the place..... Since I'd had the soup, put the sprouts in, tasted the noodles, I just decided to go with the flow here.

The noodles were decently prepped and had a good "stretch" to them.

Overall, a nicely flavored broth, not sure what happened with the proteins, kinda lacking in QC with the blackening basil. I'm thinking that I'll need to return in a couple of months....even though it's a bit of a drive, to see how things are.

Dereck, this place definitely seems to have some potential! Thanks for the recommendation!

Pho G Beef
13297 Black Mountain Rd. Suite 6
San Diego, CA 92129
Current Hours:
Sun - Thurs 1030am - 830pm
Fri - Sat        1030am - 9pm

Pho Kha

During my first try at checking out Phonomenal the place was packed. I drove by and saw a line down the block and of course no parking to be found. I hadn't even considered a "plan b". Then I recalled a place that was mentioned to me a while back. I parked on the side of 8th Street and looked up the address. The only reason I remembered the place was that the guy recommending the shop said something that sounded like "Fa-Kha".......now this was right after we got back from a visit "home". I think ex-pat Kama'aina's like Mar, Kyle, Bruddah James, or Alan might understand why my first response was "what you called me?" Of course I started cracking up when I realized that was the name of the restaurant. The guy had no idea why I was laughing to myself.....he gave me one odd look and went back to having his beer.

Anyway, looking up the place, I noticed the address 2424 Hoover Avenue......whoa, this was in a part of National City I hadn't been to in ages! I think the last time I was close by was when Mi Pana was open. I drove on over and found the shop in that strip mall, with a Starbucks, Denny's, Jersey Mike's and Handel's.

It's a tiny shop, this was a weekend, if I recall, with all businesses, weekdays are busier here. Plus it was 1030 on a Sunday, thus the place was empty.

I was pointed to a table, had a seat and given a menu. 

I was here to see how the basic pho was; so I went with the P3 - Rare Steak, Brisket, Tendon, and Tripe; regular size ($15.75).

And then the utensils arrived......

And along with the single sprig of basil....well, you know.

The bowl didn't look to bad when it arrived.

 The broth was super salty and "San Diego sweet". It was really defatted, thin, and lacking in richness. There was an abundance of scallion which was nice, but not enough cilantro to overcome the overly salty-sweet soup.

The most interesting was when I took a look at the proteins. Check out the "rare steak"......all the pieces were fully cooked, dry, and tough. There was one piece of hard tendon. The brisket/flank was sliced a bit thick, but had nice beefiness. The best item was the abundant tripe; nice and crunchy.

There was a generous amount of noodles which were decently prepared.

I guess this is what a sixteen dollar bowl of pho is these days?

I'm glad to have tried the pho here, but see no reason to return.

The service was all business and my bowl came out fairly quickly.

Pho Kha
2424 Hoover Ave.
National City, CA 91950
Current Hours:
Daily 9am - 9pm

Phonomenal

I've been doing a bit of research on expanding my "pho-risens". As I mentioned in my previous "pho-raging" post, it was time to try a couple of new places, "pho-better" or "pho-worse".....ok, I'll stop with the puns for now!

During my searches, Phonomenal in National City kept coming up. Though it says it's "Khmer" influenced, whatever that means. Was it pho or keay teav? Which I don't consider Khmer, but as more of a Cambodian-Chinese (Chiuchow/Teochow) hybrid. The closest I've had while Visiting Cambodia was Num Banh Chok at a crossroads village outside of Siem Reap. The "pho-tos" sure looked like typical pho, a bit darker perhaps, and with most people raving about 'dem bones (xi quách sưon bò) which Pho Duyen Mai used to make fairly well before the new ownership. 

So, I decided to head on over. The shop is only open Thursday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm, or until they run out of soup.

I noticed a line when I I drove over just before 10. I found parking and by the time I walked to the door, the crowd was in the shop. This is what it looked like at 5 minutes past 10. All the tables, the two and four-tops are communal. I sat next to a very nice Korean couple.

And the place was soon full!

The menu has basically one type of pho, spring rolls, and a bunch of drinks on the menu.

And so it was the House Special ($18.95) for me. I didn't know what to expect, would it be pho or keay teav, of which I've had the Vietnamese version Hu Tieu Nam Vang many times.

Well, the small portion of sprouts-basil-chili-lime made this really seem Vietnamese.

Soon enough my bowl arrived, with three ribs full of meat in full display. Now I knew why this place was popular.

 I liked the amount of cilantro and scallion in the broth, it added a nice fragrance and flavor. The meat was tender, though it seemed to not be as beefy as I would have desired. Still, if you're a major carnivore, you might enjoy this. Personally, I like a variety of cuts, texture, and flavors.

Sadly, the noodles were overcooked and mushy.

The broth was nice and dark, decently, not overly defatted, there was a nice herbaceous-anise flavor, along with a mild beefiness. It did have that overly "sweet" tone that permeates San Diego pho. My main issue was how salty it was. I was chugging  H2o all afternoon.

The service is nice and efficient. There was a waiting list a page long when I went to the counter and paid. Tons of folks were doing takeout. Like I said, if you're a carnivore, this might be your place. For me, there's more to pho than just the meat. I did notice that there didn't seem to be a Vietnamese customer in sight. The couple next to me were of Korean heritage and the young lady was complaining about how salty things were.

Still, perhaps this is the bowl for you. 

A bit over-hyped, but not bad.

Phonomenal
811 K Ave.
National City, CA 91950
Current Hours
Thurs - Sun 10am - 5pm or until they run out
Closed Mon - Wed

Pho Cow Cali Express (Mira Mesa) and Pho Hiep and Grill (Linda Vista) Revisited

I mentioned in my post on Pho Hoa that I needed to start doing my "pho-raging rounds" again. And the recent rather chilly weather seemed like a reminder that I needed to keep my word. So, I managed two revisits last week. My impressions were rather interesting.

Pho Cow Cali Express (Mira Mesa):

Man, has it been nearly seven years since my last visit to "Da Cow"? Man, does time fly! The main catalyst for my revisit to Cow Cali were the huge lines I saw during my two visits to Mom Kitchen. Sheesh! Keeping that in mind, I timed my weekday visit for an early lunch at 10am.

And there was no line. The host stand with the "please wait to be seated" sign is something that wasn't there before. I'm guessing it's probably due to the crazy lines?

Even though I could see that the restaurant was fairly empty, I decided to wait. Then two young guys walked up and basically brushed me aside and just walked into the restaurant..... Sigh...you gotta love manners these days, right? Anyway, the gentleman saw me waiting and waved me in before the two rude dudes. One of them gave me the finger and I just smiled.....

Like on my previous visits; I just stuck with a small #4. I was shocked when my order came out in less than four minutes!!! Do we have a new contender for the "fastest pho in the west"? Perhaps this is why they added the "Express" to the name?

    First thing I noticed was how "clear" the broth was. Second thing was how the basil was starting to brown. Well, at least there was some ngo gai, a rarity these days it seems. I enjoy the more intense the peppery-cilantro-ish-slightly bitter flavor it provides. Even this leaf was starting to go south as well; I could use most of it. 

   As for the broth...can you say MSG water? With a dose of that sweetness that has been pervading pho in San Diego over the last decade or so. The soup was quite thirst inducing; or perhaps I'm just more sensitive to the stuff as I get older?

Which led me to wonder why the lines during certain times of the day? I think it's because of the proteins. I enjoyed the crunchy tripe. The tendon was not cooked to the soft, almost creaminess I enjoy, but was still good. The flank was nice and beefy, along with being fairly tender.

   There was a good amount of meat in this "small bowl". So perhaps that's the calling card?

The noodles were in the typical clump at the bottom of the bowl; but the portion was plentiful, and it was perfectly prepared, not hard nor overly mushy.

This gave me a more clear understanding of my preferences when it comes to pho. I guess for me, the soup is the most important. 

The service was much better than I recall it being before.

Pho Cow Cali Express
9170 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126 

Pho Hiep and Grill (Linda Vista):

During my meal at Pho Hoa, wondered how Pho Hiep and Grill, which is in the same strip mall was doing. It had been over six years since my last visit and even longer since I last had a bowl of pho here. So, I decided to drop by, again for an early lunch.

I was surprised to see how busy the parking lot was at 930 on a weekday! 

The restaurant itself was pretty sedate at least compared to Pho Hoa which I drove past in the parking lot.

I ordered the #4 here as well. And within a few minutes the herbs and veggies arrived. I was pleasantly surprised with how fresh and plentiful everything was. And yes there was ngo gai here as well....heck, Pho Hoa had none on my last visit!

And soon later the soup arrived.

  The soup, while being a bit overly defatted had some beefiness, mild anise-oniony tones, while it still had that "San Diego" sweet flavor. It wasn't overly salty. This was better than I recall having on previous visits.

The noodles were in the typical clump at the bottom of the bowl and a bit under cooked.

    The proteins, while not as well prepared as "da cow" were fine, though there was no tendon to be found! The flank and brisket were cut a bit on thicker side, but the beefiness came through. The tripe was a bit more "hard" than crunchy.

Still, in contrast to my expectations, I preferred this bowl to what I'd had at Cow Cali and might have even enjoyed it more than Pho Hoa! What the pho???? Again, perhaps I put too much emphasis on the broth.

Pho Hiep & Grill
6947 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

I actually enjoyed this comparison, though the results were not quite what I thought they'd be. It could be that I had chosen the "right day" for one and a "bad day" for the other?

What do you think?

Pho Hoa Linda Vista Revisited - Is it still the "fastest pho in the west?"

These days I need to plan tings around JJ's schedule. Recently, after a jaunt to the farmer's market, well JJ had burned up a lot of his puppy energy. So, I thought I'd go ahead and grab something to eat. Of course it couldn't be too far, it was still fairly early for many places, and most of all, I didn't want to leave him too long before heading back to feed him lunch.

Suddenly, Pho Hoa Linda Vista came to mind. Remember when I declared them the "fastest pho in the west"? Duh...... Of course, things have mellowed over the years, but based on my last visit dining in, back in February 2020, when it took 3 minutes and 45 seconds to get my bowl, well, it was still amazingly fast.

My last visit was for takeout during Covid. Yes, it's been that long. So much has changed since then. It left me wondering how things were these days.

Well, it started pretty much the same. I walked in, a table was pointed to me. A nice woman brought me the menu; she actually smiled and said hello. The other woman returned less than a minute after the menu was provided, which was fine since I knew what I wanted.

The place wasn't very busy and it was 10am on a Saturday. And my bowl of #4, now $12.25 ($10 on my last visit) hit my table in 4 minutes 10 seconds...hmmm...... a whole 25 seconds slower than on my last dine in visit, it seems like they are slipping, huh?

The bean sprouts were starting to brown, though were acceptable, those leaves on the basil were huge, but there was no ngo gai! A sign of the times I guess?

    The soup was lip meltingly hot, with mild anise-beefy tones, but it had that attribute of a lot of the pho in San Diego; the "mild sweetness". It was msg heaven cause I was chugging water like crazy when I got back home.

The well done steak and brisket were really tough and dry, the tripe had a nice crunch and the flank was beefy and decently toothsome. Sadly, tendon was MIA.

I liked that the noodles weren't in the typical clump at the bottom of the bowl, but was a bit overcooked and heading toward "mushy land", so I tried to eat it as quickly as I could.

Overall, definitely not as good as I recalled, though the price is quite reasonable for these days. And I was out of the place in 20 minutes and made it home to take JJ for a nice walk and rest, before making him lunch.

Still, not as good as I recalled, and not what I expected from one of the "OG" pho shops in San Diego. I guess I need to start making my "rounds" again!

Pho Hoa Linda Vista
6921 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Daily 830am - 830pm

Pho Tan

Life is kind of interesting, sometimes things just happen. A good friend, who shall remain nameless....you'll soon see why, had recommended a place for Jiaozi......which based on previous experience I wasn't too keen on, after all, I'd been to the short lived location once and never did a post. Still, because I was going to be in the area, I decided to drop by. Unfortunately, or more perhaps, fortunately, the place was closed.

Well, perhaps this time my timing was good, right? After all, I wasn't looking for alternate sources of protein on this day.

But, it was time for an early lunch, and I had a place on my list, which "FOY" SDJulie mentioned in the comments on my last post on Pho Duyen Mai. I thought it was just the right place at the right time.

Pho Tan. I think this used to be Pho Poway, or something like that? Anyway, I walked on in; the shop was fairly empty except for a couple of folks doing takeout.

I was guided to a table. Thankfully, unlike what Julie had experienced and mentioned, the AC was working well on this day.

The young lady working was very nice. I looked over the menu and in the end decided to get good 'ol #17, the pho with well done flank, brisket, tendon, and tripe ($14.50).

Soon enough a rather sparse plate of sprouts and basil was delivered to my table.

And then a rather large bowl of pho was delivered. I wasn't expecting it to be so large!

  First thing I noticed was how dark the broth was. Second thing was what was slightly submerged. Good lord, it was a huge slice of brisket! Unfortunately, it was too thick, and ended up being very chewy.

The scalding broth had a hint of that "San Diego sweetness" that pho seems to have here, but it wasn't overwhelming. It was super hot, not overly salty, with a hint of beefiness. Not bad at all.

 I had to kind of take my time since that broth was super hot, so I'm not sure if it contributed to the noodles, being delivered in the typical clump on the bottom of the bowl, being on the mushy side.

I was surprised to see so much tripe and tendon in this bowl; along with all that chewy flank, this was a meat lover's dream bowl. Sadly, the tripe seemed not cooked long enough, and like that brisket, was super tough. Think of trying to chew on rubber bands.

The flank while being a bit chewy was not as tough as the brisket and had some nice beefiness. Based on all of the other proteins in the bowl, I expected the tendon to be hard and crunchy, but it was quite tender.

Overall, I'd say it measures up well to just about anything I can get in Kearny Mesa. I'd gladly return in an instant for a revisit if it wasn't almost a 50 mile round trip for me. The folks working seem to be very nice. As it stands, I'm glad I checked the place out and will be sure to return to try other things on the menu; i.e. the Banh Mi Bo Kho, when I'm in the area.

After all, I won't be getting dumplings in that other shop anytime soon!

Pho Tan
12316 Poway Rd.
Poway, CA 92064
Current Hours:
Wed - Mon 10am - 830pm
Closed on Tuesday

Thanks for reminding me about this place Julie!

Midweek Meanderings - Paragon Deli Closes, Pho Nom Coming to Convoy, and Wooltari Premium K-Food Coming to Clairemont Mesa

Just a couple of things for this "hump day".

Pho Nom Coming to Convoy:

I saw this when driving down Convoy, in the old Mr Moto Pizza location.

That drawing looked really familiar, so I asked one of my contacts, and sigh...yes, it's the Viet Nom - Formoosa - Steamy Piggy folks. I guess Convoy needs more over-priced, hipster-concept Vietnamese food, right? 

I wonder if they're going to do that "get a free dessert for a Yelp review" which you have to show your Server before getting your freebie stuff?

4646 Convoy St. Suite 114
San Diego, CA 92111

Wooltari Premium K-Food Coming to Clairemont Mesa:

Now this one has me a bit interested. I saw this sign when I had to get some hard wood charcoal at Barbecues Galore for a recent revisit to June Lake (more on that later)

I know folks who do online ordering from this company. They do a lot of prepared, frozen, gourmet type Korean products. It'll be interesting to check out.

According to Google, they are set to open on October 3rd.

7420 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

And Sadly, Paragon Deli Closes:

Man, this one caught me off guard. Cathy sent me a text with this screenshot. This seems to have happened rather suddenly?

I know it was a favorite of Cathy's and while I only did one post on the shop, I had gone back a couple more times. I was meaning to return and get another Francesinha, but sadly that will not happen now.

Man, we recently lost Perry's; Tip Top is closing at the end of the month, and now this..... Quite sad.

2724 Shelter Island Drive
San Diego, CA 92106

Pho Minh (City Heights)

It seems like it had been a while since I'd had a decent bowl of pho. Since this time a year ago I'd had; "pho not to offend with an inventory of 16 bean sprouts provided", "went to an old favorite that changed owners and had a mediocre bowl", "had pho with some definite hipster vibes", and most recently had a "most pho-gettable bowl" that really had me wondering "what the pho is going on"? Sigh. I just wanted a decent bowl. I decided to head on over to Pho Hoa and just get an old school bowl. As a plus, Pho Hoa opens at 7am and it was just around 9 in the morning, perfect! But for some reason, instead of "zigging" into the Pho Hoa parking lot; I "zagged" onto 47th street and went into the parking lot there. I think "FOY" Elle had taken over the steering wheel and had guided me into the parking lot in which Nhu Y resides. Sorry to say, I wasn't going for Bun Mam on this day, rather I was headed to back of the strip mall (which in typical fashion has horrible parking) and Pho Minh.

In spite of having all those older guys hanging out having coffee at the entrance to Nhu Y, I found some parking. It had rained earlier in the morning so that must have helped things. I remember when this place was Kim Chan Sandwich Shop which both the late Ed from Yuma and I enjoyed. It then became Lena's Sandwiches & Deli which eventually closed as well. And now it's an outlet of Pho Minh. Now to be totally honest, I wasn't overly keen on visiting. I'd been to the Spring Valley location of Pho Minh which had been just ok. I know they have a location in PB as well which I've passed many times but have never felt inclined to check out. Still, Elle said that it might be worth my time.

Walking in, I had forgotten how small this place was. I was pointed to a table and had a seat; given a menu, and I ordered. Perfectly to the point, no wasted time.

Here they give you hot tea instead of water.

Which was perfectly fine with me. To keep things simple, I just went with the regular sized Pho Dac Biet ($14). I was so pleasantly surprised when the herbs and sprouts arrived.

My goodness! I like the peppery-chlorophyllic-citrusy flavor of Ngo Gai and to see it on this plate made me so happy. And, even more rare was the inclusion of Ngo Om (Rice paddy herb) that always seemed to have almost a earthy-cumin-citrus tone, a little goes a long way! A generous portion of bean sprouts which I happen to enjoy in pho and of course Thai Basil. 

  Soon enough the steaming bowl of pho arrived. It was chock full of cilantro and scallion. Hot but not overly so. I had a taste of the broth; which had been decently defatted, looking perhaps too clear. It had hints of anise and beefiness, though it did go in the direction of being "San Diego sweet" in flavor. Still, it was not bad.

The proteins were not bad, the rare steak was actually still rare and tender when the bowl hit the table and there was a generous amount of tripe. The two little pieces of tendon was too tough and rubbery, though the rest of the meats were very nice.

    Best of all, the noodles weren't overcooked, something that I've been running into recently.

Things went nicely with all the bean sprouts, ngo gai, a few leaves of basil and ngo om, and a squeeze of lime to balance out the salty-sweetness. Not bad at all. And all that cilantro really contributed to the broth.

I decided to return before doing a post. This time there was no parking available in the lot, but I found parking a couple of blocks away. On a positive note, there was street art and other things I had never noticed before.

And I decided to try the Bun Rieu ($14), thinking that perhaps we might have another option to Phuong Nga.

Again, I loved the herbs and veggies provided.

Look at all that crunchy nutty banana blossom, though there was no morning glory provided.

Well, in the end I figured tis won't replace Phuong Nga.

 Loved how the broth had a nice, even fat content, but it was too salty and had me chugging water for the rest of the day.

The pork ribs were toothsome and swiny, quite good. The pork-crab "cakes" were too chewy; in fact, there was gristly, hard pieces in most of them. You can actually see it in the photo to my right. 

The noodles were the appropriate, thin bun that should be used for Bun Rieu. Still, there's no way that Missus would go for this.

In the end, I thought the pho here was pretty good. It was executed well and I'd gladly have it again. The service is very "efficient" in that "City Heights kind of way". So, I'll probably return, though I think I do need to revisit Pho Hoa and perhaps the "fastest pho in the west".

Pho Minh
4712 El Cajon Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92115
Current Hours:
Mon - Sat 9am - 9pm
Sunday     9am - 7pm

Thanks again for the recommendation Elle!

Viet Nom - A Soft Opening Visit

During my visit to Renaissance Towne Center to see what was going on, I had intended to getting a Chicago Dog from Chicago Fire Grill. However, I noticed a business that I hadn't heard a peep about named Viet Nom. And the place was open.

The sign said "soft opening" and things were 10% off until mid-April. So, I decided to head on in to check things out.

The interior is small, with just a few tables and a counter. The young lady who was working was nice and professional. She was also quite patient with the folks walking in to ask if they had sandwiches (they don't) and other questions.

The menu is small; three versions of pho and six sides, including youtiao, sesame balls, and such. The prices were also on the high side, but I decided to order their Pho Nom which was $19.50 and some Tamarind Wings, which was $16.50.

And then, while waiting, I saw this.

And then I realized what jogged my memory. I asked the young lady if this place had the same owner as Formoosa and Steamy Piggy and was told "yes". Ugh.....I haven't had much luck with the food from either place which just seemed all about concept. In fact, "FOY" Kenneth had asked me why I haven't gone to Flama Llama yet, knowing I love Peruvian Cuisine and I replied about having eaten at F and SP, which gave me pause when thinking about eating there and also at the company's new "KFC" place (you can read about Soo's visit here).

Anyway, it was too late to back out now and my wings soon arrived.

The coating on the wings were getting soggy quickly and ended up being more mushy than crisp-crunchy. The flavor of the glaze was extremely sweet, way too sweet for my taste, as it over powered all other flavors. The quality of the wings didn't seem too bad, though this was a bit much for me and I only finished two wings.

Soon enough the sprouts and accoutrements for the pho arrived.

I'm not sure if it's just me; but the portion sizes of sprouts, basil, and seem to have shrunk. The basil, as seems to be the norm these days was turning brown.

As for the bowl of pho; it was humongous.

   It was loaded with meat. The beef rib, their version of Xí Quách Suon Bò had also been seared a bit before service. The sliced "short rib" (as defined in the menu) was cut too thick, super tough, and lacked flavor. Strangely, what is usually not my favorite item in a bowl of pho, the squeaky meatballs was the item I enjoyed the most. Of course, there was no option for tendon or tripe. The rib meat came off the bone cleanly, was decently tender, but seemed to have had all the beefiness cooked out of it. Yes, it was a large portion of meat.

   The huge clump of noodles were mushy and over cooked. The broth was super bland....I do complain a bit about how pho broth in San Diego seems to be on the sweeter side of the scale....well, you know what, I would have gladly accepted that here! Much like the Niu Rou Mian broth at Formoosa, the soup here seemed to have been made using the "wave" method, whereupon a piece of beef was waved over some water to hopefully create flavor. The broth was super thin and watery. This seemed to be more about presentation and portion size.

Well, at least I got 10% off; even though the wings cost $16.50 and the pho $19.50. Viet Nom made Xin Chao seem like first rate pho. The thought that this is the future of pho depresses me. I usually do more than one visit; but since the place has just 9 items on the menu; three of them pho and one version of broth with the rib meat in it, I'm just going to say "Viet No" to "Viet Nom" for now.

Of course, with my luck, a couple of days later there's a post on Eater about Viet Nom. If only it had been posted before my visit. Though there was one tidbit of information in that post. Looks like the owner of these places that makes everything from Dumplings to Taiwanese to Peruvian/Latin American to Korean Fried Chicken to Pho is now going to open a ramen shop.......

One last, somewhat humorous item. I brought the remainder of the wings back to the office and told folks about it. One of the guys really enjoyed the wings. I was fascinated and asked him why. He told me "this tastes just like Panda Express....I love Panda Express!" 'Nuff said....

Viet Nom
8895 Towne Centre Dr.
San Diego, CA 92122
Current Hours:
Sun - Thurs 11am - 930pm
Fri - Sat        11am - 1030pm