Mien Trung

Yeah, yeah, we're finally caught up. This meal is from January 30, y'all. I'll admit something... I've taken a vow of less eating out. I don't generally eat out for lunch, but we've had some fantastic meals, a lavish (and insanely busy) holiday season, and a trip 3,000 miles away. Needless to say, some budgetary evaluation needed to take place. I don't spend my money on much. It's either clothing or food and, frankly, food outweighs clothing easily.

I also took a good long look in the mirror and, well, it ain't pretty. I was moving from square-shaped to dreidel-shaped. Now I'm looking at Oompa Loompa. I'm also wasting money on a gym membership and it's really starting to hurt my wallet when it should be hurting my body. That next Pilates class is really going to burn.

With that said, more restraint was practiced in January and the posts after Dad's Birthday covered the eating out for the month. January 30 was a great eating day, with Mien Trung for lunch and Market for dinner.

Let's start with lunch... Mien Trung is the true definition of "mom-and-pop" operation. Mom's cooking in back, Dad overlooks the dining area, and the kids help out. I spotted another woman in the kitchen, but couldn't tell if she was related or not.



It's in Kearny Mesa, next to Mesa College. The specialty of the house is bun bo hue, which is spicy pork noodle soup. Fantastic stuff. I had a love/hate relationship with it growing up because of the spiciness. Mom's version is fabulous, but this one holds its own very well. I'm going to have to take Mom and Dad here the next time they visit.

El Jefe tells me that to have the real thing in Hue, Vietnam, is close to a religious experience. His expectations were high and it seems they were met, as this is our second visit and he's the one who insisted on coming here.

I had a regular bowl of bun bo hue. The broth wasn't too spicy, which fits me perfectly. I love this broth so much. The rich pork flavor and the lemongrass is a little bowl of paradise. Besides the broth, I don't prefer much else about BBH, generally. Typically, the stock meat is served with the noodles and, since the bejeezus has been boiled out of it, it's rather bland and kind of dry. It's utterly broken down, so it's soft. The noodles are thick, long, and slippery. The pho noodles are much more wieldy, so when I can, I order this dish with the pho noodles.

Anyhoo, Mien Trung's BBH has the usual meat: brisket and hock. I'll eat the meat, but there's not much to say about it. The noodles are fantastic. Perfectly cooked, they stay long and tender. Most places cook the hell out of it and it breaks into little 2-inch sections, which I can't pick up with chopsticks. I'm sure it's more of a commentary on my chopstick-wielding skills than the noodles.

In the end, the broth wins out. Throw in a big handful of cabbage/lettuce and add a squirt of lime, the richness of the broth is complimented by the freshness of the greens.



The aforementioned greens:



Jefe had bun rieu oc dac biet, which is a bowl of crab and tomato broth that serves as the base for BBH (I think). The word "oc" was translated to "snails" in the menu, but it was actually conch. Looked pretty good. I might have to try the bun rieu next time I'm there.



We had a side of banh beo, steamed rice flour patties topped with dried shrimp, dried onions, and cha lua (Vietnamese pork sausage). They sell homemade cha lua there, so I bought a log to take home. Yum. It's compressed pork wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. Gorgeous. I'll have to post again when I have some tonight.



Another lunch spot for the rotation. Can't wait to eat here again.