Pho Ban Mai

Two weekends ago we were in Mira Mesa yet again, having been there the previous night for the Mango Bride book reading...

I was actually pretty happy to come back to Mira Mesa because that meant we could try out Pho Ban Mai...

which is around the corner from the Corner Sandwich Cafe (a Vietnamese sandwich placed), blogged by Cathy here and Siam Nara Thai restaurant (which many of my foodblogger friends have tried).

As tempted as I was by Siam Nara, we stuck to the original plan...

So Pho Ban Mai it was...

We got there at the height of the lunch crowd but were still able to get a booth.

I was surprised to see how big and busy it was inside. I already knew what I wanted to try, A5 - their "pork paste" rolls or Nem Nuong. Somehow, the words "pork" and "paste" don't sound so appetizing.

We also ordered A16 - the Lotus Stems Salad and A1, the Banh Xeo.

I already had VN coffee the previous night during our dinner at Lucky Seafood, so I passed on another chance to get wired, unlike Bert, haha.

Our trio of nem nuong filled with the pork paste, fresh herbs, lettucs and a rolled crunchy spring roll. It wasn't quite like Brodard's version but it was pretty close. The one big difference would be that PBM's sauce isn't as good as Brodard's.

The sauce here just didn't stand out and didn't have that same flavor which I can't quite pinpoint.

That being said, PBM's version is also better than Pho Hiep's sloppy rendition.

Our lunch:

Bert had pho tai while TC had bun with fried spring rolls. I was surprised she got this but ever since she stopped wearing rubber bands for her braces, she seems to crave crunchy and/or fried things.

My two dishes were shared with everyone. Below, the Lotus Roots salad served with puffed shrimp chips. Filipios would call this "kropek".

I loved the bright and fresh flavors in this dish. There were a lot of textures going on with the crunchy lotus stems, carots, cucumber, peantus, shrimp, and pork.

Very refreshing!


The crepe (partially hidden) was exciting to look at because it was had a lovely golden color from the turmeric used in the batter...

What I liked the most about PBM's banh xeo is how crisp the crepe was. Some places serve it too big which makes it soggy and not so fun to eat.

I liked how the crepe wasn't overstuffed either. The amount of bean sprouts, pork and shrimp was just right. Can you see the lacy edges?  This was one of my favorite dishes that day.

One last funny photo:

Really?

Yeah, really. I'm surmising that this is because some Asian immigrants have been known to actually perch themselves atop flush toilet bowls like they do with squat toilets in the motherland and do their business. I wonder if the restaurant had an accident here in the past that they felt compelled to put up a sign warning against this practice?

This particular phenomenom was made fun of in the Kal Penn movie, "Dude, Where's the Party?" which focused on the immigrant Southeast Asian experience. One of the scenes had recent "FOB's" coming to America and using the toilet in this manner, squatting over the toilet with both feet on the rim! The movie itself was lame, but for some reason, I remember that ONE scene, haha! Sorry, I couldn't find it on youtube for ya! Or maybe, that's a good thing, heh.

Who else went to Pho Ban Mai
Kirk was just here recently (as well as Jinxi and Oh So Yummy) and blogged about it a few times in the past. Kirbie, like Kirk, also visiting when they first opened in 2011...

Pho Ban Mai
8991 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126
(858) 271-7199

There is no website but here is their FB page (which hasn't been updated in a year) along with more recent reviews from you know where

Our next stop was the dreaded H-Mart parking lot down the street where we would dare attempt going to Paris Baguette...