(photo from my "Cali Baguette & Pho" post, Dec.2015)
It's not fancy like Brodard but it's not a crappy hole in the wall either but we like it just the same..
Earlier this year, after a bike ride from the Strand to Coronado (post is forthcoming), we had a post-ride lunch here...
Iced coffee for me, spring rolls for TC and a bbq pork banh mi for me:
TC had bun with egg roll while Bert had it with shrimp and eggroll:
Look at those fried shallots and the peanuts...
On another visit we had bun with egg roll (again) and this time, their version of Nem Nuong. The pork sausage was flavorful but it was not on the same level as Brodard's version. Still, I'm glad I tried it out...
A recent training in the area brought me here again. My iced coffee with a fried egg banh mi. Ever since I tried the version at THH in Tustin, I wanted to try other places' renditions. This was okay (I found out from Kirk that they use Maggi to flavor the fried eggs; that's the savory flavor that was driving me crazy trying to figure out what it was). The eggs were not as crisp fried, but this was still a filling solo lunch.
On my way to another training weeks later, I tried the pork sausage banh mi which I also liked.
My most recent visit was with La Ley and Mr. TJ. Again...a training after lunch brought us here.
We shared the fried spring rolls. I was surprised to see pickle radish and carrot here, so that was a nice addition. Their nuoc cham sauce is on the spicy side (so red!).
My bbq pork banh mi (one of my favorites here):
My beef spring roll (once again) that we shared. They both liked the peanut sauce.The rice wrappers weren't folded as tight as they could have been but at least we knew this was freshly made.
The herb platter for Mr. TJ and La Ley's soups:
Mr. TJ's Pho Ga (chicken soup) which he really enjoyed, especially since he was still recovering from a cold. This hit the spot for him.
La Ley's Pho with brisket and flank (she asked which meats I liked and took my recommendation).
I was glad that they both liked this place. Mr. TJ is especially picky. La Ley is a bit more adventurous. In any case, we were all happy with our meal here.
Previous visit to Cali Baguette:
December 2015
The west side of CV is a bit more gritty than the east side (where we live) but it is definitely not short of good places to eat. Cali Baguette is consistently one of our favorite places to have a nice meal or snack.
2 comments:
Nice CC....I heard that the owner of Cali Baguette opened a shop for each one of his children.
Oh, well that's quite generous. This location is pretty casual and the workers are very nice.
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