Every weekend we try to eat lunch somewhere diferent each time. Since it was a cold day and it had been raining on and off, we thought it would be good to have Pho. So, instead of going to someplace on Convoy or University, we went to Pho Hoacali Express, our old standby in
Manila Mesa (aka Mira Mesa). This is in the stripmall on the corner of Mira Mesa Blvd and Black Mountain Road. See that clock tower? Let's put it this way, it's always noon there. So...we found a space in the crowded parking lot and walked into Pho Hoacali...
and were greeted by this evil Santa who is right there as you walk in the front door. Not pictured is the Buddha statue with food offerings below.
There were people crowding the small waiting area and every table was filled to capacity. It looked like we would have to wait a while. Disheartened by the long wait, we headed outta there and as we were leaving the parking lot, I spied this place, literally right across the street. Yeah,
Bolsa (which means, "purse" or "handbag" in Spanish), which is an interesting name for a Vietnamese restaurant. Remember the clock tower picture at the beginning of this post? Well, that was our view from our table at Bolsa. We figured, hey, we've never tried this place before. I haven't read any reviews (yet) . It's in a stripmall that looks stuck in the 70's.
There was no wait when we got there. Although there were diners, it was still sparse since it was only 12:30 in the afternoon. It seemed family run and owned. There were a few young children who were there (owner's kids I think). They seated us at a front table where we had a nice view of the place we just left!
It was quite spacious and everything seemed new. I later found out that the restaurant had just finished remodeling (overheard from a nearby table). I didn't know what the place looked like before remodeling so I have no comparison.
We placed our orders to our waiter (who was quite a smiley and happy guy) and specified that we wanted an extra bowl for our daughter. He smiled and nodded, "Yes, for baby" (even though she is 7! I thought he was sweet). The pho garnishes arrived along with the fresh spring rolls. The greener were a few sprigs of basil, several lime quarters and slice jalapenos on a bed of bean sprouts. Not overly abundant but not too sparse either.
Since we got our food so fast, I'm certain that these spring rolls were made ahead of time. They were your basic rolls filled with shrimp, pork, noodles, lettuce and mint. Rolled kind of thinly. I liked that their peanut sauce had a lot of peanuts! Crunch is very important to me.
Cross section of the spring roll:
Bert ordered the #1
Dac Biet Pho, which has everything in it (rare steak, brisket, flank and tripe). This was his first time ordering the #1 since his usual is #18 (the Pho Tai - with rare steak). This was originally intended for me to share with Bert but he ended up having most of it.
I didn't care too much for the tripe. The trooper that she is, my daughter tried the tripe, but didn't really like the texture. Maybe that and the fact that it is stomach lining of a cow.
We also ordered the Bun with Char-Grilled Beef. I was expecting the beef to be rolled up around a green onion like at other places. I think I actually like it this way now, unrolled. The beef was really flavorful - sweet and caramelized in places with a few bits of fat. There were a lot of peanuts as well! But, alas! No fried bits of pork fat like at Phuong Trang. Boo. I liked that the sliced vegetables were also seen. At other places I've been to, the vegetables are hidden at the bottom, under the meat and noodles. TC ended up enjoying the bun as well as the pho (except for the tripe).
Since we were in the area, I wanted to go to the Vietnamese supermarket behind Target. It's housed with a bunch of other little market stalls selling Chinese and Filipino items.
This place used to be a movie theatre. Perhaps Edwards, but we're not too sure. I should ask one of my friends who used to live in Mira Mesa. I'm sure she would know. The set up is a bit wierd when you walk in. There are about 4 or 5 cash registers in the front and behind that is a Chinese dim sum place located where the snack bar used to be. If you look up, you can see the double flights of stairs that once used to lead to other theatres but house, perhaps offices now. The market's layout is strange. There are narrow hallways with snacks and a separate room for the fresh vegetables. Another area has cookware and in the far back is the meat department. It doesn't smell as much as Vien Dong III though. That place is mega-pungent!
This is the main reason why we went to Vinh Hung...to buy those coffee filters used for cafe sua da. The past couple times we went to Vien Dong III, they were out. I bought one years ago but can't find it. I didn't remember paying $3.99 for one of these, but paid for it thrice I did this time. I didn't want to miss out on my chance this time. Last week, Bert and I had our morning Vietnamese coffee. Not being a coffee drinker, I will, however drink it Vietnamese style - iced with sweetened condensed milk. We use the Cafe du Paris brand (recommended by Superman's wife, who is Vietnamese and that is the brand she prefers). A can of that is $3.99.
Some of the bottles you'll see in the sauce aisle:
Oops, I just erased a photo of the hearts and pig snouts. Above are the many kinds of canned corned beef. My personal favorite is Hereford. Reno corned beef anyone? To your left you can see a tiny bit of the luncheon meat sections (fake SPAMS).
Wow, I just thought that Ligo brand made sardines only. I wonder what these taste like? I'm loyal to SPAM only. Sorry Ronin (he's a Treet fan). Mmm,fatty processed meat. Ugh....
Some of the items near the checkout aisles...Dried mangos, puffed rice crackers and garlic corn nuts. Wait, no Slim Jims?
The dried mangos...
Here are the Garlic Corn Nuts (actually, they're called "Cornick") - these are from the Philippines. We bought this along with the Chicharrones. Yeah, we're going to have snacks for days.
We also bought some madeleines for only $1.50. There were about 6 or 7 in there. These were soft and spongy. Better than the expensive kind at Starbucks.
Yes, I just had to try a sample in the car.
Our day wasn't finished yet. One of my co-workers was lamenting the fact that she couldn't find the spice fenugreek anywhere. She needed it for one of her recipes (she was experimenting with Indian food a few months ago). I knew just the place to find it...
and mini sauce or dressing bottles. They even had these really tiny fish shaped containers that you could put soy sauce or some other sauce in. They are meant to be disposable I believe.
Oooh, and this! Mini spoons! Perfect for the gelato I just bought at Fresh and Easy!
And skinny bendy straws!
Check out this ominous warning though:
There were a few other bento items like special cellophane made for wrapping triangular shaped onigiri. It also included tiny sticker/seals so you could have a nicely wrapped onigiri that didn't fall out of the wrapper! There were also tiny containers to hold bits of food, plastic rice in the shapes of hearts, animals, stars, and such. Bert,after much perusing, bought a set of mini Philipps screwdrivers (or were they flathead?). After Marukai, it was just a one minute drive to Mitsuwa in search of Hello Kitty items for TC's secret Santa for PASACAT.
Oh. My. Gosh. 
Yes, the most logical name for Creamy Powder:
The drinks aisle:
TC thought the black cartoon character was funny because the lips were so pronounced! I didn't buy any Hello Kitty items in the store in the back of Mitsuwa but instead bought a 10-pack of bubble gum with Hello Kitty designs. I think I'll find more Hello Kitt selections at the local Sanrio store at the mall.
I really like Asian Pears. They are so sweet, crisp and refreshing, especially after a meal.
Not a big fan of persimmons though, although TC really likes them.
There were a lot of pre packaged food gift sets on display as you walk into Mitsuwa. Forgive me for not knowing the major Japanese holiday coming up, but I assume it's for that. If you do know, please let me know so I can grow a new wrinkle or two on my cortex. 
I was enamored of these. They look like sweets but are so pretty I wouldn't even want to eat them.
Bert's choice of sweets to go with his morning coffee:
A 4-pack of chocolate covered fruit gummies:
plus the long Hello Kitty bubble gum 10-pack.
What a day! We go out for lunch but end up going to three different ethnic markets in search of specialized items. It's always fun checking out other stores and their merchandise. Makes Ralphs and Vons look pretty boring.
