Restaurant: VN Authentic Beef Noodle Soup Address: 6755 Mira Mesa Blvd. #113 San Diego, CA Phone: (858) 404-0422 Price Range: $5.45-$5.85 for beef noodle soup, $3.95-$5.50 for appetizers, $5.50-$6.95 for rice dishes.

Number of visits: 1
Last visit before review: December, 2000

Randy had: Beef noodle soup rare, well done (pho tai, nam), hot tea.

Jeff had: Beef noodle soup well done (pho chin nam), iced tea.

The beef noodle soup, or pho, is served in a bowl with just the broth, noodles, and whichever type(s) of beef you select such as rare, well done, tendon, top round, and meatball. The meats identified by their cooking time (rare, well done) are actually different cuts of beef. Chicken is also available. To the steaming hot mixture you can add all kinds enhancements to your taste: fresh basil, bean sprouts, chile, hoisin sauce, lime, and pepper.

Rating 6 (of 12) Average

Randy says: The well done beef was very fatty. The rare beef cooks in the broth the longer you leave it in. This was a good and interesting meal. The hot tea was made with surprisingly good quality tea leaves (no bag). We ran low on broth before we were done with the contents of our bowls, and the waiter brought us extra bowls of broth. The first bowls of broth were good, but the second bowls of broth were mostly grease.

Jeff says: The well done beef in my bowl didn't seem as fatty as Randy's, or else I didn't notice it. I stuck with the well done because I wasn't completely convinced that the rare would continue to cook in the broth, and I didn't want to risk having a bowl full of undercooked meat. I found it hard to eat the beef and very long noodles with the spoon or chopsticks provided. The noodles, especially, slid off before I could get them to my mouth. Adding sweet, hot, or herbs to the bowl lets you customize the flavor of practically every bite, and I enjoyed experimenting with the different tastes. But not only was the second bowl of broth greasy, it was boiling hot grease which took a very long time to be able to eat without me burning myself on it, which I did anyway. The iced tea was jasmine and very flavorful. All in all, I thought this was an interesting lunch experience but it didn't make for a great meal, and it also didn't hold me over until dinner.

In a food court, we first thought this was a fast food restaurant, but we took a look at the menu, saw the tables inside, and saw that it was a step up from that and so decided to give it a try. The waiter explained the menu to us, including the different kinds of beef which are not described very well on the menu.

The restaurant describes the beef noodle soup as a versatile soup for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It's not really our thing, but to those who like this kind of "homeland favorite", VN Authentic Beef Noodle Soup may be worth a try.