At the suggestion of Monica L ( http://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=TxVaG4GqHcFE_6A9fTRPYg ), I decided to ride my Bicycle to Stockton to try out this Vietnamese Pho restaurant...
"For your review of: Kim Restaurant
Binh Minh located west lane and march, in the where the old food
max use be.. Has a great mi quang from what I've heard :) & they
have many varieties"
When I rode up this morning at 11am, I was the only customer in the restaurant even though the restaurant opens at 9am. By 11:30am, though, the Asians started to drift in one by one until the restaurant was a quarter full by noon-time. There was not one non-Asian in the restaurant in all the time I was there... a sign that this is a pretty authentic place? Not everyone was Southeast Asian... there was one Japanese couple, which was quite odd.
On the menu...
#14 Pho Bo Vien - Meatball Pho (**** $6.50-Large) I didn't see Mi Quang, which Monica L suggested on the menu... so I decided on a Pho as an alternative. I asked the son (?) to show me the sizes of the Pho bowls... the S(mall) was about 5" round by over 3" high, the L(arge) was over 6" round by 4" high, and the XL(arge) was approximately DOUBLE the size of the L(arge)... Yikes, the XL is gonna hurt! Decided on just the L(arge)...
When "Mama" brought out my order on a Cafeteria-Tray, she said "14 Meatball"... I really didn't know what to say... I guess "OK" was appropriate? The Broth was pretty good, but was the "light" variety. Despite the adequate flavor, you WILL have to add other ingredients. There were 14 pieces of Meat... but they were not Meatballs, they were quarter or third portions of a Meatball. That would be the only negative... please... more Meat! I enhanced the Pho by adding Bean Sprouts, a couple of spoons of Chinese Sesame Hot Oil, and a couple of slices of Jalapeno Peppers.
Made a dipping sauce of Hoisin Sauce, Sriracha, and Hot Chili Oil.
#32 Hu Tieu Xao Bo - (aka Beef Chow Fun ) (**** 1/2 $7.50) I asked the son whether Pho Binh Minh made Beef Chow Fun Chinese-Style (no extra Vegetables) or Vietnamese Style (semi-sweet with Vegetables)... he said Chinese-Style. Good. More Black Bean Sauce. OK.
I like it when a restaurant listens to me... the Beef Chow Fun came out just how I like it. Wide fried Rice Noodles, with strips of Beef (that was NOT chemically tenderized), Black Bean Sauce, with cut Green Onions sprinkled on top. The portion size was slightly smaller than some Chinese restaurants, but that was offset by the (extra) portion of Beef and Black Bean Sauce. Found a restaurant that finally listened to me!
Ice Coffee with Condensed Milk (**** 1/2 $2.50) When I want to go Vietnamese... I want to "brew" the Coffee myself (with the Vietnamese Coffee Filter sitting on top of the cup of Ice). I just like to take my time after a filling meal... I asked the son whether the restaurant lets the customer "make" their own Coffee... Nope. We do it, sorry.
When the 8oz glass of Ice Coffee came out, the glass was only 3/4 of the way to the top... the Coffee tasted very, very strong. I brought out my water bottle, which I brought in from my Bicycle... filled up the glass of Ice Coffee to the top... and it tasted SUPER! Just right! Vietnamese Ice Coffee is very addictive - I can drink three glasses in a sitting.
To me, the signature of this Pho restaurant are the Lime-Green Chopsticks... I asked the proprietor why the Chopsticks were Green... I guess no one ever asked him that question... "That's just the color the Chopsticks were...". He could have said the Green represents Vietnam and it's Vegetarian roots in it's cuisine.... In actuality, the Green represents the color of not-yet ripe Green Papayas of Southeast Asia.
Speaking of Green Papayas... Here is a nicely made Vietnamese movie to for your cultural enhancement... "Scent of Green Papaya" ( www.imdb.com/title/tt0107617/ ).
Before I left I asked the son whether Pho Binh Minh served Mi Quang... He replied "Yes". In a lowered tone... he said that Mi Quang is not on the menu because it takes too long to prepare, the proprietors didn't want all the preparation time taken up to prepare just one entree. Therefore only the patrons "in the know" would ever order Mi Quang for $6.50. What is Mi Quang? ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mì_Quang )
BTW,
$0.75 charge for ATM / Credit Card transactions under $10.
Boba Drinks 16 Flavors $3.25 to $3.75.
There is also a selection of Porridge $5.95-$6.50. But no Porridge with Egg. read more