Working in Tijuana for two months really makes you miss your grandma's home cooking. I was really…read morecraving some pho or something close to Vietnamese food without crossing the border into San Diego, so I searched through Yelp to find Lady Dragon. I was a bit skeptical at first but after seeing the pictures on Yelp, I just had to give it a try to fill my cravings.
I took a 15-minute walk from my apartment to find the restaurant hidden in the side of CaliMax. Upon entry, I was greeted by two women who directed me to go upstairs to be seated. The waitress came with our menus and noticed that it was pretty short for a Vietnamese restaurant; it only had some pho dishes, banh mi, spring rolls and egg rolls.
I ordered a bowl of pho with brisket and bo vien meatballs, nem nuong spring rolls, and a cafe sua da (Vietnamese Iced Coffee).
Whenever I get a bowl of pho, I have to take in the smells of the meat and spices and taste the broth without any additional sauces or herbs first . Upon tasting the broth, it was a 5 or 6/10 immediately. It was quite bland but you can easily taste the spices. But this rating quickly went up to a 8/10 when I ate some of the bo vien and noodles. The noodles were perfectly cooked and the meat was high quality; the meat tasted similar to what you would find at Garden Grove's famous "Pho 79". The nem nuong was really good for being in Tijuana and the coffee was the perfect bitterness and sweetness.
As I was paying, I spoke to the cashier and asked him about the history of the restaurant. He gladly answered each one of my questions. I was happy to hear that they recently opened only six months ago to a Vietnamese woman named Phuong. And that their ingredients and recipes are authentic and high quality because they come from stores in the U.S.
This little restaurant is still new and needs a lot of love. I would recommend anyone in Tijuana who wants some authentic pho, spring rolls, or coffee to come and give it a try. I know I will be coming back several more times before I leave!
