July 24, 2007
Cuisine: Vietnamese

4644 El Cajon Blvd #101
San Diego, CA 92115

Phone: 619-283-4180
Website: none

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Mi Bo Satay Kho – Thin egg noodles topped with beef, tomatoes and onions in a Satay sauce ($5.50)

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The main difference between Vietnamese restaurants in America and Vietnamese restaurants in Vietnam is specialization. In Vietnam, restaurants expertly execute only a handful of dishes from a specific region of the country, while Vietnamese-American eateries serve up dishes from a variety of places and operate much like a one-stop shop. Choices can range from pho to rice dishes (com) to every type of noodle imaginable in these restaurants.

Minh Ky is a prime example of a Vietnamese restaurant in America. They serve everything under the sun and even throw in a few Chinese dishes for good measure. However, if Minh Ky were in Saigon rather than on El Cajon Boulevard in San Diego, their specialty would definitely be Mi Bo Satay. I’ve been dining at Minh Ky for years and have never strayed from this dish.

Mi Bo Satay consists of a generous bed of tangled egg noodles topped with sautéed beef, tomatoes and onions in a savory satay sauce. The satay sauce is a bit oily, but wonderfully flavorful and not the least spicy. The noodles are garnished with cilantro and scallions. This dish can be served either wet or dry; I prefer mine dry (kho), which means the broth is served in a small bowl on the side rather than poured on top. I find that the dry preparation intensifies the satay flavors, while the wet tends to dilute some of the deliciousness.

Mi Bo Satay is pretty much flawless in my book.