Ca Mau

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As always my Vietnamese food urges always get the better of me.  This time trekking out to East San Jose.

So its not as famous as San Jose's Bun Bo Hue An Nam (see post HERE), but Ca Mau still has a small following of bun bo hue followers.  I never liked the bowl I had at Bun Bo Hue An Nam so at this point Ca Mau's is probably the best I've had in San Jose, but best ever?  No that slot goes to Rosemead's Nem Nuong Ninh Hoa (see post HERE).  Here the bowl of bun bo hue has much more flavor than Bun Bo Hue An and still hits the spot, but its missing just a twinge more lemongrass flavor.

Bo Kho is a spicy Vietnamese stew often served with a crusty French bread for sopping up all that hearty soup.  I rarely order this in restaurants because I think its best homemade and its hard to find a good tasting one in restaurants.  The soup is a little thicker than the average Vietnamese soup with chunks of beef and vegetables, usually carrots.  Surprisingly, this was one of the best bo kho's I've had in a long time.  Spicy, fragrant, and very much a comfort food.

 

As always, salt/pepper with lemon and a handful of basil leaves are provided to flavor your soup.  Lemon is commonly squeezed into the salt/pepper mixture and used to dip your meat in.  I don't usually do this, but it is a common way many Vietnamese like to eat their meats, even their seafood at Boiling Crab (see post HERE).  Its almost like a custom made lemon pepper dipping sauce.

The best part of this bo kho is their really crusty French bread provided for dipping into your stew.

  

Address:                 Ca Mau
                                2847 S. White Rd.
                                San Jose, CA
 

Type:                       Vietnamese

Popular chomps:      bun bo hue
                                  mi quang
                                  com bo luc lac                                     

Chomp worthy:        bun bo hue
                                 bo kho (beef stew)