Bun Bo Hue Thien An - San Jose

We didn't plan on coming here. Were in the neighborhood but the place we wanted to go had a long wait list. So we decided to walk here to see what's available. We are not exactly bun bo hue fanatico so upon finding that they do serve pho we decided to give it try.

The place was just open recently. We could tell from the banner on the street and also from the flowers that welcomed us. Another thing also the place didn't feel like it was running smoothly. They were nobody there to greet us when we walked in. After like two minutes we decided to just help ourselves to a table. Then the woman (owner ?) acknowledged us and came with menu. On the wall, we could see specials of the day posted also. The woman was very friendly and helpful. She explained to us what's their specialty and what's good on the menu. She told us that the black pepper hot wings were favorites there so we decided to give it a try. Then hubby went with pho do bien chua cay (rice noodle with seafood in hot and sour broth). I was going to go with pho but then though hmm...it's bun bo hue, might as well order one. So I went with bun bo hue thien an.

Our order came about ten minutes later. My broth was not oily and tasted pretty good. I only had a few encounters with bun bo hue in the past and it hadn't been too memorable. One thing I remember one of the bun bo hue I had was served with the shrimp paste which was a bit too strong for my pallet. But I liked the taste of the broth and decided I would not touch the shrimp paste in the future. But this place didn't serve me with the shrimp paste. The meat was a lot too and the chunk of blood didn't give me a weird taste so that's all a plus to me.

Hubby's hot and sour pho was a bit disappointing. It wasn't either hot or sour but more sweet. Though he liked the corn and mushroom that came with it. Plenty of seafood too.

The highlight of our lunch was the chicken wings. They were piping hot when we took a bite on. Outside was shiny which on first thought was oil but turned out to be glazed. Skin was very crispy and we enjoyed every bite. They kinda remind me of the 99 Chicken but lacking heat. :)

On the way out, the owner again thanked us and also asked us how we found out their business. Over all the customer service was probably the best we ever encountered in any Asian restaurants.

Bun Bo Hue Thien An
3305 Silver Creek Rd, San Jose, CA 95121     (408) 223-9288

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