Fresh Vietnamese Food In San Marcos

Recently the UT ran an article about a little restaurant, Cay Bistro, that opened in San Marcos.  Owned by a young couple, Tan and Marya Chuong, the restaurant sounded like something I would like, so Regina and I went to try it out.  We were not disappointed.

Their concept was to introduce customers to Vietnamese food, prepared simply, with a modern take on traditional food.  The result is Cay Bistro, a clean little restaurant with about 15 tables, in a shopping center in San Marcos.

The food is simple:  rice plate, sandwich, rice noodle bowl, pho soup and egg rolls.  That's about it.  You choose your entree, select your protein, and add on fried egg, avocado or egg rolls.  The food was delicious.  We split a ban mi sandwich with chargrilled steak.  The bread was warm and toasty, the meat was flavorful, and the condiments (carrots, pickled daikon strips, cilantro and jalapenos) made it a wonderful sandwich.  We also tried the rice noodle bowl, which consisted of lettuce, cold rice vermicelli, pickled vegetables and crushed peanuts, served with Viet vinatrette.  Altogether, these ingredients made a wonderful salad.  Next time I will try the pho and the egg roll.

We met the owner Tan, and wished him well.  He has a clean, efficient and delicious restaurant, and I wish them success.  It's a bit of a drive for me, but if you're ever in the area of the 78 freeway and Nordahl, stop by Cay Bistro for lunch.