Going Psycho - Psycho Donuts and Pho with @winnie.fried

Thought I was going psycho for a second there

Once again, we are back with Winnie (follow her here) and are more determined than ever to experience the food wonders of Downtown San Jose. I usually don't head down to San Jose, but Winnie's robotics lab is in the middle of it, so I arranged for a lunch at Pho 69. Downtown San Jose is a pretty funky place, mostly because of its location and the very, very, very popular convention center. Lots of things go on in there, ranging from volleyball tournaments to even a minor Blizzcon if I remember correctly. Anyway, this weekend was no different, with a bunch of costumed people waiting around.

I like big pho and I cannot lie

So Winnie and I actually got to the restaurant a little too early - Pho 69's website lists them opening at 11:30, but they actually opened at 12pm. That was okay, we just went for a little walk around the block and discovered that a few of the restaurants we wanted to go to were just around the corner! Apparently Milk+Bar and Vitamina are just inside this little food center and I didn't even know! Probably should've done a little more research on that, but now I know where it is! So Pho 69 finally opened up, and we walked up to the counter and ordered the Pho 69(Phở Đặc Biệt), Spring Rolls(Gỏi Cuốn), and the Crispy Chicken with Cherry Blossom Rice (Cơm Gà Chiên Dòn). The spring rolls came first, but we decided to wait until the full spread came to eat. So after everything came and we took some photos, I finally took a bite into the spring rolls. Well first I have to say one thing - these are huge! Each one is as thick as a dollar coin, and was probably 1 inch in length. And they're action packed with vermicelli, shrimp, cucumber and even some mango which adds some tropical tang to the mix. The peanut dipping sauce is just the right consistency, sticky but soupy enough to get just the right amount on the roll.

Big spring rolls!

I can't say anything about the Cơm Gà Chiên Dòn, but all the portions were big. Maybe it was something about the downtown atmosphere that made me wary of small portions with large prices - not the other way around. But I can say that my pho was very delicious. It was so good (at least to me), that I forgot to put the basil and bean sprouts in until I was halfway done with the noodles! The soup was warm and welcoming, and the noodles were just the right consistency - firm, but not some firm as to make biting through them difficult. After a few pictures and a big (BIG) bowl of pho, Winnie and I set out to get some desserts for her robotics team.

So on our way to Psycho Donuts, we saw many...interesting people. It started small: some cat ear headbands, some tails. Things that you look at and be like alright, that's okay, I kind of get what's going on. And then right as we passed in front of the Westin, I see this man dressed in a Fantastic Mr. Fox suit. So I'm like okay, it's a promotion for the Westin because he's wearing a suit right? Nope, full out furry. The following Monday, I actually asked some of my friends about it and they confirmed that yes, there was a Furcon that weekend in Downtown San Jose.

Can't hide the psycho behind the donut.

After finally making our way to Psycho Donuts, Winnie decided to buy a dozen, including pretty much the entire selection of donuts they had that day. The design of the restaurant is kind of like what I imagined a 90s style skate shop would be like, with its green walls and very random merchandise on hanging on the wall. Now that I think abo
ut it, I think it was the little eyeball devil thing that was a popular skateboard sticker in Tony Hawk's Project 8 for the PS3 that inspired me. The selection of donuts they have there is pretty large: having everything from Feng Shui (Matcha) to the Jekyll and Hyde Donut. I got to eat one: the Rocky Road. Basically what you expect from a Rocky Road ice cream scoop, but not in ice cream form. It's got the crunchy nuts combined with the marshmallow in the center smothered by chocolate in order to create one of the best donut experiences I've had in a while. I do recommend both restaurants, but if you're not comfortable hanging around people dressed in mascot suits, buyer beware.

You can find me on Instagram as @stumpyeatsfood and on yelp at theplumpcat.yelp.com. If you've 
got a restaurant recommendation or even a recipe that you think I should try, send it to me at ryanjchen2@gmail.com! Thank you for reading!

Winnie was excited for Pho today along with many other things.

Excited for donuts!

Very excited for Donuts!