RESTAURANT REVIEW:

Challenging myself culinarily has always been a goal, but a more important objective is finding out what I am eating if I can’t recognize it.

It has been a constant source of frustration when I walk into Pho 99 Noodle and Grill and try to extract from them the ingredients of dishes I order.

It seems to be a state secret and my waiter will politely look at me, smile and then ignore my inquiries.

But on a recent night when I stopped by this little café on Harbor Boulevard, longing for their Mon Xao, (Vietnamese stir fry) I was determined to find out what is in the house special sauce.

I discovered this dish when the weather was too warm and I couldn’t justify the noodle soup Pho restaurants are known for.

It was a pleasant revelation. I like the Axo Hoi Vi (seafood combination). Accompanying the mixed vegetables are ample pieces of shrimp, squid, imitation crab and fish loaf.

I have no idea what is in fish loaf, but have surmised that it is whatever fish pieces end up on the floor.

I wanted to ask, but decided to save my questions for the house special sauce.

Plus, some things are better left unknown, like how they make Fig Newtons. I know and haven’t eaten once since I found that out.

Fortunately the rest of the ingredients are identifiable. There is Asian cabbage broccoli, sliced carrots and white onions. The vegetables are crisp and not overcooked, providing outstanding texture.

The dish can be ordered on a bed of egg noodles, rice noodles or white rice. I prefer the egg noodles, though they will stick to the plate if you don’t mix them up with the rest of the dish.

The only mystery that remained was the house sauce. As I nibbled on Tau Hu Ky (shrimp sausage wrapped in bean curd and deep-fried) I attempted to devise a plan that would get someone there to divulge the secret.

The brown thin sauce is semi-sweet and perfect to sop up with the wide egg noodles. I let the sauce sit on my tongue to try to discern the ingredients but came up empty.

I think my taste buds were a bit fouled by the shrimp sausage. It wasn’t the appetizer that fouled them, but the hot sauce I was dipping them in.

There are two hot sauces on the table. The first is a homemade one that comes in a clear plastic dispenser with the chili pepper seeds visible throughout. The second hot sauce is the famous Tuong Ot Sriracha. This sauce is thinner and used more in the soups.

If you want an interesting combination, mix the chili sauce with the hoisen sauce. It is an interesting taste and will take the sting out of the chili sauce.

The last of my shrimp was gone, and I was nowhere closer to getting an answer. My waiter pleaded ignorance when I asked him what was in the sauce.

I had eaten the last of the egg noodles, grabbed the check and was conceding defeat when I tried another waiter.

It has oyster sauce, soy sauce, ginger and sugar, he remarked casually. I couldn’t believe it. I had cracked them. I was so elated I had procured a secret recipe. I told him how much I enjoyed it and he said, “We get it from a company.”

Oh well, some secrets are better left to the imagination.

JOHN REGER is the Pilot’s restaurant critic. His reviews run Thursdays.