Pho Hoacali Express
Category: Vietnamese [Edit]
Neighborhood: Mira Mesa9170 Mira Mesa Blvd
(between Black Mountain Rd & Rickert Rd)
San Diego, CA 92126 (858) 271-8341
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
49 Reviews for Pho Hoacali Express
I usually do not write restaurant reviews, especially negative ones because of the degree of impact on the restaurant's business... however after what I had experienced at this place, I felt indebted to voice my opinion. The servers were very rude, I asked for extra lettuce, but they didn't bring it out until the 4th or 5th time I had asked and gave me that LOOK. Not only they were rude, but they were dirty. their fingers were long and yellow (from smoking, I guess), when they brought out my foods, their fingers were in contact with my foods....very very unpleasant. I asked to have it change, but they told me they would charge me as a second order. that was my first experience in any Asian noodle place, I hope not all asian place like this. Can anyone recommend me to any others? (I was at the BOA and I saw this place, I regret that I even saw it)
They serve arguably the best Pho in San Diego which warrants the 5 star review, and I rarely give out 5 stars.
The service is highly efficient, but pretty "cut and dry." I'm always promptly seated and have my Pho within 5 minutes.
It's a medium-sized place, and outside of the fish tank up front and the plasma TV's the place itself is pretty uninspiring. The spaces in the parking lot are a bit tight as well.
I usually get the small, rare steak Pho, but believe me when I say it's more than enough. The large bowl is pretty hefty. Throw in some sprouts and a touch of sriracha and you're in business. I usually get their spring rolls also and they're outstanding.
I also noticed 25 votes (as of the date of this review) that they don't serve alcohol. This is actually not true. I've gotten bottled beer with my meals here before.
If you're looking for some excellent Pho (despite the uninspiring atmosphere), then this is the place for you.
Went here for dinner around 7pm on a Thursday night. I ordered and my food arrived within 3 minutes (while I was reading more reviews on my phone). So the service was speedy. Considering it's a vietnamese restaurant (most don't offer superb service), the waiters were quick.
I ordered the Dac Biet Xe Lu (#1) which was the most expensive ($6.25) and largest pho bowl. To my surprise, the bowl was huge and had plenty of meat. The broth was sweet, but it felt like it was missing something in the spice. They did not give me much vegetables, but I asked for more and they did not charge me for it, so thats a plus. The bean sprouts were a bit brown though, so it was not as presentable. However, they did have Ngò gai, which is Eryngium foetidum; most places do not serve this vegetable because of its price.
Good pho broth will depend on the amount of MSG that is added. I can tell that this place did not use as much MSG, but it still left my mouth a bit dry even after 3 hours.
Overall, I'd eat here again, but I'll still be searching for the best Pho in San Diego.
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My favorite pho place in san diego! but then again i haven't been to many down here, the pho is great, prices are pretty fair, and egg rolls are awesome! they have the a/c on full blast which is nice on a hot day, most asian places cheap out on this part, so they get plus a few points from me on this aspect, the place is very clean looking and is a very nice environment to eat in :)
Been eatin' at this joint for years! Whenever me and my fam want some pho, we usually go here (next option is Pho Ca Dao). Good taste, good price, speedy service, cool green chopsticks, big screen TV = awesome.
Note: It can get quite busy here, especially at lunch.
I think they could do a lot better with customer service. Their servers seem careless of the customers. My friends and I asked for extra vegi (basils and peansprouts) because it was so little for three of us, but they were too busy talking to each others and didn't bring it out until we almost finish. "Thanks, but no thanks", I said. I don't want to name onother Pho place, but I've tried a lot better somewhere else, I went here because my friends wanted to try something different. Their soup was cold and the noodle clumb together.
Wonderful!
All around it's great! Delicious food and wide selection. Prompt Service, after you order it doesnt take long to get your food.
Portion sizes great, and of course prices very inexpensive considering the food will fill you up!
The employees here are much nicer than all other Viet Rest.
When I take my friends here they even comment on how the waiter or even busboy is nice...they always give balloons to babies or kids.
If you like Vietnamese food try this place
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Great Vietnamese food though sometimes their noodles are a bit soggy from sitting in the soup to long.
So my brother tells me that he's on a mission to find the best BEEF pho restaurant out there. If I had to recommend one place to him, this would be it. To me their beef pho is very flavorful, hot, and totally satisfying. Back in the day when I lived in Manila Mesa I'd frequent this place and time and time again it was always efficient, fast, and cheap. Other than their beef pho I especially like their spring rolls that are ginormous. No way in hell am I able to finish my pho if I eat a whole spring roll with their awesome peanut sauce.
So bro, here is my recommendation to you, but then again it is in SD, a place you believe that has nothing going on. Perhaps this place can change your mind. ^_~
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Simply said, the Pho was spot on! Egg rolls flavorful, crisp, and freshly fried. The greens nice and fresh, no brown or wilted leaves. Portions were larger than what you would usually get at other restaurants. This big eater had problems finishing the Pho and egg rolls even though they were soooo good!
From watching the waiters and busboys in action. They really do a great job! From the get go, they'll sit you at a table which would be most comfortable for you (+family or friends). Wanna switch tables? No problem! And they're all zooming around delivering your food and cleaning up what people have dropped on the floor and not bothered to pick up before someone slips.
Only gripe is their cafe sua da. There was too much condensed milk for the amount of coffee I was served.
Definitely, consider me a new regular.
My brother swears by this place, but I think Pho Ca Dao is just a teeny bit better. My usual order of cafe su da, eggrolls, and pho ga was pretty good. I tried a little bit of my brother's dish which was a beef stew type thing with fresh french bread. That's something I wouldn't think to order for myself, but it was really good. Also , their homemade lemonade mixed with club soda looked pretty tasty and if I can ever pry myself away from my espresso I might try it sometime. On a side note, we came at like 6 on a Monday which is one of their special curry days, but they were completely sold out. Apparently they recommend calling in early and placing an order for it. I didn't know that Vietnamese places were known for curry, but it piqued my interest. Looks like I'll be having a curry dinner at Pho Hoacali sometime soon...
Pho Hoacali Express is just like the other pho restaurants in Mira Mesa- fast, good, and cheap. This place is a little bit on the small side so during the lunch and dinner rush you may have to wait 5 minutes to get a table.
This was actually the first pho place I ever went to so it has a special place in my heart.
Pho Hoacali Express adheres to the ISO standard for Pho menus, so you can order a #1 and be confident you're going to get a large soup with a variety of meats.
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Amazingly beefy pho broth. Green chopsticks which, in my opinion, have slightly more traction than those found in Ca Dao.
This has been around longer than Ca Dao, and while Ca Dao remains my favorite pho place in Mira Mesa, this place also deserves some respect. Hoacali Express wins a very close second.
Really good beef-to-noodle ratio in their pho. Very tender rare steak, thinly sliced brisket, fatty chewy tendon. DROOL.
Also take a good look. That broth is DARK!
You know what, come to think of it, you can't go wrong with any pho place in Mira Mesa.... well, except Pho Lucky. Don't get pho at a grocery store.
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Upon arrival, seeing the logo of a happy cow let me know I was in for a beefy evening. Pho was very good, and the best part was cilantro in the pho - Pho T Cali does not have any in the pho, and does not provide any on the plate with the basil and sprouts. Pho Hoacali also had a great spread on the table, with everything you need all right there, re: sauces, etc. Waiters were on the spot with the water refills. I got the large bowl, and it was just the right amount. The noodles were quality, and there was a good portion of meat.
Although the best thing I had was the bbq beef which my gf ordered (steamed rice and bbq beef). I almost wish I had ordered that instead, they have an awesome marinade, and the beef was quite tender. The rice was al dente, and it was a good amount of food. Less than the pho though, I probably still would have been hungry if I had just ordered that. All in all, delish.
Make sure if it is crowded, you sign their yellow notepad with your name and the number of guests in your party. We overheard someone talking about it as we walked up to the door. There was no one there with the pad of paper, and it was on top of the fish tank.
This place is very good. The peanut sauce with the spring rolls is to die for.
Be adventurous and try the Soda Sua Hot Ga. It is egg yolk, condensed milk, and club soda. It sounds like it would be thick and eggy, but it isn't. It is actually closer to a french vanilla flavor, with a very light cream soda consistency. Mmmm.
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I LOVE PHO.
This place is the better of the two main Mira Mesa pho eateries, IMHO.
They're fast, it's cheap, it's clean, it's busy and best of all, IT'S DELICIOUS!!
They've even got some TVs for your television-watching pleasure.
Pho warms my soul. Yummmmmm......
Oh, I also love the grilled beef with broken rice. =)
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Loved the food. I am on a quest to find the est pho in San Diego, and this place is definitely on top. I ordered eggrolls and #1. Both were delicious, and far exceeded my expectations. Speedy service and plenty of garnishes, sauces, and water.
This is my favorite pho place in San Diego.
This place is always crowded. On the weekend, around lunch time, there is a line to get in. The wait is usually pretty short though. The staff is extremely efficient. They don't smile much but they are so fast. I usually know what I want before I get there so my orders are taken within two seconds I sit down. They never get my orders wrong either which is so amazing when it is that crowded.
Pho is the best there needless to say. Also, their beef stew is among the best in my opinion. When I go there for breakfasts, I always have Vietnamese ice coffee along with my pho. It is guaranteed to be fresh because they bring it out when it is still dripping. I love that. The coffee is so strong, it's almost like taking expresso shots.
It shares a huge parking lot with other shops in the corner. Even though there are a lot of people, parking is never that big of an issue. You might not find parking in the first two rows, but there is always parking.
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Ok I do feel entitled to write reviews for most of the pho restaurants that I've eaten at. A quick calculation and I must have consumed over 2000 bowls of pho. Next to Lucky Seafood this is a pretty damn good pho place. They got a nice fishbowl in front and service is pretty decent. I like that they give out balloons to the kiddies... nice touch. I would recommend this place but if you have to do your grocery shopping then Lucky Seafood might be a better choice.
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This place cooks pho nearly as good as my mom and this is coming from a Vietnamese gal! That has to give it some serious credibility. Believe me when I say I'm more critical of Asian restaurants than any other because I KNOW what good Vietnamese grub should smell, taste, look, feel like.
Seriously, my family has ate and ordered out here and it always consistently warms my Vietnamese soul. Pho Hoacali Express makes the proud Vietnamese in me come out. And I'm happy to exclaim this too! Enjoy!
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My favorite Pho place. EXTREMELY busy in the afternoon -parking can be a pain. Friendly and FAST service. Clean atmosphere and low prices. They give you a great amount of meat and noodles. I love the egg rolls AND spring rolls. Thai ice tea is refreshing!
my personal favorite pho resteraunt in mira mesa.
great taste
fast service
close to home
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A View from your local asian dude
The positive:
I LOVE THIS PLACe. I've been eating here for nearly 10 plus years now. After eating at countless pho places this places is still my all time favorite. The speed of the service is great the prices are the same as an extra value meal and you always leave satisfied.
If you're new to pho, I would get your standard pho tai which is pho with rare steak that cooks inside the broth. They also have some of the best egg rolls in town. You cant go wrong with this place. The speed and the quality are unmatched by any other pho place.
The negative: I have nothing bad to say excep that sometimes your water isnt refilled that fast hahaha but when that's the worst thing you can think of ... that means that this place must be great.
This is our go-to pho place. You always get quick and courteous service. The food comes out hot and usually all at the same time. And the prices are relatively low.
I usually get the beef stew with french bread. Mmm!
I had the rare steak/well done steak pho and the broth was okay except the meat was dry, like old meat that had just been thawed in the microwave or something.
I know most pho restaurants aren't known for their cleanliness, so I don't go over over their utensils/bowls with a fine toothed comb; I just wipe it down with a napkin before I use it. But, I'd have to say out of the all the pho restaurants I've been to, I've never found an unusually oily residue on the little sauce bowl until here. I don't know if they use a dishwasher or wash by hand but someone's wiping em down too quickly.
Anyway, on the plus side their Thai iced tea seems pretty popular and they serve in a plastic to-go cup so you can take it with you. They didn't overload the tea with creamer. I like to have my tea with creamer, not the other way around.
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Pho Hoacali Express is an ideal option for a good, relatively quick Vietnamese sit-down meal. Its menu is on the small side, but the selection is adequate.
Their Vietnamese Ice Coffee is one of the best in town!!
Service here is probably one of the best among Vietnamese joints in SoCal. Believe me, it can get pretty bad around SD, OC, and LA!!
While it can get pretty busy during the wkday lunch rush, it's usually pretty smooth most other times.
Living only five minutes from this little gem and being also a creature of habit, I've been eating at Pho Hoacali consistently now for probably over eight years and it has never ceased to put a smile on my face whenever I sit down. Everyone I've ever taken here, from out of town friends to my high school varsity tennis team, has always enjoyed it as much as I have. The wait is never longer than 10-15 minutes, even during a lunch rush, and they have so many waiters running around that I've never once had a bad service experience in the countless times I've gone there.
My go-to dish is the rare steak pho (my ex would order the same thing but cook the meat in her broth - she liked it that way, but it was a little too rare for me. ymmv.). Over the years I've also tried and would *highly* recommend the following:
- Rice vermicelli w/ BBQ pork, egg rolls, or shrimp
- Broken rice w/ BBQ pork or BBQ pork chop
- Beef stew w/ french bread
- Egg rolls w/ lettuce leaves and fish sauce
- Spring rolls w/ peanut sauce
- Thai iced tea w/ tapioca
I think what really sets this place apart from all the others I've tried is the consistent quality of food, the freshness of the broth, the fact that they serve broken rice (which I've never found at any other Pho place fwiw), very reasonable prices that haven't gone up much at all in all the years I've been coming, and their abundant, helpful wait staff. For reference, I've had Lucky Seafood and Bolsa across the street, various places in San Francisco, a couple in San Jose, some terrible place in Tucson, and probably some others I'm leaving out. This place surpasses them all.
Bottom line, the food here (and at their Rancho Bernardo location) is delicious, cheap, and will not disappoint!
My favorite Vietnamese restaurant in SD. The egg rolls are bomb as f---, The food is on your table in matter of minutes and there are TV's. The price is decent and their fish sauce is not too fishy.
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This is the Pho place that the Vietnamese San Diegans eat at. I have never had bad food here, and I like their extensive drink menu, like the plum soda and salty lemonade. I have always gone with Vietnamese friends so I can't really rate the wait staff because the exchanges were always done in Vietnamese. If you're having a hard time picking from the myriad of pho places, for taste this may be the best. For a more lively experience with great wait staff, go a few blocks further west to Pho Ca Dao.
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This is one of the best places to come for pho. Its very greasy/oily and full of meat.
I personally tho, dont like pho that much, but I will get it here. Most of the time tho, I get their special called Bun Bo Hue. Its a spicy beef based soup wity thicker rice noodles. It comes with pork blood and pork feet, but I just omit that. They also have very good egg rolls. I also really like the broken rice with pork. If you hadnt noticed, pork rules in most Viet dishes except for when it comes to pho.
So if you want a cheap filling bowl of pho, this is seriously one of the best places here in San Diego. Careful tho, this place is very crowded. Ive been to both locations, this one and the Rancho Bernardo one. Both are packed during lunch. However, the Rancho Bernardo location isnt busy at dinner.
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I know that people usually go to a pho place for the pho, but I come here for the Bun Bo Hue. Its a spicy beef soup that is really delicious. I like the one here because its actually not that spicy, just flavorful and yummy. The pho here is only so-so. I would say the best bet here is the rice dishes or the Bun Bo Hue.
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This place has probably one of the best pho bowls in SD (their sister store in Rancho Bernardo is just as good). There really isn't much to say except the broth is good, the noodles are enough, and the veggies, fresh. The menu isn't that big, but has enough for the person who doesn't want pho. The only downside would have to be that it gets crowded pretty often and the inside isn't that big. However, they get you in and out as fast as they can and still pull off good customer service, which is rare for a pho restaurant. In fact, they sometimes give balloons away to the kiddies!
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I love the smell.
I love putting on siracha until my soup turns tomato red.
I love bean sprouts.
I've always loved pho & always will - it's cheap and fast and yummm.
Pho Hoa Cali definitely fulfills my pho cravings. I always get chicken pho because I personally thinks it tastes better -the beef always looks suspicious to me. If you always get beef, try the chicken! It's probably healthier too..if you ignore the pounds of msg they put in the soup. Their pho always comes out piping hot and the chicken pieces are tender...and WHITE!
They also have cute green chopsticks.
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this would get 4 stars with a 1 star deduction for rudeness. as a matter of fact, for short, we call this place "Rudy's". This is for good reason. There is only one man that is nice and he calls my bf "little brother"-em.
The eggrolls and spring rolls are fresh. Coffee is good.
They never smile. When seating you, they point at you and say "How many!" Don't expect, "Hi, how are you? How many in your party?"--unless you're white.
It's loud. There are tons of kids running around with balloons. There are a lot of tv's. The waiters spend a lot of time watching the sports because they have a lot of money riding on whatever sport is being shown on the screen. You have to raise your hand to get some help.
I don't know what is more annoying--their fluorescent shirts, screaming kids, or the scratched up glasses. You don't go their for ambience, friendly service, or attention. You only go for the food. This is equivalent to the Soup Nazi in NY. You put up with a lot of %$$ to eat something good.
update 4/2008. They are a LOT nicer lately. hmmmm. ....Could it be that they got wind that their nickname was "Rudy's"? I think it's great the have become friendlier. It's easy to complain about rude service but I also think that when a place changes for the better it should be noted.
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Agree with my man Kenny, Pho Cali express is the bombest pho place that I've been to so far in San Diego. It completely makes up for the annoying ass traffic-filled drive to Mira Mesa that it requires. Cleaner, and the broth is much more savory than Cadao and especially the pho places I've been to on Convoy. The consistency/watery-ness of the sauce....I can't comment on that, it's all the same to me dawg HAHA. There's somethin about Pho Cali express that just hits the spot and makes me crave it over and over. However it doesn't get 5 stars from me because of two experiences I had where it was closed on me. One, I came in like 2 minutes after it closed and they wouldn't hook me up....but I was technically late so I'll give them a pass. The other time I came at around 6 pm (fighting the rush hour traffic in Mira Mesa, btw), but it was the day before the Lunar New Year so they closed early at 3, and the employees were just in there singing karaoke! Wackness! Had to go get a subpar bowl of pho at Cadao down the street that night.
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Geez, pho here is like ... eating a really big, greasy hamburger. Ridiculously delicious, but so bad for you.
I usually try to order something other than pho, but I was feeling too lazy to look at their menu when I got here so I just asked for the #1. You know, it isn't the least bit unusual to have micellae (lipid/grease bubbles dispersed in an aqueous solution) floating around at the surface of your broth. But here, you're not longer faced with the occasional bubble... the broth is buried under at least a centimeter thick layer of grease. So, if you're one of those people who drinks the broth in their pho (as inadvisable as that may be), I highly recommend NOT doing that here. Overall, I liked their #1 (then again, what doesn't taste good when it's that greasy, right?). It was flavorful and filling. I only managed to inhale half of my bowl. The second half .. took a little longer.
And, I felt really sleepy afterwards .. mm, MSG.
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Not for vegetarians, but Pho places normally aren't. I'm rating purely on ambiance, service and price. I got the veggie spring roll which had nothing in it besides basil and vermicelli. The sauce was tasty though. I didn't expect anything more. The coffee boba was delicious. Seriously the best boba I've had! It was also $2 (: Sweeett... Anyway, they had beautiful red parrots (fish) in the entrance-way and really quick service. My friend and I got drinks 3 minutes after we ordered and waited another 5 minutes for food. The price was decent as well. 2 drinks, 1 spring roll and 1 bowl of pho = $15.
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let me start out by saying this place is DOPE for the following reasons (as far as pho is concerned):
- generous amount of MEAT
- generous amount of NOODLES
- soup/condiments NOT watered down !!
- CLEAN atmosphere
- GREEN chopsticks ! (its different, and cool)
- good price
.. and last but not least:
- RED CHILI PASTE SAUCE !!!
if none of these criterion perk your interest then turn away.
also a disclaimer: if youre not used to the "rudeness" of attendants in authentic Asian restaurants (as you will experience here) then you probably shouldnt bother visiting this place !
this place has GENEROUS amounts of meat/noodles. the bowls are slightly BIGGER, and thus filled with more pho-ey goodness :D
the broth is MUCH more savory than other places ive been in SD, which are typically watered down--not so with this place
additionally, ive gauged several pho restaurants based on their condiment consistency. give it a shot: squirt out some of the plum sauce (dark/black in color) and youll notice many places water down their shit .. which is Grade A whackness in my book.
secondly, (and what i find more personally satisfying) is that they have the THICK, spicy ass RED chili paste .. and im not talkin about that weaksauce sriracha either, i mean the REAL spicy stuff, which is what several places surprisingly lack (*cough*cadao*cough*).
i enjoy the cleanliness of this place. it just feels less janky,/grimey than other pho places ive been. i usually do the customary wiping of utensils/saucers when i eat elsewhere but at hoacali i feel like i dont need to (even though i often still do HAHA)
NEGATIVES: i do have to say the attendants are always aloof and never really cater to your needs, but if you just call them out and take the initiative, there are never really any problems.
another point i should make is, their vermicelli dishes are pretty tasty, but their portions for those dishes specifically are kind of small (at least for me). nonetheless, if im lookin for somethin light ill go with that or a broken rice dish.
regardless, i still recommend/prefer this place versus most places in convoy (ew) and its more "popular" neighbor, cadao.
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Aw yes, this place brings back memories of high school. We were too cool to go to In-N-Out after school; no, we were so cool that we'd hang out at Pho Hoa Cali instead. Even now that I am in college, this is a place that I must visit every time I come back to SD. It's just so...perfect. The pho is great; I'd say the best in the Mira Mesa area (I'm too lazy to drive far). The waiters barely speak English (I feel special when I'm around my friends...yes I'm pathetic). The broth and meat are nice and greasy (hey, life is meant to be enjoyed and eating fat is one way to enjoy it).
I wish I could just pick up this little joint and take it with me wherever I go.
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Savory pho. Love that spring roll. the interior design is nice. The parking is provided in the plaza but it's hard to find a lot durning lunch hour. Love that egg roll, best I have in San Diego.
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