SDPB Special Boston Edition: Just don't drive there

Location: 7 Beach St (between Washington St & Knapp St), Boston, MA
Hours: 10:30am - 10pm daily
Phone: (617) 422-0501
Website: Their Yelp page

Hao:

I think this place may be run by a non-Vietnamese family. Why? It opens late (pho is traditionally a breakfast food, or so Katie tells me), and they have decent service. Also, it's in the middle of chinatown.



Garnishes were standard, if lacking in the culantro (not too surprising, as it is rare) and jalapeños (?!). Still, since neither of those things are essential for MY pho experience, I wasn't too bothered.



The meat was on the bad side of mediocre, as you can tell from the image. Interestingly enough, the tripe was quite good with a tender texture. The same could not be said of the tendon, which came in large chewy chunks (rather than soft melty slices).

The broth started off overly sweet, but I quickly adapted and began to enjoy it. The noodles did not come in a clump, as is usual, but were otherwise standard fare.

Overall, not a bad bowl of pho, but I can't give it a nice rating given that it cost $7 (not including Boston parking). I'm not sure if that's the standard rate in Boston, or if it's unique to this one place. (and I'm too lazy to google it.)

I give Xinh Xinh 6 spoons, but I don't have the spoon pictures, so they're all imaginary. :)

Get on your Fancy Shoes: Pho Fifth Avenue

Location: 3807 5th Ave (between Robinson Ave & University Ave)
Hours: Mon-Thu, Sun 10 am - 10 pm, Fri-Sat 10 am - 11 pm
Phone: not listed
Website: http://phofifthavenue.com/


Hello Pho Lovers! It's been a while, we know. We still love you. Katie and I just spent the summer preoccupied by other things. But now we're back and ready to roll!

I spent the summer in Peru, a place where I don't think you can get any pho (maybe in Lima? I never checked). Certainly not in the town where I was staying, which I affectionately refer to as "the Fargo of Peru." So when I returned, food was pretty much the first thing on my mind- specifically sushi and pho.

My first pho experience post-South America was a rather mediocre experience at Convoy Noodle House (something we may re-visit later... trust me, it was that mediocre). Not too long after this, however, our friend and occasional contributor Adam took me out to Pho on Fifth, a new joint that opened up in Hillcrest after I left.

It's a nice little place, right around other cute shops and restaurants in Hillcrest. The shop is clean and nicely decorated-it has a much more "standard slightly upscale Asian place" feel than most of the other pho places we go to.

The staff was very friendly and prompt, and a standard bowl of pho will run you about $8. No sauce dishes, but at least no one made fun of me for using a spoon to hold my sauce.

The first visit I got something pretty standard, some rare steak and tendon. It was not super impressive- the broth was a good balance of spice and beefiness, the vegetable selection was good (no culantro, though), but I found the meat kind of unremarkable and the steak kind of overcooked.

The second time we went was much better. We got some spring rolls, which I think were the best non-homemade spring rolls I've ever had. Good meat, and lots of mint, which I love. The peanut sauce was PERFECT- just the right balance of peanut and hoisin. As you all may have noticed, I find most restaurants' peanut sauce to be too hoisin-y.

I went all out and ordered their Filet Mignon Pho, which they call their signature dish. This was one of the best decisions I have ever made IN MY LIFE. Everything else was as before, good broth, good veggies. But the meat was amazing. It was still red in the middle when the soup came out, and was very tender and flavorful. It was a little pricey at $10, but well worth it.

Overall, because the first visit was only OK, I have Pho Fifth Avenue 8 out of 10 spoons.



I swear to god we will post more often...

SDPB Special Chapel Hill Edition: Lime, Basil and LOTS O' SALT

Location: 200 West Franklin St., Chapel Hill, NC
Hours: Not listed on Yelp
Phone: (919) 967-5055
Website: Their Yelp page

Beth:

Every now and then, I venture across the country to see my dear significant other, where he goes to grad school at a certain basketball-crazy university.

And since we both love Pho, we've made trips to Lime and Basil, the only pho place in Chapel Hill.

And usually, the pho we had there was just fine. Not my favorite, but definitely not bad.

But this last time- the time I went ready to write a review on it...

It pretty much sucked ass.

Now, keep in mind that the other times I've eaten there it's been fine. Not great. Fine. But since they served me bad pho- inexcusably bad pho- on that fateful day in late March (I'm behind, I know...) I have no choice but to tear them a new one.

Lime and Basil has a lot of good qualities. It has a nice location right on the main drag by UNC, and the restaurant itself is nicely decorated, clean, and well-lighted. The wait staff has always been polite to me.

However, this is where the mediocrity begins. No sauce dishes, and they bring you one spoon with your soup. So where the hell do you put your sauce? They will bring you a sauce dish upon request, but this implies to me that people in Chapel Hill don't know how to eat pho properly. And that makes me sad.

The menu also leaves something to be desired. They confusingly use different names for the meat than any other pho place I've been to (eyeround instead of straight-up steak?) They also only list like 6 possible combos. I'm sure you could order something different if you could figure out what meats are what.

The vegetables were quite fresh- no culantro, but hey- not that many places seem to have that.

Let me again make the disclaimer that this place was at least slightly above mediocre the last 3 times I ate there before this.

Now... LET THE HORROR BEGIN!

Seriously, there is one overarching theme here. THE PHO WAS SO SALTY I COULD NOT EAT IT.

The meat was a little bleh, but only a little. The noodles were perfect.

But seriously, I could not eat it because the broth was like ocean water with a little beef bullion flavor. And I like salt in general (a little too much, according to my blood pressure), so don't take this lightly, folks. My S.O., who is known for his hearty appetite and his general willingness to eat almost anything, also barely made a dent in his bowl before he frowned and asked for the check.

So, the moral of the story:

Since Lime and Basil is the only game in town (unless you make the drive to Durham), go ahead and try it. Don't be a non-confrontational wuss like me- if the soup is bad, send it back. But seriously, there is no excuse to serve soup like that at all.

2 spoons, and place in the Hall of Laaame. May god have mercy on their souls.

SDPB Special Portland Edition! Pho Oregon

Hao recently made a trip up to Portland, to give a talk at a scientific conference. First, however, he dined on pho. Hey, it's just a few blocks from the MAX station on 82nd!

Location: 2518 NE 82nd Ave, Portland, Oregon
Phone: (503) 262-8816

Location: 6236 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland, OR 97213
Phone: (503) 281-2990

The famous Russian author, Tolstoy, once wrote (new translation by Hao): "All good bowls of pho resemble one another, each crappy bowl of pho is crappy in its own way." To this, a translator footnote reads: "except for clumpy noodles, as it seems like every other pho restaurant is trying to create a gordian knot of densely packed rice noodles."

With an excellent broth, fresh and flavorful garnishes, and mostly good meat, Pho Oregon failed miserably in noodle clumpage, some of the worst I have ever seen, or attempted to separate. The sate sauce was another source of disappointment, having a pungent bean sauce odor rather than the fragrant aromas of roasted chili. Alas, the nail in the coffin was the price, a full $7 for a regular size bowl! Even given the lack of sales tax in Oregon, this only puts it a meager 6 cents cheaper than OB Noodle House.



At first taste, the broth seems almost bland. However, upon further inspection, one realizes that it is instead a masterful balance of flavors, sweet, salty, spicy, and umami. (God forbid your pho tastes sour!) The rare steak, still pink in areas not touching the broth, has just the right texture, as does the brisket, and 2/3 of the tendon. It's only 2/3, because Pho Oregon does not give you slices of tendon, but rather chunks, some of which turn out to be rather chewy and hard. The tripe is nothing great, but rarely is anyway. Garnish-wise, all the standard are present, with no surprises except for the strong flavor of the basil, a good sign of freshness.

The spring rolls, with fresh mint inside them, were also very good, although I did not care for the mucus-like consistency of the sauce. They did have all the standard fillings, including lettuce, vermicelli rice noodle, shrimp, and pork (I think). About standard at $4.25 for two large rolls sliced in half. (I saved one for a midnight snack while working on my slides.)



In conclusion, I feel much the same way about this place as OB Noodle House, it's a good place to go to while in the area, but there are plenty of other pho restaurants worth a try as well. Katie, for instance, swears by Pho Hung, which others have reported to be quite greasy. Still, I feel that for those who will be appreciated of the well-constructed broth at Pho Oregon, perhaps $7 is not TOO ridiculous to pass up. Would you rather have 3 bowls of really good pho or 4 bowls of bad pho?

Meditations on OB Noodle House

Location: 2218 Cable Street, Ocean Beach
Phone: (619)-450-6868
Hours: Mon-Thu: 11 AM-10 PM, Fri and Sat: 11 AM- 11 PM, Sun: 11 AM- 10 PM
Website: http://obnoodlehouse.com/

A Pho Review in Haiku, by Beth

A quick lunch Friday
Down in OB with Adam
Hot soup on Cable

Two, seated quickly
At the most crowded pho place
I have ever seen

Ordered steak and flank
For Adam, seafood-filled soup
Separated condiments?

The soup arrived fast
Despite the number of folks
Classy ceramic spoons

Firm, tasty noodles
Meat was tender and decent
Broth fair, not the best

No sauce dishes around
$6.49 small, for reals?
But decent service

Bottom line is:
Worth checking out if you're here
Not much pho around

6 spoons for the place
Sorry for shitty haikus
More to come later.

It's Pho Time Again... Again.

We headed back to Pho Time this weekend and we are sad to say that we have to bump them down to 8 spoons and move them to #2 behind Pho Cow Cali Express. The reason?

Super soft Noodles all in one clump. Good thing Hao missed this one, otherwise he would have been very sad and whiney. Beth had noticed the soft noodle problem during her previous follow up to Pho Time but we had hoped it was a fluke, but now that we have experienced soft noodles two times in row...

But, Pho Time is still a great choice, much better then Sao Bien if you're in the PB area (unless perhaps you're vegetarian, see below). Their beef, especially the crunchy flank, is still super delicious, probably tastier than Cow Cali and their broth is good. Sadly, their lack of consistency and noodles so soft they break into little pieces hold them back.

Note from vegetarian friend, Jess, that the broccoli and carrots in the vegetarian pho is weird. She prefers the vegetarian pho at Pho Sao Bien.

San Diego Pho Rankings

Will be updated as we visit more places. Now with links to reviews!

1) Pho Cow Cali Express

2) Pho Time

3) Pho Hoa

4) Lucky Pho

5) Pho Ca Dao

6) Pho La Jolla

7) Pho Viet Cali

8) Anh Hong Pho Pasteur

9) Pho Bolsa

10) Pho Sao Bien

11) Pho Superbowl

12) Hi Thai

Superbowl of Laaamme.

Pho Superbowl

Location: 8342 Parkway Drive, La Mesa
Hours: too nauseous to notice
Photos: Courtesy of Hao and his fancy camera
Website: Here is their yelp cite , but we vehemently disagree with the reviews there.

Beth came stumbling home this morning about 8, looking for a nice bowl of pho to cure her hangover. Round came 10, and we rounded up the usual suspects +1 and headed to Pho Superbowl in La Mesa in search of a traditional American football celebration.

A 20 minute drive and 1 toilet stop later, we arrives at Pho Superbowl.

It looked interesting in a sort of promising way: Artistic not-really-bondage but oddly sensual photos, bottles of wine. (First pho place we've seen with a liquour license).

The egg rolls were ok. The honey lime tea was actually rather tasty, though way over priced at 2.50 or so a cup.

Out came pho.

Broth tasted pre-limed but ok. Katie thought maybe this will be like a 7 or 6. Mike says, sad, lacking in meat. Beth says her "chunky" flank may actually be chunky and not crunchy and the fat was orangy. (Matus later told me that his meat was even worse, but he was too polite to point it out in the restaurant, see Matus' take below).

See pic of yucky meat and sad Beth (click for close up of yuck):

Katie's expectations lowered but yet she was still disappointed. Noodles too soft, tripe too soft, steak too chewy. Stingy on the side veggies. The best part was the broth and that was only ok.

We did get a little coconut pudding at the end that I thought was slightly better then the pho. Hao disagreed. Maybe he liked his pho better but that is the less likely explanation.

Here is Matus' take on things:

-------------------------------------------

the pho superbowl
an review for the inernets, by matus

I thought it was funny to request a superbowl for my tea, but the joke was on me, because I really needed a superbowl. Here is a list of things I needed a superbowl for:

- my vomit.

No bowl is super enough to contain this. The vomit's ingredients:

- A squishy slab of half yellow, half dark red detritus. I'm not sure what part of an animal this was, and I can't even joke that I can guess what part of an animal it came out of, because no single organ can create this disgusting variety of colors.
- let's stop there, i'm about to fill up more superbowls remembering.

My friends complained they didn't have enough meat (that's what she said), but I ate mine first and was sad there was originally more than none, because it just meant I needed more superbowls for my vomit. (Hilariously, that's also what she said.)

my rating of PHO SUPERBOWL: two superbowls, one toilet, and one walmart dumpster; because those are the containers I filled with my subsequent vomit. repeat vomit.

-------------------------------------------

2 cents from Hao:

broth was middle of the road, on the bland side, but acceptable

my meat was mediocre to bad - steak was mediocre, brisket was bad (it contained none of the properties for which brisket is desired over other cuts)

noodles were soggy and few

can't really speak to the garnishes, it's never a big part of my pho experience, but I did notice a lack of green things.

Sate sauce was pretty bad, would rather have not had it with the meat.

As for the dessert, it was watery, and ricey, which are two things I avoid in desserts.

-------------------------------------------

To summarize: When we ordered our pho, only 1 of us was nauseous. By the time we left, all 5 of us were nauseous (well, at least three).

I am certain when Beth awakes she will have her own input to contribute and Pho Superbowl may be downgraded, but I feel I cannot delay in alerting the world that Pho Superbowl has incurred the wrath of The San Diego Pho Blog, the nauseousness of Matus, the scorn of Hao, and the disdain of Katie's tummy and earns only 3 spoons, qualifying it for the HALL of LAAAMMEE.

-------------------------------------------

Beth:

I heartily agree with the 3-Spoon rating. I thought that being hung-over would mean that even shitty pho would taste amazing to me, but I WAS WRONGGGGG.

Tear. Now I'm going to go back to eating Spicy Korean Ramen and trying to re-hydrate myself.

Pho Ca Dao

Location: 8373 Mira Mesa Blvd (between New Salem St & Reagan Rd)
Phone: (858) 564-0917
Hours: Mon-Thu 8 AM to 9 PM, Fri-Sat 8 AM- 9:30 PM, Sunday 8AM- 9 PM
Website: http://www.phocadao.net/ Apparently, this is just a placeholder website until they get a real one up, so it's not very helpful. You could go to their Yelp page, but Yelp ratings are generally bullshit. Yeah, I said it. I am especially convinced of this now because of the generally positive reviews of Pho Superbowl.

Beth:

Katie, Hao, and I are no strangers to Pho Ca Dao (I think this was Matus's maiden voyage there, though). In the past, Ca Dao was a favorite for some time. We thought the pho was really good. I was a little turned off by the service, myself. They remembered me and kind of poked fun at me whenever I came in. I get that it was friendly and all that, but sometimes it was just frustrating. For example, they don't give you a sauce dish here unless you ask for one. Katie and I had always used extra spoons for our sauces. Several times I had a waiter pop up from behind me (literally, we were in a booth and he popped up from the seat behind me) and point at the spoon and laugh at me before going to get me a sauce dish.

This got a little awkward after a while, and when a friend introduced me to Pho Cow Cali, I was elated that I had found a new place. Not only did I think the pho was better there, there were sauce dishes at the table and I seemed to receive less harassment.

However, in our quest to review every pho place in San Diego, Katie and I decided it was time to go back and give Pho Ca Dao another try. As we recalled, the pho was solid overall: we thought the broth was better than Cow Cali, the meat was not as good as Cow Cali, and there were often too many noodles (a gentle collective of criticisms considering the source).

We went there with the usual suspects (Hao and Matus) and found that the place had gone through some changes in the intervening time. They have totally re-done their logo, gotten a new fleet of waiters (which was a relief to yours truly), gotten a big TV, and totally re-done their menu. Their menu, as part of what seems like an increasingly popular trend, now has a section where you can choose all the components and "create-your-own-pho." Although we were skeptical about how this might turn out given our experience with this at Viet Cali, we decided it was worth a shot. I ordered the rare steak and well-done flank, my usual these days (despite a foray into tendon at Lucky Pho 2 weeks ago that I was very happy about).

We also ordered some eggrolls, which came out quickly and were crispy and delicious.



Our pho came out almost as fast as the eggrolls.

The pho was... shall we say... both better and worse than we remembered. Some things were better, and some were worse. Has Ca Dao changed over the last year? Did we come by on an off-day? Or are we so jaded and snooty about our pho now that it takes some seriously good soup to impress us? I'm guessing it's some combination of all of those things.



Katie and I generally agree that:

- the meat is better now that it was before- tender and not as fatty. But the flavor of it was just OK
- the broth was kind of bland. There wasn't enough spice flavor or beef flavor. I mean, there is something to be said for subtlety, but ...meh
-the sate sauce was good
-there were, in Katie's succinct words, "too many fucking noodles"

The vegetables that came out with the soup were good and fresh, and they don't skimp on quantity. Also, they serve culantro, and that made me happy.

We did, however, miss the elevator music that used to be played there. Elevator Beatles, elevator Simon and Garfunkel, elevator Christmas music, and I seem to recall some Kenny G...

Service was also very fast, and the place was clean and such, if you worry about that kind of thing. They have a nifty little garden that you can see in the window inside.

So... bottom line: A solid choice, but not the best. With other really excellent choices so nearby (Cow Cali, Lucky) why bother? Go a little further down Mira Mesa boulevard (or... don't go as far, depending on which direction you're coming from).

Six (and an imaginary half) spoons out of 10.

SDPB Special Ramen Edition: Yakudori Ramen & Yakitori

Contrary to popular belief, the reviewers on this blog do not subsist entirely on pho. Occasionally, we eat other noodle soups that are made with other four-legged animals. Today, Hao will discuss a recent visit to the newly opened Yakyudori in Kearny Mesa.

Location: 4898 Convoy St., Suite 101 (look for the Dixieline sign)
Phone: ?
Hours: 11:30am - 3:00am
Website: http://www.yakyudori.us/ (does not indicate new location yet)

Update: I later went back and tried the shio ramen during lunchtime, thoughts are below the original entry.

Yakyudori officially opened its Kearny Mesa location on Monday (Feb 1); you can read reviews from Kirk and Chowhound. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this location is that it will be open until 3am everyday. (Compare to Tajima, which is only open until 3am Thur-Sat.) The original location in Hillcrest is only open until 1am, it seems.

Matus and I decided we needed to go to this place and check it out. We arrived at ~1:15am, having very little problems with notorious 805 traffic and were the only ones in the parking lot. Our drink order of hot green tea came out as heated cans of green tea, which our waitress then poured into teacups. A bit strange, and not very tasty, but this seemed like a place that would eventually focus on beer, once the liquor license came through. (judging by the beer advertisements on the walls) Matus ordered the miso ramen, while I had the shoyu (soy sauce) version.


Of the three standard ramen broths (miso, shoyu: soy sauce, shio: salt), both the miso and shio versions come with corn by default. You can of course, ask for the corn to be omitted, but adding it will incur a surcharge, as they do charge for extra toppings. The pork chashu came in large, thick slices with the perfect taste and consistency, but the egg is the winner here. Apparently, it is a Hanjyuku tamago, almost a soft-boiled egg, but marinated so that extra flavor seeps into both the yolk and egg white. The spinach, green onions, and bamboo shoots were standard and did not stand out particularly. Texturally, I thought the noodles were perfect, being cooked all the way through, yet still maintaining some pull and the expected chewiness. The broth had a strong soy sauce flavor as expected, perhaps a little too strong, as it seemed to overpower any other flavors. I should mention two caveats though, lest you think the broth is bad by any means. For one thing, it's likely that I've grown accustomed to the rich tonkotsu broth they serve over at Santouka as well as the complex beef broth used in the better pho restaurants. I'll be sure to try the shio broth next time for comparison. It may allow the other ingredients to come through better. (FYI, Matus had the miso and was not a fan. Without trying it, I can't really give my opinion, but he did finish most of it, so it can't have been too bad. Turns out, Matus is one of those people who finishes off his plate no matter what - he strongly suggests that you avoid the miso ramen.)


I also ordered the tori kara-age (fried chicken), just to see what they put out here. At $4, it's relatively cheap, but not worth getting. There were numerous pieces, but they were all rather dense (perhaps overcooked?). They also didn't come with any sauces, which might have helped to cut through the deep fried nature. It's possible that having it with beer would have made the chicken more enjoyable, but it's a sad day when food tastes better because it's being washed down with beer. Given Kirk's thoughts on the takoyaki, I think I will pass on the non-ramen until yakitori is online. Hopefully, that won't have similar problems.

EDIT: I did go back and try the shio ramen during lunchtime. I did like it a little better than the shoyu, still not as much as the tonkotsu broth at Santouka, but this will be my go-to place for ramen that doesn't weigh me down. The broth was still on the simple side, and I felt that the sweetness of the corn actually gave it some needed complexity, although having actual corn kernels was a bit weird. Also, although the egg looks fairly normal in this picture, it was still fantastic. (but maybe not so much as it was when I had the shoyu ramen)

Two more things I should point out are that during lunchtime, they give you free barley tea and a half-bowl of rice with every ramen order. The barley tea, although probably made from a bag, is significantly better than the green tea that comes in a can. (And I'm not just saying that because it was free.)

A Correction- Pho Viet Cali has not changed its name.

Beth:

Well, now don't I feel silly.

I went to the old Bev Mo today and noticed that the sign over the pho joint we reviewed most recently actually does read "Viet Cali."

So... Yeah. I have corrected our post to contain the correct name... But the 5 1/2 spoon rating still stands.

Viet Cali: ...Seriously? Just drive the extra 3.1 miles to Cow Cali

Pho Viet Cali
Location: 6755 Mira Mesa Blvd #113(near the Bev Mo...)

Hours: 10:30am to who cares

Photos: Courtesy of Hao and his fancy camera

Beth:

Sometimes we weary in our great quest to review every pho place in "America's Finest City"- like this last month, in which all our attempts to try new and exciting pho establishments have turned out pretty lame. Not quite Hall of Laaame-worthy, but somehow, that makes it even sadder.

Well, it was about half an hour after they were supposed to open. The door was open, but no one seemed to be in there. And certainly there were no other diners. But we're used to that by now... If you don't go to one of the really good, popular places where a lot of Vietnamese people go to eat (like Pho Cow Cali, Pho Hoa, and Pho Ca Dao- which we will be reviewing soon), then you might not see other people in there for breakfast. Frankly, this should just be a hint to us that we may not be in for much of a treat.

So we walked in... The door was just open... And someone from the kitchen came out and graciously sat us, acknowledging that they were, in fact, open.

The menu had one of those great pages where you can choose you own combination of meats. We all ordered and received our pho quickly.

Katie:

Well, I decided take advantage of this make your own pho option, particularly because their combo included meatballs, not so much my favorite. I also took this opportunity to intentionally order the "crunchy" flank as opposed to "fatty flank" and "some other flank." Well, the waitress assured me that what I ordered was the same as the combo...I figured she would just punch that into her fancy computer with a few replacements, etc.

Now...when the pho came out, it was obvious my pho had meatballs in it. Not a big deal, last time I tried them was 8 years ago so I figured it was time. Not as off-putting as my first experience but certainly wouldn't order them again.

Beth:

Yes, even though we had "created our own" combinations, the guy just brought the bowls out and said numbers, like the numbered combinations on the menu. So we had no idea whose pho was whose. Awk-waaaard....

Katie:

I did manage to order my steak on the side and the sate sauce was good, but thats about it. Oh that and, we got 20% or 25% off cause it was happy hour all day saturday. But considering Beth and I only ate 50% of our pho, not a great deal.

Most common comment was "Interesting." Meatballs were "interesting," said Hao. Broth is "interesting" says Katie.

Anyways, Beth says it best:

PREPARE YOURSELF FOR--

MORE MEDIOCRE PHO! WAH HA HA HA!!

the pho crew: "Nooooooooo!!! Haven't we suffered enough??"

Viet Cali: "NO, NOW YOU MUST EAT MORE PHO THAT IS NOT PARTICULARLY GOOD!!!"

the pho crew: "May god have mercy on our souls!!"

Back to Katie:

Verdict: 5 spoons and an imaginary half. At any rate, not good enough for Beth and I to eat more than half a bowl of pho, espechially with the knowledge that some amazing buy-2-get-1-free banh mi from Lucky awaited us (See pic below)

Pho Hoa: First post from the El Cajon Pho Jungle

Location: 4717 El Cajon Blvd
Phone: 619 - 283-6431
Hours: 7am to 10pm
Website: Yelp it.

Pho Hoa: #1 rated on Yelp, you say? But the credibility of yelp is nothing compared to the authorité of The San Diego Pho Blog (must be channeling Beth channeling Cartman). Anyways, this December trip was my 3rd time to Pho Hoa and I got to say, consistency isn't really one of their selling points. The past Pho Hoa phos were solidly good, but my most recent bowl of pho at Pho Hoa was straight from pho heaven. The soup was well balanced and left me wanting to take a mug or two home. You could detect the slight anise and cinnamon taste that's in every bowl of pho but a couple of us also picked up on a garlic flavor and another unidentifiable delicious green herb.

The meat was abundant, tender and flavorful, really flavorful. At bad pho places, the meat just provides variation in texture, at good pho places, the brisket and flank will be savorily delicious and the steak- meh. In my bowl at pho Hoa, the flank, brisket and steak made me feel like happy little cows were dancing on my tongue. And according to my liking, the steak was sticking out of the broth when they served it, so it was still a bit pink allowing you to let it cook as much or as little as you like. All of these things are standard from a top of the line pho place but what was truly remarkable about Pho Hoa was the tripe. Normally, I end up with tripe in my bowl because I don't particularly mind it and it always seems to follow tendon into every pho bowl, but I really enjoyed this tripe. It too was tender and flavorful.

Other Pho Hoa Facts & opinions:

Their service is shit. Throwing the menu on the table and mumbling at customers shit.

Their sate sauce was very yummy. On par with Pho Cow Cali.

Their food options are pho, pho or pho, which costs $5.75

Their 3-color-drink was super yummy but maybe that's because I hadn't had one in forever.

They are never bad, but neither are they consistently amazing.

They officially open at 7am!! Once I even called at 6:45 and they said they were already open.

Hao:

Not that impressed but only because he was turned off by the noodles coming in one big clump. ( hmm.. I didn't notice but its sort of instinct for me to stick my chopsticks in and pull the noodle apart right after adding the basil)

Matus:

AWESOME!!!! (But, this was Matus' 2nd pho experience ever)

Beth:

Sadly, I cannot say at this moment that I shared Katie's enthusiasm for Pho Hoa. I mean, it was good- the broth was well-balanced and flavorful, but I ordered the crunchy flank and steak and my meat was generally unimpressive (that's what she said...?). There was a LOT of fat on it.

But everything else was pretty good. So I guess I have to say that I, overall, give the place 7 1/2 spoons. But maybe another visit will change my mind.

Back to Katie:

Based on my one bowl of pho alone, I would give this place 9 spoons but taking into account Hao's and Beth's comments and their lack of consistency, they get downgraded to 8. Will definitely check this place out again.

Anh Hong Pho Pasteur

Location: 7612 Linda Vista Rd, Suite 117- Clairemont (near K Sandwiches)
Phone: (858)-569-7515
Hours: do you really care that much? If you still want to go there after reading this review, you could call.
Website: their Yelp page

Beth:

This is going to be a quick one, because there isn't much worth talking about here. We went back in December, and the details are a little fuzzy. But trust me, you won't be missing much.

We were initially hopeful when we entered Anh Hong Pho Pasteur... We were in a new, uncharted pho neighborhood, and we were so close to K Sandwiches. People who like Banh Mi don't put up with sub-par pho, right?

So we went in... The decor was pretty wild. One wall had neon beer signs on it, there was some ridiculous plastic gate with golden dragons dividing the dining area, one wall had murals of life in rural Vietnam... Also, a very dirty tank of crustaceans. A little tacky, but nothing particularly alarming to people who have been all over the pho scene in this town.

The menu made us (myself, Katie, Matus) very hopeful- they had a 7-color drink in addition to the usual 3-color! Maybe something fun and unique was going on here. Maybe we were about to have a great pho experience!

...


Not so much.

So, not as bad as Bolsa, but not really worth the time. Nothing was particularly bad, or gross. But it just didn't leave us with a very good impression. The broth was particularly mediocre- a bit bland.

Katie finished her bowl, but I didn't... After all, we were about to go get some sweet, sweet Banh Mi.

Bottom line... We didn't find it remarkable enough to post about it right away, and the fact that we don't remember much about it now should tell you that you may not want to waste your time. Just go get some Banh Mi. Or drive to Mira Mesa or PB.

6 spoons out of 10.

It's Pho Time Again: A Follow-Up

Beth:

I thought you might all like to know that, after our glowing review of our first time visit to Pho Time, I can say that it seems to be a consistently good restaurant.

Our occasional guest reviewer Adam and I went to Pho Time for a late lunch last week, and the pho was once again spectacular. Although I found the noodles to be somewhat overcooked, the meat was tender and flavorful and the broth was heavenly. Adam ordered his usual, shrimp pho, and from the small taste I had of it, it also seemed to be very good.

So, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DO NOT GET PHO AT PHO SAO BIEN. If in PB, drive a few blocks down and go to Pho Time. Unless you want spring rolls or banh mi, which Pho Sao Bien does very well.

SDPB Special Winnipeg Edition! Com Tam Thuan Kieu

Location: 661 Ellice Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba (Insert crazy Canadian zipcode here)
Phone: (204)949-9081
Website: A Review from the Winnipeg Free Press

Beth:

Happy 2010 Pho Lovers! I rang in the new decade in the fair city of Winnipeg, Manitoba this year. A long way from San Diego, and quite a change in climate. But there's nothing like a delicious bowl of hot pho to warm up a cold winter day.

(O, Canada)

My special man-friend and I took the time to visit a relatively new Vietnamese restaurant in Winnipeg (there are several, FYI, if you ever make the jaunt up to Manitoba- just look it up on Yelp) called Com Tam Thuan Kieu. Apparently there are several other Vietnamese places with the same name in other places.

The restaurant is fairly subtle in terms of decor- there are some Asian elements. The menu has an amazing variety of dishes- they go way beyond pho. I would love to try the other dishes sometime.

Service was good, but our waitress was very quiet. She just kind of put her order pad down and looked at us until we figured she wanted us to order. The food also took a little longer to come than I'm used to. But it was worth the wait.

The spring rolls were very good- I think the lettuce may have been something other than leaf lettuce, as it was pretty crunchy. But that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The pork also seems to have had some kind of spice rub on the outsides of the slices. I thought the spice was a nice touch, but purists may not agree. The peanut sauce was great- just slightly too much hoisin, but hey, I can let that go. The cionsistency was just right- not too runny, not too thick.

The garnishes included most of the standards- basil, bean sprouts, lime- no jalapenos or culantro, though. Culantro seems to be somewhat uncommon to begin with, and I didn't mind the lack of jalapenos, since I usually use sriracha for the heat in my soup. Everything was fresh and flavorful.

The broth had pronounced spice flavors- there were notable but not overwhelming flavors of anise and cinnamon. At first it didn't have much of a beefy flavor and was slightly sweet, but the beef flavor came out more as time went on. By the time I got to the bottom of the bowl, the broth was amazing. I was full, but it was hard to stop eating.

There were a lot of noodles in the soup- I like the noodles, so I didn't mind. They were slightly more cooked than I like them.

The meat was the only thing that was slightly lacking- I got flank and rare steak in my soup. I expected there to be fat on the flank, but even the steak slices had a significant amount of fat. The meat was tender (but not the most tender I've had) and flavorful, but I really didn't need that fat on the steak.

The restaurant has Banh Mi, but I didn't get a chance to try them. But hey, I'm here for 3 more days, so there's still time.

The price of a regular-sized pho at Thuan Kieu is $ 6.95 Canadian (that's $6.62 US), so it was a little steep compared to San Diego, but it was totally worth it.

I highly recommend the Pho at Thuan Kieu- so if you ever find yourself in Winnipeg, make sure you check it out!

8.5 spoons out of 10, eh! (sorry, couldn't resist)