Having heard from a number of local foodies about the stellar Vietnamese cuisine served at Pho Hong, I couldn't wait to try it myself. We read up on the reviews beforehand--98% positive about the cuisine with 50% less positive about the slow service.
Nevertheless, it was with high hopes that we (a family of three) arrived at 6:45 p.m. on a Friday night to eat dinner in a somewhat dodgy and not downtown-y (at all) type of neighborhood to try out Pho Hong.
As alluded to in many other reviewers, we settled in (on the one bench offered) for a long wait for a table. The bench is hard, seats no more than seven or eight at the most, and gets a blast of wintry air every time the door opens--which happens a lot as the joint is jumpin'.
On the wall behind the bench is a bulletin board with post-its from customers who took the time to write their own reviews. Maybe they did this while waiting for their food to arrive. I'll give you two here: "The food is "PHO-tastic!" and "PHO worth the wait!" Funny and builds anticipation, for sure.
After about half an hour, in which I jealously eyed the craft beers being drunk next to me by others waiting for their own tables, we were finally seated. This is a BYOB restaurant, but there is not adjacent liquor store or grocery offering easy access to beer or wine, so plan ahead. When we were finally seated, about a dozen other people were standing and waiting for tables. Another five were seated on the bench.
The atmosphere is spare, colorful and inexpensive, which only adds to the charm of the experience. Looking around the room, I'd hazard a guess that every single person (except for those working there) is a regular listener if not donor to NPR. And, given the number of college kids present, their parents are definitely cut from the NPR cloth.
We ordered the #4 appetizer, spring rolls with veggies, vermicelli, pork and shrimp in rice (which means wrapped in a giant transparent rice tortilla). My husband's comment when the two rolls arrived was this: "It looks like a condom." And so it does--a stretched-to-the-limit condom. Their weird part is that it also somewhat feels like one, which is unfortunate, but that's what a giant rice wrap feels like--slightly sticky and damp. It was okay--I felt rather naughty to be biting into a condom-like spring roll, but it was crunchy inside with lettuce (or maybe cabbage) and mostly noodles with a smidgen of meat.
My son ordered #16, the Vietnamese Fried Rice with Chicken, which arrived 15 minutes before anyone else's food. After much searching, he finally found one small, dime-sized piece of chicken. He ate about five bites, but he's picky.
My hot & spicy Vietnamese soup (number unknown) was very tasty, featuring okra (which I forgot how slimy it is), taro, tomatoes, chicken and spices among other veggies I didn't recognize. The broth was very sweet and the hot chilis were served on the side. These were so hot that I couldn't eat them. The veggies in the soup and the chicken were tasteless on their own, but the soup's broth was good. I didn't finish it, however, as I didn't like the green mystery vegetable or the okra. It was served with white rice.
My husband's #25, Vietnamese Curry in coconut milk with Sweet Potatoes, Lemongrass, Onions and your choice of meats (he chose shrimp), was the only dish that rated "excellent" in my opinion. The broth was sweet, the veggies terrific but again, very skimpy on the shrimp...I think there were maybe three or four. The dish is served with white rice.
Everyone who reviews this restaurant raves about the prices, which are low. This does make the lack of a decent waiting area, the lack of wifi (or even a website) and the lack of consistent service less of a sting. Still, I left there feeling I'd gotten my money's worth (it would be hard not to as the prices are that low) and I feel I ate like a local, which is part of the appeal.
So, in closing, if I ever return to Pho Hong, it will be with a six-pack of micro-brewed beer, plenty of time on my hands, and with the express purpose of ordering the #25 curry. read more