Matthew L.
Yelp
Came here a few days ago at the recommendation of a friend. Sadly, his raving review did not match my expectations. I'm a pretty big foodie and a pho lover, so I've had my share of both good and bad pho.
I ordered the cha gio and the pho bo (large). The cha gio (also known as egg rolls or imperial rolls) were made differently than how I'm used to (e.g. in a wonton or lumpia wrapper, filled with shredded carrots, vermicelli noodle, shredded shrimp bits), but was actually pretty tasty and good. Instead of using shredded shrimp, Monsieur Vuong uses whole pieces of shrimp with each of their cha gio. The use of whole shrimp gave the cha gio, while fried, a mix between a goi cuon (spring roll) and shrimp tempura feeling. It was a different concept that I actually enjoyed.
While the cha gio was tasty, the pho bo was not and was a total let down. First off, no condiments are provided at the table (e.g. Sriracha, chili sauce or hoisin sauce). I asked for the usual chili sauce and hoisin sauce which I like to dip my meat in; sadly, they said they didn't have any but instead could provide their own chili "sauce", which was no more than chili peppers preserved in a vinegar/water concoction. Definitely not suitable for pho to dip your meat in!
The pho broth flavor wise was pretty decent, it had the typical beef and herbs flavor. But two of the biggest turn offs about the pho broth was the amount of oil that was left in the broth and all the herbs that were used to boil the broth were left inside. Typically, when making you're supposed to use a strainer to strain out all the herbs that were used to make the broth. It was not visually appealing to see multiple star anise, red jujubes, floating around in my broth. You can't eat the star anise or red jujubes, so I'm not sure why they provide them to you in your bowl of pho here! These herbs should always be taken out when serving pho. The presentation definitely was messy and haphazard. Also, the amount of fat/oil left in the broth turned what I normally consider a fairly light and healthy meal into a heavy and decadent one. My mount was pooling with oil with every scoop of broth - not a good feeling.
Lastly, I am used to having the side vegetables/garnishes to be provided with a bowl of pho. Here at Monsieur Vuong they don't provide that. Instead they mix in a few strands of bean sprouts in the broth, along with a bunch of cilantro and green onions. I asked my waiter if they had basil, which after showing what a picture of it was, was told that they did not offer basil.
So, from my experiences of the pho here can be summed as an overly oily, messy broth filled that while has pretty good flavor, but cannot be enhanced or augmented with any condiments or side garnishes. Eating pho should be an individual, customizable experience, where you tailor it to your personal preferences and likings. However, Monsieur Vuong lacks this and was a big disappointment.
If you're hungry for pho, I'd probably go else where! Not worth the hype in my books.