Morlene C.
Yelp
My friend who is well versed in Vietnamese cuisine consistently laments the lack of good Vietnamese food in New York. "That can't be" I always tell him, considering there's no dearth of Vietnamese restaurants and people in New York, particularly in Bensonhurst. Now that I reflect on it though, I've had a steady stream of phos, banh mis, and vermicelli bowls that ooze mediocrity from first to last bite. What gives? This was no exception at Pho 86.
I was quite excited to get my grilled shrimp vermicelli bowl because I love the sweet and charcoaly flavor of meats in Vietnamese cuisine. Sadly, the flavor was sorely lacking in my dish, and the shrimp were also quite overcooked. The dish was overly simple, with only a few pieces of shrimp on a bed of noodles in the dish. Some lettuce and peanuts would've amped it up a bit.
We also ordered a couple of bowls of pho for the table and there was a scarcity of noodles in each dish. It wouldn't be enough to sate most appetites.
For a no frills restaurant like this where the average dish is less than $10 service is not something I'm concerned with, but there was one thing that bothered me a lot. Everytime our server brought out a dish, his thumb was planted firmly in the bowl, touching the food and errthang. As I type this, I realize how uptight and first world this qualm is, but I maintain that is super gross. Nah.