Eugene S.
Yelp
So they literally changed their whole design, marketing, and service plan.
It went from a generic decently staged Vietnamese restaurant to a Dragonball themed place. The whole place right down to the employees are sporting Dragonball themed attire and art. It's pretty entertaining and based on how they've upped the ante on their service model, it's also up to date. You can pay via QR code, self-checkout kiosk, or in person which is all very convenient depending on your desired method of pay. Pay via QR code at your table is pretty cool all things considered!!!
The seating could be better as everyone is kind of on top of each other but it's not as cramped as it could be.
Now for the actual meat of the review which is the pho which is what I had to revisit.
I order the Pho Dac Biet which is the combination. It's one size so that was a bit underwhelming as most places offer various sizes depending on your appetite so I was a bit confused as to why I didn't get the chance to choose the XL over the medium so that was a bit of a bother to me.
They brought my pho out in a clay bowl and it came out bubbling hot!!! That to me was a fantastic delivery! This is was so satisfying to see. It confirmed to me that pho eaten this way should be the only way to eat it. Raging hot pho broth right off rip??? Genius!!!!
On a separate plate came literally all the fixings. Noodles, thai basil, a Thai chili, culantro, sprouts, and a small slice of what appeared to be filet. That was an interesting twist to my regular pho experience. Normally the noodles and meat all come in one bowl so for this to come out, I was surprised. They don't use the typical pho rice noodles. The thin rice noodles we normal equate pho to have. These were wider, almost fettucine-esque in the way they were shaped. They did get soggier faster so you're going to have to endure the heat of your bowl a bit in order to enjoy your dish.
A couple minor concerns is the flavor. Again, based on my last experience with this place regardless of their iterations, the pho broth wasn't rich or have a balance of flavors between the spices, the aromatics, and what not. There should be a blend of the cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, and then hints of ginger and garlic. All of that should be in a delicate marriage of flavor that brings a satisfying feeling of warmth and homely depth that pho is supposed to provide. Also, let's talk their meat portions. Wasn't a whole lot of available meat. Tripe was sprinkled sparingly. Meatballs were quartered so I probably got 2 whole ones. The filet was lost in the foray till it was overcooked. The brisket was definitely the highlight but you got 2 whole slices. And there was maybe 2 small pieces of tendon. Granted the bowl was small but that's why you offer different sizes. Especially at $15.95 plus tax, the bowl should've been at least a medium sized with that price and for what you got compared to other pho joints.
Needless to say, the ambiance is great, the service model is different in a good way, but the pho did not deliver as I had hoped it would, even w/ the change.
It seems like this place is resting on the laurels of being a Dragonball themed pho place instead of it being a pho place that has Dragonball highlights in their marketing.
I'll have to come and try their banh mi's because the pho isn't doing it for me. Unfortunately because that clay bowl deal is a killer idea!!!!!