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| - Very Saigon food, which is a combination of French and American influences. We ordered the #10 (chicken pho) and #14 (beef combo pho). The broths were both very good, but the exclusion of the notorious "saw tooth herb" from the plate of vegetables was odd. Also, no fresh cilantro? But they put raw onions on top of the pho soup when it's served to the customers' table? Maybe that's a preference for some, but for me, I expect the onions to be heated thoroughly during the creation of the broth itself. This is standard practice I see in other Vietnamese restaurants as well as when I make pho myself. And I grew up with Vietnamese neighbors too, so this is even more head-scratching for me.
That aside, like I said, the broth is very good, and the price point is appropriate. Ambiance is nicer, and so is the music that plays in the background.
But that's where the positives end, and for me, a bunch of question arise.
Why are there so few appetizer options? It seems odd that there are only five options at the time that this review came out, and only two of them involve rice paper. Seriously, there are so many more possibilities of appetizers to serve, and I can confirm that the restaurant HAS these things; for instance, charbroiled pork, carrots, cucumbers, shrimp, lettuce, mint, basil. That right there, you could spin off as a "make it yourself" rice wrapper dish swapping out some of the aforementioned ingredients. But instead, the restaurant chooses to only offer two, prebuilt spring rolls with peanut sauce on the side. I'm not saying these aren't delicious; they are, but offer more when you clearly can. By the way, this place cheaps out on the lettuce used in their spring rolls; instead of using the more nutritious and traditional green leaf lettuce, Saigon Pho & Seafood decides that iceberg lettuce is the way to go. While I understand that iceberg lettuce certainly reduces overhead costs for a restaurant, it really takes a dive on the culinary experience when your customers know that you're using cheap ingredients, and furthermore, non-nutritious vegetables.
The customer service here is good, but frankly, I don't go to Vietnamese restaurants to experience great customer service. In fact, when I was younger, I opted to find the restaurants with the worst service possible under the impression that I'd get higher quality food. While that has certainly been refuted in my ever-increasing experience dining out, I feel like there is still at least a shred of truth associated with this notion. If you're focusing more on customer service, less attention is paid to the food.
Now, I want to touch upon the vegetables briefly. It's important to note that Vietnamese cuisine is really about textures, so, when the vegetable dish that came out to put into your soup contained only bean sprouts and Thai basil, I really had to scratch my head. Where was the cilantro? What about sawtooth herb? Where were these delectable things that I hoped to put into my soup? More authentic Vietnamese places will offer these, especially the ones back in Los Angeles or even close by in Central Phoenix (I'm looking at you, Pho Thanh!)
All in all, I'd only come back to this establishment if I lived closer and I didn't want to make the drive out to Pho Thanh or a different Vietnamese restaurant. But, until I move closer to Chandler, I'll be avoiding Saigon Pho & Seafood for now.
Until next time, Yelp!
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