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| - Normally, Pho in an upscale area is a rare occurrence. Then add the fact that the place is bright, spotless, and got an A grade by the health department makes it almost unreal for a Vietnamese restaurant. By no means am I criticizing the businesses of my people, but most of the places I use to frequent in LA were C grade.
Pho MaiLan is a breathe of fresh air. The open feel and spread out dining area is a welcoming touch.
To start my friend and I got an order of spring rolls ($4.95). They were two fat rolls filled with lettuce, mint, noodles, boiled pork, and shrimp. It was nice to bite into them and not come out with a mouthful of noodles. The peanut sauce comes with pickled daikon and carrots. It tastes even better with a spoonful of the chili sauce.
Instead of getting Pho, I saw that they had a vermicelli rice noodle bowl filled with all my favorites. The Bun MaiLan Dac Biet ($8.50) was the perfect way to try a little of everything. The lemongrass pork was tender, flavorful, and plenty. If that was not enough, there was an eggroll, two pieces of grilled meat, a couple of shrimp, a mound of lettuce, mint leaves, and more pickled vegetables. It comes with a side bowl of Nuoc Mam. Spoon some over the whole dish, mix up, and it is a meal only a notch under my mom's level. Everyone is biased towards what we grow up with. My only complaint was that the meats were more on the salty side. My friend took a bite of it and said that he might forgo getting the Pho Dac Biet ( Regular $6.95) one day and order this instead. That in itself is an amazing feat, because he will spend a whole day hanging out at the house when my dad makes Pho and eat 4 bowls before the day end.
We also got a Banh Mi Thit Nuong to go for a friend. The meat came in a generous portion. It kept it's warm and tenderness for quite some time. The lean meat and filling were good, but the bread needs more of a crunch. It was too doughy for my taste. It is more expensive than most places costing around $5, but the meat alone is worth it.
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