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| - NOT THE BEST, BUT NOT THE WORST EITHER.
I came here to try their Pho without any expectations. I was starving, and Pho always hits the spot. I ordered a large bowl of their combination Pho (#1 on the menu), Cha Gio and Iced Vietnamese coffee.The coffee arrived first but was surprised, and a bit disappointed, it came premixed. I was hoping they would bring the Vietnamese coffee strainer and all. I wasn't impressed with the coffee. It didn't taste fresh. I suspect they brewed a big batch and mixed it up with condensed milk and refrigerated. It tasted like a stale coffee with crushed ice. The service was friendly and polite though. The lady took my order within quick minute I sat myself down. However, it took them half an hour to serve the soup and the egg rolls considering the place wasn't busy/packed on a Sunday afternoon. I didn't complain for the long wait as I was watching the bus girl as she cleared, cleaned and sanitized the tables, and the older guy (maybe the owner) admonishing the cashier while he ate his lunch of rice noodles with sriracha and hoisin sauce and broth on the side.
My soup arrived, suprisingly, lukewarm. They were a bit stingy with their fresh herbs and bean sprouts. The herbs for my pho didn't come with "culantro", the jagged elongated green leaf. Even the herb accompaniment to my cha gio was lacking slices of cucumber, and had only 5 sticks each of pickled daikon and carrots, and just one lettuce leaf for 4 rolls. The accompanying nuoc cham was very watery, and to say the least, bland. I had to add a teaspoon of chili paste oil for extra kick. Though the soup came lukewarm, the broth was good. It was beefy and rich but I didn't taste the subtle presence of star anise, cardamom and cinnamon. I had to add a teaspoon of sambal olek and few drops of nam pla and a drizzle of hoisin sauce to make it somewhat close to the broth I've tried and savored in the streets of Ho Chi Minh City. Pho Saigon's was/is not as good as Los Angeles' Pho So 1, Seattle's Pho Bac, or Denver's Pho 79 or Fredericksburg, Virginia's South Vietnam House . I usually finish my pho, broth and all but this time, I left half of the broth.
The cha gio was smaller and thinner to what am accustomed to. I didn't taste the presence of the ground pork skin or the rat's ear mushrooms. To me, personally, it didn't taste like a Vietnamese cha gio. It tasted more, and if it was skinnier and longer, like Filipino lumpia.
This is my first venture to Pho Saigon and though I wasn't that impressed, I am, for sure, going back for another try.
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