A colleague and I came here for dinner last night. We are both Pho fans. I visit Cleveland for work frequently and have been exploring the local Pho options - thus far I've been disappointed - not any more!
Good Pho Ga is hard to find - many places don't do it well. Many offer the soup with a beef broth - not a chicken broth - which is just sooooo wrong!
As I scanned their menu - I was disappointed to see that their was no Pho Ga. So I asked - I was a bit perplexed by the answer, but it turns out they do offer Pho Ga - but you have to ask for it! Which I did!
We also each ordered an order of the fresh Garden rolls served with a side of peanut sauce for dipping.
The rolls came out first, while they were a little on the loose side in terms of how tightly rolled they were - the rolls were fresh and tasty and peanut dipping sauce was thick, creamy and delicious! As always, I added a generous dose of the Sriracha sauce directly into the peanut sauce and stirred it in.
Then came the Pho Ga - with the accoutrements on the side: bean sprouts, lime weeds, jalapeƱos, and some sort of hoison-oil/paste dip. I noted there was no fresh Basil - I asked - it was already added to the Pho - I was told I could have some fresh on the side - but I could clearly see a generous quantity was already in the Pho - so I declined.
I added the sprouts and jalapeƱos and squeezed the lime juice into the broth and proceeded to sample. It was very good - rich and tasty, full of flavor and complexity!
I finished the entire large bowl of Pho Ga and realized I've found my go-to joint in Cleveland for Pho Ga!
I will note that I believe they put some MSG in their broth - afterward I had that overly-thirsty feeling from eating soup with MSG in it - assuming they do - it was not an overwhelming effect and sensation... I guzzled some water and was fine!
Service was good and the folks were friendly - I will be back!