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| - My grandparents and I thought, what could be nearby and offer decent lunch fare on a sunny week day, not be packed with people, not too expensive, not too slow of service...and I thought hey! What about Xe Lua? Pho is a quick dish to bring up, and you can't possibly get it wrong, right?
Unfortunately, this bowl of pho had me asking what the pho as soon as it arrived. Instead of pho noodles (or even pad thai noodles) I was served with Chinese flat rice noodles. You know, ?? ("ho fun")! To top it off these were the lifeless, overcooked kind, which is really a textureless mushy mess. The beef and tripe were mediocre, my rare beef was dry and tough (it might as well have been well done because it tasted like it despite its colour) and the broth did nothing for me. Sad all around. My Viet style coffee took over to filter through, by which time the water wasn't hot enough and the condensed milk at the bottom left me with an odd room-temperature concoction that I didn't care for. Sadness all around.
I noticed the lunch crowd was weak, mostly people with the same mentality - quick meal, no wait, cheap and close by. Service is as expected (minimal, as needed). From a you-get-what-you-pay-for perspective, I guess it's fair. I mean, I didn't get food poisoning, the place was actually pretty clean and well ventilated, and the servers weren't rude or anything. But unless I have to, I won't be back, sorry!
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