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| - I was apprehensive about trying this place out after seeing the ridiculous prices for pho. They charge $13 for the special (dac biet) while other places charge around $9-$10. Yes, those few dollars do matter to me. But let me tell you, those few dollars are so worth it because Tan Lac Vien has the best bowl of pho you'll find in Pittsburgh!
My husband and I came here on a whim on a bitter cold day, figuring pho would warm us up. What I really like about this place is that it has a rather large Vietnamese menu, not just pho, although I couldn't bring myself to try anything else when the weather outside was in the single digits. We ordered the veggie spring rolls, and pho for each of us. The spring rolls came out on a large plate atop a variety of veggies (lettuce, cucumber, carrot, cilantro and basil), which can be used to roll up your rolls in, despite it looking like garnish. I really like that they serve it up with these veggies because it reminds me of how my mom serves her spring rolls: with a plate of greens for wrapping. Taste-wise, they were good but I would much prefer the full flavor from the pork spring rolls. But for $5 for two pork spring rolls, that's a bit steep when you only get about 2-3 bites out of one. And for the star of the show, the pho was the closest to my mom's I've ever had. The portion was large, the broth was clear and aromatic, and it didn't make me super thirsty afterwards (=little to no MSG, yay!). The meat wasn't as plentiful as I would like but it was enough to fill me, so no complaints.
The space is rather small, and the layout is a bit strange with two tables in the front of the restaurant and more tables in the back. Service was very good as several waitresses came by to assist us, without ever repeating questions. It's like they all talked to each other and knew what was taken care of and what was not. Overall, I really enjoyed Tan Lac Vien and I would definitely like to come back to try the other menu items!
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