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| - Came here for my first pho experience in Pittsburgh, drawn in by the large vegetarian/vegan menu. There were only 1 or 2 other tables for Sunday lunch around noon, and our party of 4 was seated quickly, but the place had definitely filled up by the time we left.
I ordered the PHO CHAY, while the rest of my table had the house special PHO DAC BIET, the PHO TAI, and the GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN. I had wanted to try a couple of different things for my first visit using the lunch menu, since it was great that it was available even on a Sunday, but the options were pretty limited--no stir-fries that were Vietnamese style and not a lot of vegetarian options. Oh well.
I was not in the least disappointed with my vegetarian pho. It came with plenty of vegetables, and the broth tasted DELICIOUS and very naturally sweet. I was super impressed with the depth of flavor that they were able to create in a vegetable broth. In fact, I tried my fiance's beef/tripe broth and actually preferred mine. We both enjoyed the hell out of our dishes and would definitely repeat. Our friends, who weren't first-timers here, really liked their food as well.
Our table was provided a shared plate of the usual garnishes--basil, cilantro, sliced jalapeños, lime wedges, a heaping pile of mung bean sprouts, and culantro, which I've actually never tried before. Perhaps the prices were a little steep for pho, as others have said, but the portions were so generous that all 3 of us who ordered pho all had significant leftovers.
We received our food fairly quickly, but service was a bit spotty throughout, which was the one subpar area of our experience. Perhaps it was simply due to the arrival of the lunch rush, but our meal was checked on an excessive number of times in the first few minutes after we received our food, but we had trouble getting the check by the end, even after actively asking for it. Our server also made it a point to tell us while we were ordering that they didn't have bubble tea--even though none of us mentioned it? Um...okay? She also failed to tell me that the tofu in my pho would be fried, which I'm not a fan of and had pointedly asked about. "It's soft and fluffy tofu," she had told me. It wasn't. It was firm, pressed, and fried. Next.
I know I sound super picky, BUT inconsistent service will never dissuade me from a tasty meal. I'll be making my rounds to try other Vietnamese joints in Pittsburgh, but I'll definitely be back, Tan Lac Vien. In the meantime, the owners might want to consider updating their online menu--it's pretty different from the one I was shown in the restaurant, especially for the section for us Veggies. Just a thought.
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