I happened to be driving past Anise Cafe and had to try out a new pho place I haven't checked out in the valley. I had high hopes when I walked in because the restaurant was very clean and I was greeted with a friendly smile. I wish I could give them more than 2 stars, but here's why I cannot:
Pho:
The broth was bland and had almost no flavor to it. It wasn't terrible once I added lots of Sriracha and Hoison sauce to it. The meat and noodles were fresh, but when you don't have a good broth as a base, the rest doesn't do much.
Spring rolls:
I was excited to see mint listed on the menu, because many restaurants skimp on the mint. When I bit into the rolls, there wasn't even a hint of mint! Sad panda.
Bahn mi:
Before you judge me for being a fatty, I ordered the bahn mi to-go for dinner. I ordered the charbroiled pork bahn mi. It was sub-par in my opinion. The roll was not filled enough so it was mostly bread, and there was some sauce that was extremely salty.
If Yelp was based on service review, Anise would get 4 stars hands down. Unfortunately, we are in the food biz people, and the food here is not really worth for me to make a second trip.