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| - So I went to check this place out with my wife yesterday. I was excited to try it because we were quite fond of the other pho place that was here. Coming in, we saw that it was packed with what appeared to be Vietnamese people, which is usually a good sign in an ethnic restaurant. After a couple minutes of the waiter cleaning off our table (which was a little strange because he had been eating his lunch at a table off to the side- friend, if there are tables that need cleaning in a full restaurant, get those tables clean before sitting down to feed yourself), we were seated. Without any menus. OK. So, after a few minutes, we went ahead and asked for some menus and they gave them to us. Food took a long time to get to our table, especially for an Asian restaurant. Or maybe it seemed that way because we were starving. Also they didn't give us any water- we had to ask for it. So it seems that the service could use some help here. It was bad, even for an Asian restaurant, which I'm not going to lie- I have lower standards for Asian restaurant. You are generally there for the food, not for the service!
We ordered Summer Roll (better than average), Banh Mi (definitely better than average), a bowl of pho with the 4 cuts of meat in it and the Bun Bo Hue, which was the main reason that I wanted to check the place out. I'll cut to the chase, we were both disappointed by the bowls of soup that we got. They were more expensive than the average price around here, seemed to be a regular to smaller sized portion and really didn't taste that great. The pho had a mild taste for it, which is somewhat strange to me- I'm used to being smacked in the face by a clean, strong beefy flavor. This one tasted kind of mild and a little bit oily, which is really strange to say about a bowl of pho. I was surprised that they don't offer tendon, but they offer tripe instead. I'm surprised that the average customer orders tripe before ordering tendon, but maybe that is just me. The Bun Bo Hue was ok- not too strongly flavored, a little bit oily, but that is understandable. Noodles were decent. Not very spicey. I really like the spicy beef noodles at Siam Cafe better. And the beef noodle soup at Phusion Cafe much better- and that is almost $2.50 cheaper.
Ultimately, it was a bit of a disappointing experience. If I go back, it will be for the tasty Banh Mi which is a good deal at $5. Definitely better than the ones you get in the grocery store- they did a great job with the grilled pork. I'd probably get some vermicelli rice dish with the grilled pork in the future and hold off on the soups unless there was a change in recipe. Hopefully this restaurant gets its act together- I would definitely appreciate having another choice in the vietnamese restaurants in CLE.
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