I have now been back to this restaurant several times and must declare that I'm an even bigger fan now that when I initially tried Bowl of Pho for the very first time.
To date items off the menu I've tried:
Pho: Dare I say, I think this without a doubt the best pho in Cleveland. My dinner date agreed and he knows good pho! I've tried the chicken and the beef. I like the beef a little bit more as I do find it a little more flavorful. Seriously the pho here is legit guys.
Summer roll: They give the option of grilled pork, pork and shrimp or just shrimp. The summer rolls were fresh and tasty. The pork was still hot from the grill. Why is this important? Well it means that they make these rolls to order and don't pull them out of a refrigerator from the day before.
Pork noodle bowl: Excellent flavor. The pork was grilled to perfection and had that great smokey, slightly sweet flavor to it.
Chicken cabbage salad: This was the only dish that I have tried that I did not care for. I found the proportions to be off. (Too much cabbage that was sliced to thick. The dressing was fairly flavorless and there was a mound of steam bland chicken breast on top). I wasn't even going to say anything, but they must have suspected that I didn't care for it when I only ate the chicken off the top and the manager asked me if I wanted to exchange it for something else. More importantly she inquired about what I thought was wrong with the dish and how they could make it better the next time. (First time that's ever happened!)
The restaurant itself is cute and they've done a very nice job with the space. The ambiance is much nicer than any of the other Vietnamese restaurants that I have visited in Cleveland. The presentations of food are nice with extra garnishes that are a thoughtful touch. Does all of this compensate for their slightly higher prices? YES!!! The pho is about $8-9.50ish depending on the type and $4-5 for the summer roll depending on the type, but keep in mind you are also paying for their prime location.
I should also mention that the service is excellent. They were really well staffed when I went. It's a new business and they are trying to build their customer base and it shows.
Finally the east side has an excellent Vietnamese restaurant!
5 stars for food!!
5 stars for service!!!
5 stars for location!!!!!