After being away from home for a few days, homesickness was hanging like a heavy cloud over my head until I stumbled upon Pho Real Vietnamese Restaurant and Bar. Like a ray of sunshine, a big smile curved at the corner of my lips as the familiar smell of pho wafted around me.
Walking in, I was impressed with the modern decor that consisted of red booths, fairy lights around the walls, and a full fledged bar. The menu itself is a tiny booklet with great explanations of various types of Vietnamese food offered such as pho, hu tieu, and broken rice plates. It was really neat to read all the descriptions, making it extremely reader friendly to everyone, especially those who have never had Vietnamese food before.
To share with my coworker, I ordered for us an order of nem nuong, fresh spring rolls with pork, and for an entree I got the small bowl of pho with chicken and thick, rice noodles. I even got myself a bubble tea, lychee flavor to be exact. This was definitely the closest to home I could get in North Carolina!
The nem nuong came out first on a nice clean plate with a small bowl of peanut sauce. Prepared in twos, my coworker and I each grabbed one and noted how nicely tight the roll was wrapped. The rice paper was soft and the pork was lightly pan fried, adding a crispness that provided a good variety of textures.
My bowl of pho was hot and steaming when it arrived to the table. There were LOTS of chicken in my bowl and I loved how it was all white meat that was tender and juicy. The thick noodles weren't soggy and the broth itself was light. At first, I thought the bowl was kind of small, but after sipping my bubble tea, I realized I didn't have the stomach for any more.
The lychee drink was SUPER refreshing and the smoothie-like consistency wasn't too icy. The tapioca pearls, however, were hard and didn't have any sweetness at all. They were also all clumped together which made it very difficult to suck up through the straw.
While nothing could beat a home-cooked bowl of pho, Pho Real was definitely real enough for me. Even though it did make me want to call my family ASAP, I'm super thrilled that I got to have a little taste of home away from home.