Pho Hoa - "When I was in Vietnam"

The Pho Hoa Restaurant in Eastwood has been in that location for as long as I can remember, and for good reason. Vietnamese food is awesome - and Pho Hoa's dishes are delicious! I wouldn't go as far as saying that it's the BEST that I've tasted (I always go back to the authenticity of the Viet Ville resto in Palawan), but it's in the vicinity.

Let me dispense of the bad stuff right off the bat. Service was oddly out of place when my friends and I went over for dinner the other night. It was probably because of the late hours (nearing closing time) and it seemed like the staff was already busy preparing for closing time. But what's "unforgivable" was the rationing of ice cubes. I felt that they were being stingy with it, and found out later on that they run out of ice. Kind of a bummer for people (like me) who like their drinks extra cold. 

 

The food, as always, was good. The Vegetarian Cha Gio (fried spring rolls) is a nice starter but also perfect with rice. It came with a lettuce wrap that I never touched. I just loved how tasty it was with or without the dip. I wanted more!

 

We ordered a couple of Phos - another staple dish. The beef stew reminded me a lot of the ones served in Viet Ville. It had a generous amount of beef and a delicious base. I just got a small serving to try, but that was enough to make me want to order more.

 

The other Pho seemed to have more ingredients but came with a lighter soup base. I personally prefer the spicier one, but this one was also delicious. The rice noodles were nicely done and it had some of the most unexpected ingredients on it.

 

For those who can't live without rice, the Pork Stew with Beancurd and Egg is the perfect choice. It reminded me a lot of Pork Humba, but with a different twist. The eggs don't look appetizing (at least to me), but overall the dish is a winner. Loved eating it with rice and the spring rolls.

 

Finally, there's my favorite sandwich - the Banh Mi. I got the grilled pork variant and it was very tasty. It's made differently from the Banh Mi of my youth, but it's still delicious. I was able to finish an entire sandwich even after devouring some of the other dishes that we ordered. 

The food was so good that I forgot about my ice issue. We even forgot to take a group photo, which would have made this blog entry more interesting. I'm now looking forward to our upcoming Ho Chi Minh trip - I'm dying to taste Vietnamese food right from the source!