After 10 years since my initial review, we had been back here about 4 times (with the 5th most recent). It is kind of out of the way for us, when there are other Vietnamese restaurants closer to home and/or when we are visiting family elsewhere. It is not like we crave it on a monthly basis. However, we were craving it the other day and agreed to drive here as we knew we enjoyed the food. We had not been here in over a year, well before the covid crisis.
Upon arrival we noticed all the crap signage splattered on the glass entry door. Come on, that's just not appealing to the eye - especially if you are trying to lure in new customers. It is bad enough the entire strip mall is getting old looking, as well as the interior furnishings (which have not changed in those 10 years me thinks). Upon entry the place was completely empty, at around 5:45pm. Not a good sign either. There was also a musty odor that was present, but that soon depreciated.
I ordered a bowl of Pho, with the works. The wife ordered a rice dish with chicken, beef, shrimp and a sliced up fried egg roll. We also ordered an appetizer - shrimp spring rolls w/ peanut sauce.
The spring rolls, once delivered, just did not look very appetizing to me. They appeared extra limp (the best way for me to describe them) and I will admit I had some concerns about the shrimp inside them. And they really were not very flavorful, at least from what I remembered, until the peanut sauce was added.
My Pho was loaded with the good stuff, no complaints there. The bean sprouts and basil to add were fresh too. However, the broth was not as tasty as my previous visits here. Maybe I was being psycho-somatic about the whole affair upon entering, as my wife (who is a great chef in her own right) stated she enjoyed her meal; including the spring rolls. Her only dissatisfaction with the place was that the windows were filthy. She questioned why the owners didn't have the employee son/nephew/ whomever get out there and clean them once in awhile.
While there eating only one other person entered and ate. There were about three pickup orders we observed. And upon getting ready to exit two other couples entered to sit down and eat. Something just isn't right for such low patronage on a Saturday evening. Just saying...
I did NOT get ill, or feel ill for that matter, in case anyone reading this was wondering. I just did not fully enjoy my meal here, like I had in the past. So, since this is MY review I've got to downgrade my 4 star rating to 2 stars (I've experienced better). Will I try them again in the future? Probably; as my wife still likes it here and if she chooses it - so be it. I will reevaluate it then. I personally won't choose to return, but that's just me (sad to say).
P.S. if ownership reads these reviews: do some sprucing up, especially from the outside looking in, to make it more appealing. You also might want to change your 'updated services' on this site to reflect you do offer indoor dining. read more