To me, Pho Hoa is the baseline of Manila's Vietnamese food scene. By that I mean it doesn't try to do anything too fancy or try to introduce too exotic a taste. It serves the most basic Vietnamese dishes, such as Pho Bo (Beef soup with rice noodles) and fresh spring rolls. It does these dishes solidly and the flavors are very consistent. That's why it's oh so reliable, yet just oh so bland - it meets the most minimum of requirements so that it could be labeled "ok". This was great probably ten to twenty years ago, when good Vietnamese food was few and far between in Manila. But there are just so many new and hipper Vietnamese restaurants, such as Makati's lovely Ba Noi's, that coming to Pho Hoa for dinner today seems redundant and uncreative. Yet, in a pinch it will do, kasi hindi naman siya panget. read more