Me: Hey, now that we've worked over an hour removing all of your art pieces from your wall in preparation for your re-roofing project, where do you want to eat lunch? My only stipulation is that we eat either in Mililani or Wahiawā because I plan on going to a Yelp Elite Week Event on Wahiawā's California Avenue.
Eldest Sister: I love Phở King (pronounced "fuh-king")
Me: Eh, you're lucky I'm not irreverent to say something about your sex life since your husband recently passed away (laughing at the homonym), and I've heard about Wahiawā's Vietnamese restaurant, but we've never been there before, so you can guide us there.
Eldest Sister: Oh, I've been to Phở King many times since the late 2000s with friends but not with my husband since he didn't care for Southeast Asian cuisine. But, the restaurant is in the Wahiawā Town Center near Foodland.
Me: Um, your directions don't have meaning to me because I have no idea where either the Town Center or Foodland is.
Eldest Sister: Okay, if you drive (our car was parked behind hers in the garage), I'll guide you there.
We took off, and I turned on my Google Maps because my sister doesn't have a good sense of direction even though she and her husband have lived on O'ahu for more than twenty years. Wahiawā Town was familiar to me because I used to work nearby at the Army Garrison. So, we took off and quickly found California Avenue and where I drove past Sunbeam Creamery, First Hawaiian Bank, and then into the parking lot where the Foodland supermarket is. There were several parking stalls in this shared parking lot, and we managed to park under the shade of one of the trees.
I remembered discussing this Vietnamese restaurant with California Yelper Gene G and reading reviews from fellow local Elites, Nadine C and Daniel C, several years ago and realized this restaurant was on my bookmark list. Yay! I finally got to check this restaurant off my list. As we walked towards the restaurant, my sister mentioned that she had bought a logo t-shirt from this restaurant several years ago and asked if I wanted it. I told her, "no, thanks," because it probably wouldn't fit me. She's a lot more petite than me.
Upon entry, we were greeted and seated immediately by a friendly hostess/server. She brought us menus to look through and then brought us glasses of iced water. My sister and I ordered the Combination Phở ($17), and my husband got the BBQ Chicken/Short Rib Rice Plate ($18). Our bowls of pho were accompanied by a bountiful plate of fresh vegetable garnishes. The garnishes included bean sprouts, basil, jalapeños, culantro, and lemon wedges.
- Combination Phở: Its $17 price was shocking, but when our server delivered our soup noodles, I was surprised at their enormity. The aromas from the clear and non-greasy broth were intoxicating. I could see the beef tripe, meatballs, flank steak, brisket, and tendons floating above the noodles, and when I brought the noodles up out of the broth to loosen them, more tender beef, onions and cilantro came up from the bottom. I barely finished half and had to tap out, so I took home leftovers (which is rare).
- BBQ Chicken/Short Rib Rice Plate: There were two barbecued thin flanken-cut beef short ribs, and one boneless chicken thigh served with two scoops of steamed white rice, sliced cucumbers, pickled turnip, and carrot sticks (đồ chua) and a ramekin of dipping sauce (nước chấm). My husband was disappointed with the short ribs, which he said were overcooked, and the rice was hard and dry. However, he did rave about the bbq chicken, which was flavorful, tender, and moist. He said that if we return, he'd either order the Phở or BBQ Chicken/Lemongrass Chicken Rice Plate.
Overall, we enjoyed our generously portioned and flavorful meals. We look forward to returning the next time we visit the Wahiawā neighborhood. read more