Sometimes you find a great restaurant that causes you to rethink what you think is a great restaurant is. I had that experience when my Dad took me to Rose Pho. The exterior is set into a pleasant clean shopping center in Normandy Park, WA. As soon as we walked inside we were warmly greeted and hugged by Trin. The atmosphere was warm and inviting. First, our hostess, gave us a hug and thanked us for coming in. It gave me a great feeling that this wasn't just going to be a typical pho spot but one of those rare and wonderful jewels where the host isn't just some hired wait person, but a true advocate for their establishment and truly pleased to have guests drop by for dinner.
The restaurant was about 30 percent full, folks steeped in their own conversations. Trin introduced herself, invited us to sit wherever we like, and gave us menus, which were filled with a wonderful selection of appetizers, soups, salads, chef specialties full of healthy looking choices full of meats veggies spices and sauces.
I don't remember asking for hot tea, but that's what she brought, and it was perfect for a cold day, and warmed my chilled body.
It was hard to decide everything looked so good!!! I went with (A1) egg rolls and Pho Tai Nam (N3). My dad chose a pork fried rice dish and the (S15) Luc Lac Beef. It wasn't but 10 minutes before we got our meal. The egg rolls were smaller than I expected but packed with flavor. The Pho was piping hot, steam rising off each plate, and accompanied with crisp and healthy looking basil, bean sprouts, and
Lime (common veggie accompaniments to Pho Vietnamese soup). The rice was presented in a perfectly formed mound that spread across the plate with a vibrant orange colored flower crafted from some vegetable resembling an Asian radish or carrot, I'm not sure but it was beautiful! A second one of these flowers was presented with my Dad's dish Luc Lac Beef. The dish looked very healthy. There was no shortage of tender filet mignon on that plate, but it also had a bunch of cilantro and other green veggies adorning the the dish, the dish also had a delicous and tangy fish sauce dressing mixture which when poured over the beef really brought out the flavor. I added Sriracha and plum sauce and other toppings to my soup, and squeezed lemon over it. Once prepared, my Dad and I began to pray over the meal. Trin came over to finish delivering accompanying plates and then not only gave us our moment in silence, she actually prayed with us, and then acknowledged how nice it was to witness this and be a part of it. Throughout the meal she would check to make sure we had everything, napkins, refills, silverware, we were never left in need. The soup was amazing, my soup was carefully balanced with full-bodied broth and succulent thin sliced lean beef!! The rice too was full of flavor and comfort. Trin was such a warm and attentive part of our experience, always making sure every part of our meal met expectation, she took each moment as an occasion to get to know us a little better so that we didn't feel like just another customer, but truly a relationship with investing in. At the end of our meal we left with fortune cookies and vietnamese candy, a full belly, a satiated appetite and a feeling of sharing good vibes, as if we had come over to a dear friends home. We will most certainly be back again. At Rose Pho, from personal experience get much more than you bargained for. It's truly a jewel in Normandy Park. Signed sincerely, Daniel Jeffrey Blake (your favorite friend and food critic) read more