Catching up on some reviews...had a long think about this one. On a weekday evening in Jan 2024 I needed a quick, light dinner near the train station and this place is very close, like a block and a half away. A handful of people were seated inside this small Vietnamese restaurant so I figured I'd give it a shot. Inside it seats about 20ish people, very utilitarian no frills.
I should've known something was off when I walked in, asked to be seated and they showed me a table and didn't bring me a menu until I asked for it. Maybe they expected me to order off the menu on the wall? Fine, no biggie. I placed an order for regular pho before taking a look at my surroundings a little bit closer. Everything was not the cleanest...the exteriors of the sauce bottles were oily and the tops of the lids looked like they had never been cleaned. The outer parts of the containers holding the utensils looked like they hadn't been wiped down in months. It made me feel uneasy about their hygiene practices. I've had street food in many places more clean than this; this stuff was caked on...it shows a lack of attention to detail or effort, or both.
To make things worse, the staff was having a full blown argument the entire time I was there--it's an open kitchen and they were yelling at each other. Not talking loudly, YELLING. Back and forth for at least 20 minutes (not sure how long this continued after I left). How uncomfortable for the several customers trying to eat while hearing a clearly tense commotion going on in the kitchen. Super awkward to eat in silence while listening to the staff fight.
The pho itself was pretty mediocre; the broth was on the blander side, the amount of bean sprouts provided were minimal, but I was hungry so I ate what I could, paid the bill and left as quickly as I could. While the staff didn't direct their frustrations at the customers, they also didn't make any effort to apologize for their behavior. Would not come back or recommend to anyone unless their practices have vastly improved since then. read more