are you phở real?

One of the things I had been anticipating since my return to Hong Kong was to go back to Phở, a Vietnamese eatery that had opened last summer. It was only last summer that I really began to appreciate Vietnamese food, having never really experienced it before one of my friends dragged me to a down-and-dirty phở joint one night in Causeway Bay.

Phở (what an original name?) is apparently a franchise that began out in America, and finally made its way over here, opening its second branch only this year. It’s hard to google the facts, what with its generic name. The first time I went, I was impressed by their full, hearty broth and crisp, succulent butter garlic chicken wings – ignoring the high fat content for a moment, these were the most deliciously rich and garlicky finger-licking good wings I have ever eaten in my life. They come to the table resting on fresh green lettuce leaves, and are fried to a perfect golden brown, and topped with mounds of crispy garlic. I’m a garlic fiend, in case you haven’t deduced it by now. It may be a bit scary for those watching their weight (the buttery taste is immense) and those frightened of going home smelling of garlic, but to that I say HAR! Try it at least once.

Anyways, after going down that tangent of praise for Phở, I was most disappointed when I went for lunch today with my mom. It is well worth noting never to go there during the lunch/dinner rush (wise advice for any foodie who wants to get their money’s worth) – the quality of the food inevitably falters because of the chaos.

We ordered two bowls of phở bò, translated literally in Chinese as ‘raw beef hor fun noodles’, and a side of Vietnamese spring rolls (which were fine and not worth going into detail about). When they finally came to our table, my beef slices, drowning in hot steaming broth, were completely cooked save for one or two corners that were gasping for air above the surface. I was furious but (and this is just me) I wasn’t bothered to complain – the last time I did so at the restaurant, the waiter laughed and told me to order the beef to come to the table separately instead. The only reason why I hadn’t done so this time was because I didn’t believe they would do that again, as that last time had been an anomaly. How unfortunate then, that the same fate would befall my poor bowl of noodles.

When it was time to get the bill, my mom challenged the waitress and asked pointedly, “So, what’s the difference between your raw beef noodles and cooked beef noodles?” – testing to see if she had just gotten our order wrong. She hadn’t. When we mentioned that our beef slices were cooked through to the point of dryness, she flippantly suggested we order our beef separately next time.

Are you for real? When I ask for something that is on the menu, I expect pretty much for the food that is served in front of me to be what was advertised on the menu. I don’t go into a restaurant for sashimi and and expect to receive a platter of nearly-cooked fish, do I? I don’t specifically say to the barista ‘extra-hot’ please, and expect to get a lukewarm latte, am I right? You say raw beef, I want raw beef. It can be cooked from the heat slightly, even I can’t deny the work of heat molecules, but I don’t expect bleeding slices of sashimi beef either. I just don’t expect something the consistency of overcooked roast on (or shall I say, under) my noodles. Now, I understand that during the lunch rush, bowls may be left on their own before a frazzled waiter/waitress comes over to deliver it, but at least tell us that if we weren’t satisfied, we could have it exchanged next time. Don’t tell us to do some extra footwork to ensure that the food in front of us is the same as what is on the menu.

It’s quite appalling that the same thing happened once at a more high-end restaurant, Rice Paper in World Trade Center, also in Causeway Bay (the above image is from that visit). This time it was blatantly obvious that we were served beef that wasn’t fresh, and possibly of the roast variety – the texture and colour said it all. There was a metallic sheen on of the pieces that raised some alarm bells. This time though, at least the manager struck it off the bill.

I’m not giving up on Phở though, because at least on three other occasions I have had good quality food and service. I suspect it was because of the lunch rush (thus my advice at the beginning of this post). I think they need to work on their customer relations though – to brush us off in that way and suggest that we should do something to ensure that our food was made proper, was simply unbelievable.

But anyways, go there when it’s calmer, and try the chicken wings. Trust me.

Phở Vietnamese Restaurant
G/F, Circle Tower
28 Tang Lung Street
Causeway Bay
Hong Kong
Tel: 2574 177

L8-3, Megabox
Enterprise Square 5
38 Wang Chiu Road
Kowloon Bay, Kowloon
Tel: 2359 0117

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