Pho Thuan-Loi
Over the past year or so, I've often driven past this place curious about what type of food it served -- Vietnamese and Italian -- it sounded interesting. Back then the restaurant was called Smooth. More recently, the name on the sign has changed, but the type of food served is still the same. So one day, I decided to be adventurous and have dinner here.
The first time I was here, it was about 8:00 pm and I found the restaurant practically empty. Was that a good sign? Well, it was a Friday night, so maybe people had already eaten, who knows...
Expecting to see strange combinations on the menu, I was surprised to see a separate menu of Vietnamese dishes and another containing Italian ones. Was that what I was afraid of? So I proceeded to order the lemongrass fish on rice (US$6.50).
On the menu, it said that this was made with seabass. Unfortunately, there was no seabass that night, so it was substituted with opah (moonfish). The fish was stir fried with lemongrass, garlic, green onions and some other herbs until "dry". When I say dry, I mean really dry. I could have choked if I ate this the way it arrived. Thankfully, a dish of fish sauce arrived at the table and the waitress explained that I needed to pour the fish sauce over the dish before eating. After spooning a little of the fish sauce over everything, I took a bite, and then another. The salty, tangy, and savory flavors along with the chunks of flaky fish made this worth every bite.
A few weeks later, I stopped by again and had the pho dac biet (US$5.95).
It was cold and rainy outside, so pho would have made the perfect meal. The pho dac biet served here had sliced beef, meat ball, tendon, tripe and brisket in it. The meats were lean and tender, the tendon was slippery and jellylike, and the tripe, well, let's just say that it was cooked perfectly. As you can see above, they were skimpy with the herbs. On the plate were three stems of basil and just a small handful of bean sprouts, some lime and cut green chillies, but no ngo gai. The broth here was very light and practically tasteless even though I could smell the aroma of anise as the bowl was being delivered to the table.
To go with my pho, I also ordered the cha gio (spring rolls; 5 pieces, US$5.95).
Served with butter lettuce, mint, sliced cucumber and a mound of rice noodles, the spring rolls were perfectly fried, they were crisp, crunchy and golden brown. Each bite was tasty, yet there was something unfamiliar there. Upon closer inspection, I found that inside each spring roll was some vermicelli noodles, a bit of ground pork, and lots of potato (or yam), giving the spring rolls a starchy flavor.
The food here at Pho Thuan-Loi is quite uneven. While the lemongrass fish was interestingly prepared and a delight to eat, the bowl of pho made me think twice about coming back. The service, at this family run establishment, was good and the prices are fairly reasonable. The next time I'm here, if I'm not having the lemongrass fish, I'm definitely going to try some of the Italian dishes.
Pho Thuan-Loi
2080 South King Street Suite 103
Telephone: 808.955.8387
Hey Reid! I've used to go to this restaurant pretty often when it was under different owners. Never been back since it was reopened under a new name, but hope the food was as good as it used to be!
Posted by: Kathy | October 01, 2005 at 08:41 PM
Uh-oh "Skimpy Garnish Syndrome" is rampant in San Diego as well. I really don't understand what the deal is with that. That Pho' does look a bit weak. What do you think about pho' that has a strong and distinct anise or clove taste? I like the clove flavor better than a heavy anise flavor.
Posted by: Kirk | October 02, 2005 at 01:06 PM
Oh BTW Reid - How "cold" does it have to be for pho' back home???? LOL!
Posted by: Kirk | October 02, 2005 at 01:15 PM
Yum! Love a good pho with tasty broth, perfectly tender meats and an overload of fresh herbs.
It's a shame we don't do the ngo gai in Oz. Had it whole for the first time with pho herbs when I went to Vietnam. I was a little wary of the jaggered edge at first but boy was the flavour good. 50 cents for a bowl of pho with mountains of fresh herbs. What a way to start the day. Good times.
Much to mum's lament, I can't bring myself to order pho dac biet. Too much goodness for me.
Posted by: Veruca Salt | October 02, 2005 at 04:16 PM
Looking at the lemongrass fish, I'd never have guessed that it would taste great. But you described it so well that I could almost taste what it was like. :) Pity about the pho broth being quite tasteless when the meats were so perfectly cooked.
Posted by: Julia | October 02, 2005 at 08:45 PM
Interesting... every cha gio I've ever seen outside of Vietnam looks like the one above. Dunno why.
In Saigon, they're thin, flaky, almost translucent, so much so that you can see the contents through the fried exterior.
Outside Vietnam you've got these thick skinned rolls that pack a crunch and no doubt taste good too. But you'd never see it in country. OK - maybe the odd upscale diner in Vietnam would go this way to be exotic, but it's definitely not the authentic deal on the street.
Also, cha gio in the south are smaller (and tastier) than those in the north. In the north they're known as nem. Order cha gio in Hanoi and no-one will know what you're talking about. Well, some might, but not everyone.
Posted by: pieman | October 03, 2005 at 04:41 PM
Interesting comment Pieman. How different are the fillings? What do you think causes the thinness of the wrappers? Is it from rolling the dough thinner or is it because outsiders use more wrappings? I love these things and I feel rather gyped because in the SF Bay Area we don't get the lettuce and other veggies to wrap them up in. Not that I'm complaining since I'll soon be in a location where I might not be able to get them at all!
Posted by: Jo | October 03, 2005 at 05:07 PM
I think some of the cha gio are wrapped in rice paper and fried and some people just use traditional rice paper wrapping, the same as for rice paper rolls.
Pity about the broth reid.. the whole soup just isn't worth it when it is no good :(
Posted by: clare eats | October 03, 2005 at 07:00 PM
A friend of mine wanted me to teach her how to make beeswax candles so she could teach her little girl. I told her I would and give her all my equipment plus some wax if she taught me how to make Vietnamese food. I'm waiting for the pho lesson... banh xeo I got... BY THE BY! Did any of you know that the traditional (proper) style of pho noodle is thick, wide, & flat? I was amazed! I was showing her the Asian side of my pantry (she was very impressed) and I pulled out my "emergency" chow fun noodles (yep, I use these when I can't find fresh chow fun) and she says pointing, "Oh good! You have pho noodle!" You could have knocked me over with a foodle... I mean feather! ;o)
Posted by: Jo | October 03, 2005 at 07:28 PM
Hi Kathy,
When you visited was it called Smooth? If so, it might still be the same owners. After looking at the menu, that's what it seemed like.
The food here was OK, but not exceptional. It's still hard to beat Bac Nam or Pho 97.
Hi Kirk,
I really don't like when them skimp on the garnishes, and this was the first place that I've come across that did that. Most other places will give you a ton of basil and beansprouts. Ngo gai, is still infrequently seen on plates here.
As far as cloves vs. anise, I don't really have a preference of one over the other, however, I feel that the flavor should be balanced. I don't like the overpowering taste of any spice in my pho.
Hi Veruca Salt,
Pho dac biet is what I usually order unless I find that the pho tai is really good (like at Pho 97). I love ngo gai as I feel it gives the broth a really nice flavor. It's too bad that you don't see it much in Australia.
Hi Julia,
I was surprised that the lemongrass fish was so good too. In fact, there were others that came in after I did and they ordered the same thing. One of the guys told the waitress that it was his favorite dish. I knew I had picked something right.
Yes, it was such a shame about the pho. The meats were good, but sadly, the broth couldn't bring it all home. *sigh*
Hi pieman,
Long time no hear!
Well, you know I've wondered about that myself. Everytime you post about cha gio, I look at the photos and wonder why they look so different here. Is it possible that the same type of wrappers may not be available? I'll have to ask the next time I eat at either Bac Nam or Pho 97. I know the people there, so perhaps they can tell me.
As far as the size is concerned, I was really surprised that these were not cut in half like at most other places.
Hi Jo,
I believe that the wrappers may be entirely different, but I'm not certain. As for the chow funn noodles being pho noodles, I've never seen that anywhere here before.
The noodles served in pho here are flat, but not nearly as wide or as thick as chow funn noodles.
Hi Clare,
You might be right, but I'll never know for sure what the secret really is.
Pity 'bout the broth is right. =(
Posted by: Reid | October 04, 2005 at 12:07 AM
Really? You get flat noodles there? Hey Kirk! What are your pho noodles like? Up here we get vermicilli. My friend apparently doesn't eat out at Vietnamese restaurants because she was surprised to hear that they serve vermicilli rather than the flat noodle. She's also supposed to show/tell me how to pickle the veggies for banh mi!
Posted by: Jo | October 04, 2005 at 04:52 AM
Hi Jo,
Here's a photo.
http://onokinegrindz.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/phomylan6a.jpg
Hope you can see it.
Posted by: Reid | October 04, 2005 at 06:55 AM
Yep, that is not what we get for pho here. However, Mike likes a kind of soup that has white and yellow noodles in it and your pha noodles are what they use for the white noodles in that shop... What a noodle go round!
Posted by: Jo | October 04, 2005 at 04:46 PM
Only ate cha gio once the whole time I was in Vietnam. They were small but chunky. Was not use to it as the filling was very coursely hand ground and very lacking in vegies.
The clear translucent ones are wrapped in moistened rice paper. This makes them very sticky and delicious after they are fried. Sometimes when I make them, I add a little sugar to water when softening them. It makes them extra sticky.
The ones in your post look like they are made from the egg pastry that can be found in the freezer section of most Asian Grocers.
Nothing like taking a cha gio, wrapping it up in lettuce, herbs and a little grated carrot before dunking into nuoc cham with freshly chopped chillies.
Mmmmmmm...........
Posted by: Veruca Salt | October 04, 2005 at 08:57 PM
OH gosh Veruca! Why did you do this to me!! ::runs for towel to protect keyboard from moisture:: ok, so you add a bit of sugar to the "soaking" water of the rice papers. Does this make them crispier when fried? What would you put inside? The ones we get here typically have a meat mixture of some sort and some bun noodle.
Posted by: Jo | October 05, 2005 at 06:24 AM
Hi Jo,
There are so many different types of noodles it really isn't funny. I get confused by all the names. *sigh*
Hi Veruca,
For some reason, all of the cha gio we get here is wrapped in the same type of skin as spring rolls. It's much thicker and crunchier than what I am told is served in Vietnam. Maybe that's just the way local people like them.
Lucky you were able to visit Vietnam to try it first hand. I'm dying to visit there.
Hi Jo,
She's making me drool too. Usually the cha gio that we get here has some ground pork and shrimp mixed with some "glass" noodles. Depending on the restaurant, they might use carrot or even bean sprouts. Here, they used potatoes (yam)!
Posted by: Reid | October 06, 2005 at 12:04 AM
Yep, we get the glass noodles occasionally as well. Seems to me the first few times I ate Viet, years ago, there were more veggies. But that could have been the particular restaurants. So many variables. I hear you on the noodle issue, at the Golden Phoenix, there is an entire asile devoted to nothing BUT noodles.
Posted by: Jo | October 06, 2005 at 08:07 AM
I add the sugar for extra crunchy/stickiness.
For the filling I usually use pork mince, carrots, onions, cabbage, cloud ear fungus, bamboo shoots, a little yam bean (like a crunchy water chestnut), glass noodles and some prawns if I am feeling extravagant.
It's all about ying and yang. The veggies balance the deep frying. Just like diet coke balances a beef burger with the lot and a side of fries.
But no matter what you use, the secret is in the seasoning.
Not sure if the yam bean is the same thing that Reid was talking about.
Posted by: Veruca Salt | October 08, 2005 at 09:27 PM
Hi Veruca Salt,
The yam bean is not the same thing...at least I don't think so. The inside of this cha gio was quite starchy.
Posted by: Reid | October 09, 2005 at 03:13 AM
Update: The name of the restaurant , the phone number, and menu have changed (no more Italian items). It is now "Tran" Vietnamese. I saw different employees there so it seems that maybe the owners have changed too, but I don't know for sure.
I've been getting Pho at this location for a couple years now, ever since the restaurant was named Smooth. They didn't have the best Pho, but it was OK, close to work, and the price was right.
Judging from the pho I had today, they are using a new improved recipe for the broth. I think it tastes much more flavorful than before.
Posted by: Tony | May 30, 2006 at 01:38 AM