PHUBS

Today I had the opportunity to have lunch with Kristi and since we were on a short timeframe we decided to try a little place close to the office which is said to have pretty good PHO with a Chipotle like atmosphere.  So we went to PHUBS a new place where there is the combination of PHO and vietnamese Bahn Mi sandwiches.  The parking lot was a bit of a nightmare and I found parking a bit away, it was lunch time but I suppose because there are numerous other restaurants in the same are and a Dunkin that this was the reason.

The inside was nicely decorated in a calming green and it was bright and cheery.  My only real complaints with the layout is that there were too many small seats stuck together so when we were sitting down I was almost touching the guy next to me and had to stare at his back when I ate and there was sort of annoying music playing in the background, however after some time I no longer heard it. He also had to excuse himself from almost bumping into me.  On the wall they showed the T-shit that the staff wore, it is cute however I really would not have it hanging up for decor with a price tag, kind of not so classy to me.

Since this is one of those more fast-food type restaurant the actually menu was up on the wall in the main seating area as well as behind the counter when you are ready to order.  They had the usual appetizers and 5 different types of PHO and then sandwiches, bubble tea and a small kids menu which was nice.   There were also weekly specials listed on the napkin holder at our tables. Everyone goes up to the counter and places their order.  You are given a number and the server brings your food to you restaurant style.


I ordered the summer rolls and a small bowl of Chicken PHO or PHO GA.  I thought it interesting that the chicken they added was both dark and light meat.  I don't care for dark meat chicken, however there was no choice on the meat.  Upon waiting for our food it was interesting as the kitchen had an open concept and from our seating area I was able to look right into the area where they were prepping the food. The staff was not the homegrown staff who is usually making PHO so I was sure at this time that this place was very commercialized so I had to take that into consideration.


The summer rolls came out pretty quickly along with the usual peanut sauce.  We were unaware that the plates were in the back of the restaurant so I put my summer roll on my napkin and well it stuck like chuck.  I was able to pull it apart and attempt to eat it but it fell apart and both Kristi and I had some trouble eating them.  They were ok in size and flavor and although the peanut sauce looked a little suspect it was not the worst with a good peanut flavor.  There was cucumber in it and small slices of meat, however the shrimp were large but the rice paper was so thin and the noodles a little thick so they became messy. Not until later, did I find there were extra peanuts in the back we could of added to the sauce.

When our main courses came out, they finally mentioned that the condiments were in the back because all they had on the table were the Sriracha and Hoisin sauces.

In the back, there was everything one could need to use to top your PHO.  There was like I said before the peanuts, then there were the spoons, they were plastic but not horrible with a little design flare.  They had the option of plastic chopsticks and wooden smaller ones and then the usual utensils.  The condiments were plentiful, the usual supply of basil, cilantro, lime, been sprouts and jalapeños.  Although it was not exactly the cleanest way to serve the condiments I did enjoy that I could take as much of any one condiment without having to ask or wait.  I for one, took extra cilantro and limes.

As for the actual PHO, the broth had good flavor and I ordered a small bowl since I was not too hungry but there was a good amount of chicken.  With the addition of toppings as well as both sauces it was very tasty for a different type of PHO experience.  A little interesting tid-bit is that Kristi's sandwich, which she said was delicious came with a little surprise on the side. There were small pawn crackers, that I absolutely love as I grew up on them and have not tasted them for years.  Totally brought back some amazing memories, these are Krupuk and are seen in Indonesian, Malaysian and Dutch cultures.  

All in all, for a sort of quick in and out place that is maybe not too authentic, it is a good idea for people not too sure in trying PHO to come here for a beginning stepping stone.  I give this place 2 1/2 bunches of basil which is a little more than normal for what this place has but since it is supposed to be commercialized it is not bad!  

PHO SAIGON-MAN vs. PHO

For lunch I had the chance to visit a local place PHO SAIGON with my good friend Melissa.  This was her choice as she heard it was a good place, so I was up for it of course.  Apparently, they have a little Man vs. PHO challenge which you can see if you click on their website above.  A very good ploy or marketing plan to get people to come and try their PHO.  I was impressed, being a marketing professional myself and was very much excited to visit this spot.  It is located in a strip mall in Catonsville in a very unassuming spot.

Upon entering the establishment I was quite surprised to see that it was completely packed!  There was actually a waiting line.  I only had to wait 10 min., however the staff was extremely friendly and they all wore these black Man vs. Pho shirts which of course another advertising/marketing ploy that got my attention cause now I wanted to go to the site and see what this is all about?   

The atmosphere was good and lively, it may have been a Sunday church lunch crowd, however there were not anyone too dressed up as like they were coming from church, so I suspect it was the normal busy afternoon, still busy once we left at 2pm.  The menus were nice and colorful and full of options.  Also, the menu highlighted the Man Vs. Pho challenge. There were 21 different types of PHO and 3 special PHO places.  The prices were relatively the same, difference of .80 cents per the bowl.

The condiments were nicely posted on the side of the table and their were two different types of chopsticks available the longer slippery type and the wooden smaller type. The spoon and chopsticks were plastic and placed where everyone could reach them, however they looked very clean.  I was happy to see there was a choice this time.   We ordered the summer rolls and went with the sharing amount of 5, we had water placed at our table and Melissa ordered a coke, which came in a pretty glass bottle. 

The summer rolls were small, however they were flavorful just shrimp only no extra meat but too bad they were so small.  The peanut sauce was ok, it was very very sweet and a little thin but had a good flavor.  Melissa enjoyed sampling some of the spicy peppers with hers.  We did complete all of them and then we ordered our PHO.  Melissa ordered the Steak and Meatballs, while I ordered the special Grilled Pork PHO.  I had to order this because it was special and I had never seen it before and well I love some grilled pork.  I ordered a large bowl and Melissa stayed with the small one. 

The condiments were good, large amount of jalapeños and the beansprouts were smaller than normal however there were a lot of them. Looks like the basil came out washed so that was a good sign that it was a little fresh and not laying around wilting and turning black.

                                                          PHO HEU NUONG 

                                              TAI BO VIEN

The broth flavor was good and it came out very HOT...which is a plus when you want to enjoy the whole experience.  For this bowl, since the pork came separate I added it with the small carrots and cucumber they provided.  At this rate, it is almost like I could put anything in a delicious bowl of this PHO broth and it would be good.

In the end, we were both very happy with our meals and the atmosphere and the staff were very nice. I had to go up to the counter to pay, which seems to be the norm lately with these places but it was quick and easy.  They seem to have a pretty steady flow of take-out orders as well.  I almost finished my bowl and Melissa was able to eat all of her topping and meat, however there were a lot of noodles left.  It is a good sign that there were noodles left.

Please take a moment to click on the video below and see what all the talk is about the Man vs. PHO challenge.  I love what they did here!

                          All in all I was happy with this place and give it 4 bunches of basil!

MISS SAIGON

I had the opportunity to branch out of my close to home PHO visits and go to a new area and have some PHO with my good friend Michelle and her adorable son Gavin.  She clued me in to her favorite spot MISS SAIGON in Glen Burnie, MD.  I was excited to go somewhere new and to have some good conversation with someone I don't usually get to hang out with.  We went for dinner so when I arrived it was dark so my first views of the place must be taken into consideration that it was dark.

I was able to find the place rather easily with GPS, however it is down a little road kind of in a weird place and I had to deal with the crappy parking, however it may just have been that it was dark and I could not find another spot to park in, however I was not sure if I was going to be towed or not once I returned.  It was not too busy so I believe the parking issue stemmed from the college so close by.

This place is very welcoming from the outside and honestly one of the larger places I have seen so far.  Once inside it was clean and open and there was ample seating.  It was hard to take inside photos as there were some people around so I did not want to seem weird.  We were greeted immediately and given our menus and Gavin got a little high chair.  We were also given water, nothing too fancy but good enough.  The usual condiments were on the table and our soup spoon and chopsticks came individual wrapped, which is much nicer than just being set out.

This menu was nicely shown and the presentation was also very nice.  One of the nicer menus I have seen and this was by far the largest number of PHO options on a menu.  I did notice that the prices were more than I have seen on some of the other posts and reviews for this place.  Michelle mentioned that she had not been to the restaurant for some time and it seemed to have had a bit of a makeover.  This may be the reason for the prices going up.

Maybe, due to the new found love for PHO in the United States, restaurants are raising prices because the demand has raised.  I don't agree with this type of service, however it is just business and since we are still going to pay for it then I can't blame them.

We both ordered the summer rolls and our orders came out along with the toppings for the PHO we ordered.

So, let's talk about the summer rolls.  These were by far the smallest I have seen and I'm glad that we both ordered our own serving because I ate them rather quickly.  The peanut sauce was really flavorful and thick and peanut flavored with a good amount for the rolls that were given.  I usually eat all of the sauce and have more roll, but since these were smaller I had some sauce left.  The flavor was good and there was shrimp and meat inside, however since they were smaller they kind of left me wanting more.



The toppings were ample with a good amount of basil, lime, jalapeños and bean sprouts. Everything was very fresh.  Michelle ordered the PHO GA (chicken) and a small bowl.  I ordered the PHO TAI NAM VE (Eye round steak & well-done Flank )  I wanted to change it up a bit and of course I ordered the big bowl which Michelle did not believe I would finish!

I started with just sampling the broth alone.  It had a good flavor although it was not very hot, it was warm enough to eat but I choose to have it steaming to take in the aroma.  They broth had some onions and scallions and some cilantro however, I really did not taste any off that however it was one of the better flavors.

                                                                            PHO TAI NAM VE

After sampling the broth I grabbed the chopstick and start to break up my noodles, I then added all of the toppings, however I did not add as much Hoisin sauce this time as I did not think it needed it, possibly because of the beef this time instead of the usual chicken I have.  I grabbed my chopsticks and dug in.  However, those chopsticks were so slick that I could not grabbed my noodles it took the timing of my enjoying the PHO off.  I literally had to figure out a different way to hold them in order to be able to eat.  I eventually got it, however those chopsticks were the worse I have ever used.  I finished my whole bowl and as I was sipping the broth and finishing up, the spicy mix of Sriracha and jalapeños was delightful.  

All in all this place was good and I give it 2.5 bunches of basil!