Pho HQ — Restaurant in Melbourne

Probably the most disappointing meal of the year - and I'm writing this mid December!

I had the mixed seafood with lemon grass and chilli for take away, and when I was home and took the container out of the bag, I already thought wow, that looks very underwhelming.

This feeling turned into anger when I tried the first bits. By far the most boring "taste" I've had in a long time. At that time my expectations were already low, but I have to say I probably had comparable results when I made my first attempts of Asian cooking when I was in my early twenties. I drowned it in salt and soy sauce to get at least some taste out of it.

Apart from that, the amount of seafood was very disappointing. I counted 3 prawns, 3 small pieces of muddy tasting fish, 1 or 2 pieces of rubber that were probably supposed to be squid and finally 3 pieces of an unknown substance that was pressed into a tofu like form. Completely ridiculous if you consider the price of $30.

Definitely a never-again experience. Had I known what to expect, I would have paid $10 to not have it.

Reply to your reply:

If that doesn't sound like an AI generated standard reply... I guess the amount of effort that went into that reply is about the same as the amount of effort that went into cooking the dish. It is also very surprising to read that apparently you tried to offer me a free meal but I refused to take the call. As I never called you, I'd be very surprised if you knew my number.

As a reward for this blatant lie, let me adjust the service rating to 1 star also....

Don’t waste your money!

The service is a clear reflection of the food quality. The lady at the counter has no customer service skills, this not being the first time I visit the place.

I went for takeaway last Saturday night and ordered the beef pho. When I got home, I was shocked to find the meat completely raw (as you can see in the photo). The broth was already cold, and I live only two minutes away from the restaurant. I had to cook the meat and reheat the broth myself. There was no flavour or even salt at all. Completely lame and tasteless. Plus, what’s the point of paying for takeaway if you end up cooking it at home?

It’s no surprise this place was empty, while every other restaurant on the same street was full of people.

Edit after the response from the owner:

There isn't such option of full cooked beef on your Pho menu. All beef options include rare beef, different to raw beef, which is the type of beef I received.

*The broth wasn't going to cook the meat as cold as it was. And as I mentioned before, I live only 2 minutes by car away from the restaurant, so I don't think that's enough time for a broth to reach almost room temperature.

*It was defitnely dinner time, as all the other restaurants were full of people, except this one with not even one dining in customer, which should had told me something, but I still insisted in buying from here -...

TL;DR - Pho was beautifully prepared and entrée was delicious! Competitive prices and even more competitve cuisine. Will definitely be a regular dining spot. Upon arrival staff greeted us promptly and with a smile, made us feel welcomed and valued customers. Interior was well maintained with lovely art and photography of traditional Vietnam across the walls.

After a few moments deliberating the menu we ordered the Pho Special, Vermicelli Combination Noodle dish, Chicken Ribs and Pork Spring rolls which arrived in a timely manner filling the air with a gorgeous aroma.

The Pho broth was a sensation to the taste buds, full of juicy chunks of beef as well as delicately sliced tender brisket and a broth exploding with flavour.

Chicken Ribs and Pork spring rolls were a lovely appetizer and really set the tone for the evening, giving us confidence we were in for a fantastic meal and we were left with expectations being well surpassed. Will definitely be back,...