Pho Hoa/MyThai - Ayala Malls Manila Bay — Restaurant in Parañaque

We’re regulars at Pho Hoa, so when we saw a branch at Ayala Malls Manila Bay, it was an easy choice for lunch.

We ordered our usuals-Tom Yum Goong, Ga Nuong, Breaded Fish Fillet, Chicken Salad, and Pho Hoa Iced Tea. The iced teas came first, and from the first sip, we noticed something was off. It was unusually sour with a strange fermented, almost alcoholic aftertaste.

We raised it to the first server, but unfortunately, she didn’t return to address the concern. A second staff member told us, “It’s really like that,” blaming the use of calamansi… but it wasn’t just the sourness. The taste itself seemed improperly mixed or spoiled. Still, no solution or offer to replace the drink was made.

The Chicken Salad was another miss—far too “chickeny” and off-putting, which we hadn’t experienced in other branches. Thankfully, the Soup and Ga Nuong still held up to the usual standard we love.

We attempted to drink the iced teas again, but they were simply not consumable. Upon billing out, we tried one more time to voice the issue.

This time, a more considerate server listened and acknowledged that something may have been added too heavily in the kitchen. She kindly removed the iced teas from the bill, which we appreciated.

Pho Hoa is an iconic brand. Their food and presence speak of years of consistent quality. But this particular branch fell short on attentiveness, hospitality, and quality control: which is especially critical in a premium location like this where customer expectations are naturally higher.

We sincerely hope management looks into this. Pho Hoa has a loyal customer base.. But in this particular branch, they need to revisit their culture to be more attentive listeners, and improve hospitality, as well as check the standards in the kitchen to make sure they serve as how it should be. Otherwise, being there in a premium mall where expectations are not met, they will stand out for the...

Interior design really draws you in aside from the fact we're already Pho Hoa regulars BUT this branch is different... Staff were not welcoming: (1) they don't lead you to a table or greet you, (2) they don't "wait" on the tables ready to order so we had to raise our voice to get their attention so we could order, (3) guy who took our order seemed so disinterested, (4) we had to follow up our last order (fish) and called the attention of one of the staff and he looked back at us as if he was annoyed 👀👀☹️☹️ The restaurant wasn't even full - there were more empty tables than filled ones. It was so sad on my end because this was one of the nicer-looking Pho Hoa 's i've seen (and in a quite premium mall) but staff maybe need some more customer service training. Food quality was the same as others i've eaten in and the fish we waited long for was really good 💚 It's a shame the poor service took away from the supposedly good experience. Lastly, (5) upon requesting for the bill, a woman came out of the bar and took my card and returned immediately just to hand me my card and receipt back - didn't even get eye contact, a slight smile or a whisper of a thank you ☹️

Hope you'll take my review in consideration and improve. All the best. 💚 We dined here just...

Food was great value and have flavors that are quite good and won't shoo away first timers. Serving size are quite reasonable for the price. We ordered Marinated Prawns and Grilled Pork with rice, Brisket, Flank, Tendon, Meatballs Pho, Chili Shrimp with rice, and Mango Sticky Rice with Ice cream

Pho - Generous serving, flavors are nice and light, will not get you bloated

Marinated Prawns and Grilled Pork - Pork tastes like Mang Inasal chicken but pork, well seasoned and pairs well with their vinegar that's like atsara. Prawns were cooked well too.

Chili Shrimp - cooked well and with just the right spice level

Mango Sticky Rice with Ice Cream - Mango was not sour, generous amount. I like the coconut milk included. Ice cream was good but nothing special.

Overall, food is a solid 4 out of 5.

Service was decent but I do feel they have too few staff and would get easily overwhelmed on a very busy day.

The place seems to be too cramped. Tables are a bit too close to others. Waiting area outside gets way too crowded if there is an event nearby. I wish they would have their overall restaurant with a bigger floor space.

Overall experience was decent, not the best atmosphere but if you are a smaller group or solo, it might not...