I went today to try out the pho. A neighboring diner also shared with me a spicy prawn skewer. I ordered a small beef pho, which is just flank I think. The combo beef pho comes with meatballs and other cuts.
The broth was light, but not too flavorful. It was more like chicken pho, but I think it just needed salt. My food came quickly enough, though I had to wait for my plate of bean sprouts, Thai basil, and jalapeño. The service IS slow, but not unbearable. It feels more like the staff just haven't been servers before. They were busy doing things, but not necessarily efficiently. If you've ever waited tables, you learn the true meaning of multitasking.
The best part of my food was that it was FRESH. My thin sliced beef came fully cooked and my broth was hot but not hot enough to cook my bean sprouts, which was okay as they weren't too bitter. The beef, noodles, broth, cilantro, all tasted very, very fresh. Same with the prawn. I don't think it has ever been frozen; it didn't have that swollen texture that frozen shrimp takes on. The Thai basil was not very fragrant but tasted fine. I think that's due to climate change and not anything within their control.
Another nice touch included easy listening music that was not loud enough to be distracting. I really appreciated the inclusion of Tsingtao on the menu, which is a very light tasting Chinese beer with almost no head. If you're in the mood for something with more hop, they also have Sapporo and Asahi.
This place is fast casual; you order at the counter and then go sit down. The water is lemon infused, and the glasses are Tritan. So they feel substantial yet light, and look great. The kitchen seemed rather clean, from where I was sitting at the single seat counter. The airflow isn't great, but that was a problem the building also had back when it was One and Only BBQ. I would say the ambience is good for a casual date or a family weeknight out.
I saw a bun for the banh mi, and it looked pretty big. Say, 10" instead of the 6-7" that other places offer. It seemed airy with a light crust. I also ordered the egg rolls to go, but received spring rolls. My wife said they were very good, as well as fresh. They even had mango in them.
I would eat here again.
Update 8/18: I didn't realize it but my last visit was only their second or so day of opening! I went today and it tasted even better than last time. Service was quicker, too! My wife came and got the spring rolls again as well as the combo skewers, which were very...
Read moreWe tried the original broth Yunnan rice noodles and the BBQ beef and lamb skewers!! It is yummy and it is hard to find the substitutes in Memphis!! But I still would like to see more restaurants offering the Asian-style BBQ as well!
My other friends tried the spicy broth and mushroom broth Yunnan rice noodles before and they responded that the soup tasted a bit salty! That’s why I chose the original broth! It tastes good but you still need to drink some water when you almost finish the soup.
There are some parking lots but since there are a lot of customers so please take care!!
The BBQ beef skewers cost $9.99 for 3 pieces, and the combo Yunnan rice noodles costs around $13.99! My friend ordered the beef pho, it doesn’t look that different, and she did not finish it!
The water is self-served and you need to order in the front desk and pay some tips before you actually enjoy the food.
I saw many reviews complaining that the food serving speed is not fast enough. According to our one-time experience, they must have improved a lot and did quite a good job! We got our orders within 5-10 mins, and the waiters/waitresses will confirm that we have all of our orders.
We believe that we really get nice service and care! But I hope that tips can really be an option given that the water and utensils can be self-served!
Second time review: I ordered the beef Yunnan rice noodles with the original broth but found it too salty. However the combo Yunnan rice noodle with the original (or the mushroom) broth tastes just right! I hope the taste can be more...
Read moreI was looking forward to finally having a pho restaurant in East Memphis, but this was disappointing. I guess the AC was broken because as soon as we walked in it was hot. My boyfriend tried to order a beer and we were told they won't have their license for another month. Understandable since they just opened, but why have a display at the register. I ordered a small beef (flank) pho and my boyfriend ordered the vegan stir fry noodles. When I got my pho, the Thai basil was limp and droopy like it was old. The bean sprouts and lime were brown. I asked for no cilantro, but it came with it in the pho. It was mediocre and lacked flavor. The vegan dish came with an egg roll. We weren't sure if it was vegetarian friendly seeing as I tried to order veggie egg rolls and they said they do not have them. However, an "egg" roll is definitely not vegan. The noodles were overcooked and mushy and it was super salty. It also lacked veggies. Only a few sprinkled among the noodles. We didn't finish our meals and left them on the table. Maybe it is growing pains since they just opened 4 days ago. However, you would think they would want top-notch food going out, especially when they first open. I hope they can improve, but we will not be back. I just can't chance spending that much money...
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