Pho Lien Hoa - S Western — Restaurant in Oklahoma City

TASTE Food evaluated: P6. Well done brisket and tendon pho [ ] Unbelievable [ ] Excellent [ ] Very good [X] Good [ ] Nothing too special [ ] Not good [ ] Avoid. Comments: I have minimal experience in pho in general, so keep that in mind. The broth isn’t clear (I was told that a clear broth is a sign of good quality, though I’m not sure that ties into this specifically). You have a choice between a large soup and a small one. The large one is good to be shared between two people. The noodles are somewhat soggy. Brisket was well done and the tendon was well tenderized, which was good. Overall taste is savory with spice fragrant. By the end of the meal, I had half of the pho to bring home.

VALUE [ ] Ridiculous [ ] Overpriced [ ] Above average [X] Appropriate [ ] Underpriced Comments: $9.74 as a total bill including tax with just the large pho (see above) order and a glass of water. Price is consistent with most noodle soup in other restaurants.

SERVICE Attentiveness: [ ] Above average [ ] Average [X] Below average [ ] Unacceptable. Mannerisms: [ ] Polite [X] Indifferent [ ] Rude. Wait time (arrival time 12 PM): [X] 0-5 minutes [ ] 5-10 minutes [ ] 10-20 minutes [ ] 20 minutes [ ] … forget it. Comments: The guy manning the front desk seems annoyed that I walked in. It took him 30 seconds after seeing me before he entertained me. He was busy with something behind the counter. The waiter seems clueless on what to recommend, for being there the first time. The waiter visited me twice after I was seated, the second time to deliver the receipt. He also prematurely took my bean sprouts without asking me, though I really didn’t both him despite still wanting it.

AMBIENCE/DÉCOR/MUSIC Cleanliness: [ ] Spotless [ ] Grandma clean [X] Average [ ] Below average [ ] 3rd world standards. Ambience: [ ] Lively [X] Calming [X] Conducive to talking [ ] “Can’t hear you” [?] Suitable date site [X] Authentic [ ] Not authentic. Smoke: [X] No-smoke smell [ ] Smoke smell positive. Comments: Place looks like a typical Asian restaurant inside. There were a few people around, though the vast majority of the people were non-Vietnamese. Background music was the stereo playing typical Asian tunes.

Conclusion: Certainly a viable place for lunch/dinner times, and I wouldn’t mind if I were to come back here for a meal again. Recommend.

Disclaimer: I am by no means a food connoisseur nor a food/restaurant critic. Food/restaurant review as above is my opinion alone. I am not paid by the restaurant as above. I do not derive any monetary benefit from this. I am bored, accidentally bought an iPad Pro w/ a keyboard, and I do not simply have better to do.

Sincerely, a...

The service here was great. Our waiter was quick and attentive and repeated my order back to me when I made an adjustment (no cilantro in the P2 pho). As has happened to me many times in a pho shop, it came out with cilantro anyway. No big deal. He was apologetic and rushed back to replace it. New bowl... Green onions, and hiding among the little rings... Cilantro. I picked out maybe a half a teaspoonful. For anyone who hates cilantro, when this herb hits scalding broth the whole dish is ruined. You don't come back from it.

Anyway. The pho broth is on the sweet side. If you prefer a more savory broth you might be disappointed. Noodles were very generous and the meat was enjoyable.

My husband ordered fried noodles with chicken. I tried it, it tastes like a typical take out chinese food chicken with brown sauce dish. Bland, safe.

The one thing we both really liked was the spring rolls. Piping hot, crispy, dense, flavorful, and an awesome dipping sauce that I will have a hard time forgetting.

We won't go back, unfortunately. Seems to be a good business but needs some communication improvements with the kitchen and maybe to be a bit bolder...

I ordered the Mi Thap Cam and Banh Xeo.

-Mi Thap Cam was good so kudos to the chef 👏 -Banh Xeo was pretty but blend. The fish sauce was too sweet(this is just personal preference though)

Pros can pay with card(I went to another location under the same name, but they only accepted cash) -clean restaurant -the wait to get my food was decent like any other restaurant -some of the food was good

Can be improved -wished the server could at least say something to acknowledge customer's "Thank you"--would be nice if they also greet us with a simple "Hi" or "Hello"---I don't need you to chat up a whole conversation with me, but I feel those are the basics to customer service--that person did ask if I needed to order anything else after serving my food so good job on that part -they charge a $1 for water bottle (fast food restaurant can give me that for free without...