Phở Vu — Restaurant in Palm Desert

Location.

Our first time eating and looking for the restaurant.

Husband said a Christmas tree (?) was on the back side of the buidling, misleading him to believe it was the front side (entry) of restaurant. It turned out we were on the opposite side of a set of businesses connected to one building where the restaurant was located.

Driving around the parking lot, husband said it was difficult to find his way around. No signage nor lights to guide us to the front of the building.

Restaurant has a dark front entry area. We were not sure if it was the restaurant and open until you walked up to the door.

Once inside, staff said to take any seat. They were quick to bring the menu, followed by asking if we wanted anything to drink.

Once we ordered, food was delivered not long afterwards. Prices above average of what we have seen and eaten at restaurants where we live in Central California and bowls is soups smaller.

Both husband and relatives ordered soup. Husband said meat was "dry" meaning less fat content, i.e. round steak vs. sirloin steak. Relative did not comment.

Mine order was a noodle dish, not a soup, topped with barbecued chicken, sliced cucumbers, julienned carrots with a side dish of sweet sauce. All was good except chicken. Dried out, orange colored. Not tender, nor in my opinion edible. It did not taste like barbecued meat as I have had many times in other Vietnamese restaurants in California.

I offered one piece of chicken to husband. He tried it and refused a second piece. I tried to eat a few pieces and left the rest in the bowl. That confirmed it was not good. He normally eats most food.

We had an order of fried egg rolls. They were light, crispy and tasty; an appetizer.

Lastly we started to drive in the same direction from which we entered from the street, yet there were many vehicles on the street. That caused a long queue of traffic in the parking lot because they were stuck.

We could not even drive to get behind the line of queue. My husband ended up taking a different exit, driving farther away to return to the street.

Granted this was in the evening, which was very dark, that added to the frustration of finding, and leaving the parking lot and restaurant. Limited street lights along that area. And little to no lightening to help drivers locate entry of driveway.

Verdict. Would eat there again....

This place needs an update. I went in with my baby after asking the front desk staff if they had tempura. (Fried veggies) he said yes, and this was the only reason I took in my son to have lunch. We sat down and were offered menus and water. I ordered but it was very complicated to order. When I asked about tempura or fried veggies the server had no idea what I was talking about. When I asked about ordering any other sides he only offered rice or noodles. I got pork rolls wrapped in rice paper for my son, but the meat was so little amount in there and low quality, I picked it out and ended up not giving it to him. (By low quality I mean just not tasting good, tough, fatty, idk but tasted bad.) Other than the very little meat in his wraps it was filled with just a bunch of lettuce and shredded carrots, so I tried to take it out and mix it with some noodles from my pho vu veggie & tofu bowl I got, but it ended up being not a good meal for him. I ordered the veggie and tofu soup/noodle bowl which had like 3 small pieces of tofu in it. The server never came back to check on us. I based my whole experience on coming in because they said they had fried veggies or tempura, which did not exist there. Something easy for my son to eat. I spent $20+ on a meal I couldn't eat, chose not to because of the experience. I couldn't let my son not eat so went elsewhere. On top of that when I first got there, a lady was complaining she got charged for an extra meal she should not be paying for, there was no reconciliation or apology on Pho Vus part but she had to assert the fact she would not pay. Umm..? Also as a third experience in close proximity to mine, the lady next to my table after her meal asked "what is this?" while holding up a piece of meat looking thing. The server told her tendon, and she tried to explain her discomfort which he was ignoring, the fact they served her a plate she didn't want. She put her finger to her tongue in disgust because he did not get it the first or second time, or chose to ignore what she was saying. He had the audacity to say, "other than that, was everything great?" with a thumbs up. Like, THAT WAS HER WHOLE MEAL! What she came in for! To eat something she likes. I was just blown away by the lack of anything logic in this restaurant. Really, really disappointing. What is happening with...

Delicious! Delicious!! Delicious!!! When it comes to Vietnamese cuisine I can take it or leave it, but Phở Vu was the best that I have ever had. I think the reason I have an attitude about Vietnamese food is because it was my ex boyfriend’s favorite. Maybe I just need to grow up a little bit - Hey, I’m only 55 years old, what do you want? LOL. Seriously though, the food at Phở Vu is simply amazing.

We went early Sunday afternoon on May 2, 2021, after church services and apparently it’s a spot where lots of people went after church before the coronavirus took over the planet. Hopefully its business will bounce back to normal. The hostess was a lovely young lady who immediately made us feel welcome and our server was a very nice young man who brought us our drinks quickly and our food promptly, however he never checked back to see if everything was okay. It didn't matter too much though because our lunch was outstanding.

The restaurant was immaculately clean and the general vibe was pleasant. We started our meal by sharing spring rolls with peanut dipping sauce which was excellent. Then, my date moved on to egg rolls that were perfectly crispy and flavorful and I had the filet mignon plate which was filet mignon chunks cooked in a wok with garlic, onions, and peppers served with tomato and steamed rice. I was full before I finished my plate, but kept stuffing myself because it was so good.

I would highly recommend Phở Vu to anyone who loves Vietnamese food or to anyone who is curious to try it. You will not be...