Pho 7 Rich — Restaurant in Perry Hall

OK, let me start off by saying this was my very first time having Vietnamese cuisine so I can only say the food was decent.

My father wanted to try pho for his birthday so he picked the place closest to him and his children. My parents were there waiting when I arrived. As I went to sit down I discovered a live cockroach on the condiments tray! After pointing it out to my parents my mom killed it with her menu as my dad called over the waiter. They apologized and took the menu. Needless to say this ruined my appetite but my father still wanted to try pho and wanted to stay. I reluctantly agreed because it was HIS birthday wish after all. The waiter came back out to clean the table but I had to ask the condiments tray be swapped out for a clean set. My sister arrived a few minutes later and I informed her of the situation. Everyone but my father lost their appetite.

We ordered our food, which arrived quickly and hot. I ordered #33 (shrimp paste, egg rolls, with rice vermicelli). When I received my order I was expecting the vermicelli to be the largest portion, which it was. But I was certainly expecting the portion of shrimp paste to be a LOT larger than what it was. It was maybe 2-3 tbsp at best. The egg rolls weren't bad, but they were far from great. I could not figure out what was in them. I'm thinking they were vegetable, but I'm really not sure. The fish sauce was the best part. And was expecting something more like nappa cabbage mixed in, not iceberg lettuce. But this may be normal for Vietnamese food. I honestly don't know. For the price I felt as though it should have had far more stuff in the dish, or at least far larger portions than what was handed to me.

My boyfriend ordered lemongrass chicken and fortunately the waiter informed him it was spicy as it was not noted on the menu. They agreed to cut back the spice, after asking, as neither of us like spicy food and there wasn't anything else on the menu he wanted to try. It was still pretty spicy when the food arrived, but was manageable.

My sister ordered the pho ga, which she's had at another place before and said it was very good. She had leftovers and asked for a container. The waiter brought a container and as she's talking to my mom and preparing to put her food in the container I stopped her. The container was obviously used before and wasn't clean! Fortunately, she received another container after asking.

Even though the food was decent and the staff were kind, the lack of cleanliness will not be bringing...

Disclaimer As someone who's of Vietnamese descent and lives in Southern California (home to the most Vietnamese outside of Vietnam), I have had some of the best pho in North America. I knew going in that having pho anywhere else would probably be disappointing, but I always hope for a pleasant surprise.

The Food: I can only comment on what I ordered: pho dac biet (special combo pho with rare steak slices, well-done brisket, flank tendon, and and tripe). Taste wise it was ... alright. The noodles were standard, the meats were good, and the tendon was delicious. The problem was that the broth was kinda bland, lacking the delicate mix of herbs and seasonings that a good bowl of pho should have. And anyone who enjoys noodle soups knows that if the broth doesn't cut it, the whole meal suffers. Don't get me wrong, the other pho ingredients were quality, but the bland broth was a let down.

The Cost: The bigger letdown were the prices, which had me saying, "What the pho?!" My combo bowl was $27. That would be an outrageous price for pho in Southern California (where prices have skyrocketed), so you could imagine my "sticker shock." And the costs for the other entrees ranged from $14 to $20. While the portions were large, I'm not sure the quality justified the price.

The Drink: I had a caphe sua da (or Vietnamese iced coffee) and was, again, not impressed. It tasted like it came from either a concentrate or instant coffee instead of being made in a phin, a type of slow-drip metal filter, before the condensed milk was added. Again, not a bad coffee, but the price didn't justify the average taste.

The Service: The two employees were fast and friendly. They didn't check on us at all after delivering the food (standard operating procedure for most Asian restaurants), but the fact that they were polite and seemed like they cared is a big plus for a Vietnamese establishment.

The Atmosphere: The restaurant was clean, spacious, and modern. Meanwhile, the bathroom was shockingly decent and well stocked. Again, two aspects that were a pleasant surprise for a Vietnamese restaurant.

The Conclusion: If you're new to pho and want to be impressed, don't go here. If you're familiar with pho, need a quick fix, and don't mind paying a premium, this...

TRY PHO, SUMMER ROLL, EGG ROLL, CHAR-BROILED PORK!

My review is for 2 visits to Pho2Rich.

DECOR: It's not a very hi-fi place. The decor is very simple. The only reason why I am giving this place a 4-rating is because these guys wipe their tables with some stinky wipe. As soon as you sit, this stinky smell is awful though it goes away after sometime or most likely, you will get used to it.

FOOD: The food is very delicious. We ordered the Chicken Pho (small), and the bowl is huge. Its more than enough for 2 people. Chicken Pho is similar to a chicken noodle soup. The summer roll was very refreshing and is served with peanut sauce.. They serve the Pho with fresh sprouts, mint leaves and salad. There menu has some mouth watering pictures. And, I would definitely like to try them all. The quality of the food is very fresh and clean. The egg roll was delicious but was oily. The char-broiled pork was superb! It is served with porched eggs, salad and white steamed rice.

We had Taro Bubble tea too! I don't recommend that since the small size os too large and secondly the taro's didnt' taste great. Some of them had rotten flavor.

SERVICE: Very polite!

PRICE: Very reasonable! Our total is approx $20...