Koi Gardens Vietnamese Cuisine — Restaurant in Portland

First things first. The Server is the best thing they have going and given how hard it is to get staff nowadays, that is no small benefit, Koi Gardens on first glance seemed a little boring. I didn't see any Koi, but maybe I was at the wrong table. If you're going to call it Koi Gardens, I want Koi. But of course as we know, places are not judged by a lack of charm, only by a lack of flavor.

The Menu was pretty extensive which for some reason seems to be the case the further away from Vancouver or close-in Portland you go. Well, the menu was interesting and the server was welcoming and I was prepared to love the Pho. It came absolutely steaming, which is another great bonfire along coastal sea of Pho, guiding weary travelers into safe and savory ports. My first taste, that moment of expectation, trepidation, and mystery. As sacred as a first kiss, as clear and focused a moment as I can muster. Nothing casual here. Don't be on the phone, attention wandering in the clouds. It's going to tell you if you need hoisen or chili, whether you've stumbled into an old family recipe or whether you have been left treading water in a kiddy pool.

What my first taste makes me think, is bland. In fact, it truly tastes like someone has watered down the broth. It's such a surprise I have to taste again. Not bad, no strange tastes, just watery. I don't get it. The Special has everything in there but the kitchen sink. From the shrimp to tripe and all the interesting stuff in between, There should be some body to this broth and there isn't. So I bite into a shrimp and it tastes fresh, but also like it was cooked in water.

Then I dip into the broth and start rooting around like an old bear with its paw in a hollow tree looking for honey, but in this case, with a fork looking for noodles. Ah, another pet peeve. The noodles have been dumped in there in a mass and there is no noodle lift. I try and mix up the bowl, but the noodles resist this, and I find myself eating lots of broken short noodles. Please throw the noodles in there and swish them around a bit so they get loosened up before reaching the table.

It was early in the day. Yard sales ended early leaving me in the area like a puppy without a home, like a treasure hunter in the burbs and Pho would be such a great way to cap the day, But Koi Garden did not bang the dinner bell. Perhaps the broth was still forming, maybe it's better later in the day. Too many great places around to come back here looking for culinary redemption. Either their's or mine. It was't bad,...

My buddy and I decide to drive across town to have lunch here because it was highly rated. The server was really friendly and attentive. The place was clean and looked good inside. We ordered the Goi Cuon for an appetizer Pho Koi Gardens Super - Bowl for the main course, but without tripe. The Goi Cuon was delicious as expected. When the Pho Koi Gardens Super - Bowl arrived I tried the broth by itself and it was delicious. So I started to eat the other stuff. When I got a to the beef it had a strong funky taste like it was left out too long and had discoloration almost like freezer burnt. There was only 2 slices of pure beef. Then I noticed that I had solid slices of fat, cartilage, and gristle. There were a lot of these slices. I understand the beef having the fat, but the many solid slices of gristle and cartilage was a big turn off along with the stong pungent discolored beef that tasted old or freezer burnt. I took a picture of the cartilage/gristle pieces and discolored beef that I couldn't eat. After taking the picture I got 2 more giant solid pieces of the cartilage/gristle. I couldn't finish the soup because of this. We paid our...

The food comes out fast and the place is clean. The bathroom is always nice and clean. The staff is very sweet and kind. They are efficient. You have to ask for extra napkins because there is never enough for everyone. I think they should automatically provide 2 napkins per kid under 8 because kids are messy and there is nothing worse than sitting in wet food, because your 1 year old wanted to eat so badly that they pull their soup on themselves and you, and you have to wait for more napkins to arrive... all wet and cold. That's the only downfall. You also have to ask for more utensils because they give you the number of meals you order. I ordered 2 meals and an appetizer but there was 5 of us. They gave me 3 sets of utensils. Brought the food out and walked away so my 8 year old and I had nothing to eat with, for 10 minutes after my food came. But I love the food here and it is...