Phở Saigon — Restaurant in Rocklin

I've found myself with a serious craving for a nice big bowl of pho lately, so I decided to head down from Marysville to give this place a go. Now, I'm a bit of a purist when it comes to pho. I don't like anything fancy or new-fangled; just a traditional steaming bowl of well-made broth, simple rice noodles, a good helping of the appropriate cuts of beef and a plate of fresh herbs and bean sprouts to compliment them. Hit all these marks, and you've won a permanent place in my heart. Here's how "Pho Saigon's" house special fared on all of these points:

The Broth- Honestly, the broth was disappointing. It lacked the depth of spice that is the hallmark of carefully made, good pho broth. Traditional spices such as star anise and roasted ginger were nearly imperceptible and the resulting liquid was more akin to warm, beefy saltwater. By no means was it bad or unpalatable, merely disappointing when you've had the truly good stuff before.

The Noodles- Let's face it, it's pretty darn hard to mess up rice noodles. Save for when they're severely undercooked and still brittle or overcooked and mushy, rice noodles are pretty generically rice noodles. These were cooked appropriately and, of all the factors I look for in good pho, the only one I have no complaints about.

The Meat- My favorite part of pho is by far and wide the meat. Thinly sliced cuts of rare beef flank, Vietnamese-style meatballs and an assortment of cuts that are usually seen as undesirable in American cuisine (tripe, tendons and other fatty or cartilaginous bits and pieces) become pure heaven when slowly simmered in a good broth. The meat at "Pho Saigon" was actually quite good, but the quantity was a major disappointment. I requested (for an additional $2) extra meat to be put in my soup, but what I was given hardly amounted to what I would receive at my usual pho joints without requesting extra. This was extremely obvious when I realized that when it came to the Vietnamese meatballs, I had only been given half of one. Skimp on the noodles if you must, but go cheap on the meat and you've lost me.

The Herb Plate- Pretty much standard to nearly all pho restaurants is the plate of herbs and bean sprouts that accompany your food. "Pho Saigon" was no different. This one consisted of a bed of fresh bean sprouts, two slices of raw jalapeno, a branch of none-to-fresh Thai basil that had been harvested far too late and half of a lemon wedge. Again, they seemed to skimp in one of the key aspects of pho. Aside from the overly mature basil being more bitter than fragrant, I had expected to have a choice between lemon and lime (and certainly more than half a wedge).

For all of their shortcomings in terms of food quality, the waitress was extremely courteous and provided very good service throughout the entire meal. The decor was simple and neat and provided a fairly uninteresting but pleasant eating environment. All in all, "Pho Saigon" was worth the $10 for a large-sized bowl (though I have had better for less), but not the 45-minute drive. I may or may not return to this restaurant in the future. It's one of those take it or leave...

03/2023 UPDATE: We've been back a few times under the new ownership. The main entrees remain solid choices, and pho broth is still good, but meat topping portions are still smallish, and prices seem even higher. The bigger disappoint now is the banh mi. Very hard, dry bread that dominates the entire sandwich, no discernable pate inside, and meager fillings and meat portions (see a pattern?). Pho Saigon has been one of our go-tos since 2007, but unfortunately I think that will change now. Downgraded to 3 stars.

11/2022 UPDATE: Under new ownership as of November 2022. The new menu is shorter and simplified, which may be a good thing for this local demographic. (Most of your favorites are there, but fewer options, and only one size for pho.) Also a few added cross-ethnic additions. Pho broth was still good (although perhaps not quite as good as before), but portion sizes for toppings (meat, etc) is disappointing. Pan (bread) that was served with my entree was good; can't wait to try the banh mi next time. I'll keep it at 4 stars for now, but there are other options in the area if they fail to deliver.

ORIGINAL REVIEW: Our favorite Vietnamese restaurant in the Roseville/Rocklin area. Everything is pretty solid here -- pho, rice dishes, appetizers, banh mi. Banh mi is a bit pricey at $5ish, but hey, you're not...

While visiting friends and family, serendipitous found this fun Vietnamese restaurant in a shopping center. My second trip was better experience. The entree I picked was the prime rib pho noodle soup. It was humongous and delicious. I loved it, eventhough i wasn't graceful. The meat was tender and filling. The broth was very good.

My friend order the the Bun, adelicious Vermicille (Cold dish) Noodles with carrots, bean sprouts, cucumbers, cilantro and a delicious sauce, which she asked for more. You can order it with or w/out fried egg roll. It's delicious, hot and crispy. She ordered the grilled marinated slivers of beef slices cooked to perfection. Or you can order, grilledchicken, grilled shrimp or have it vegan. I'll order a side order of the grilled beef as an appetizer the next I visit Rocklin. The restaurant accommodated the five of us on a table with chairs comfortably. My sister used the clean restroom and the restaurant was clean and comfortable with several booths as well. If you want to go during happy hour, I believe they offer a choice of Boba drink on the weekday. Call and check the time and if the special is...