I was in the mood for a hot bowl of Pho and fortunately this craving overtook me while I was driving north on Stockton Blvd near Florin, a location surrounded by numerous restaurants offering this famous Vietnamese dish.
Pho King is a small easy to miss restaurant just a stone's throw away from its more famous rival, Pho Saigon. Years ago I visited this restaurant and it always stuck in my memory how good the food and service was. Tonight was no different.
I was a little surprised to see how empty the place was right around dinner time but it was a weekday and customer count isn't always a good indicator of quality. The waitress immediately greeted me with a friendly smile and motioned for me to sit wherever I wanted. I knew what I wanted and ordered a small bowl of #6. The soup arrived piping hot and the plate of bean sprouts, jalapeno pepper and basil looked fresh and crisp.
I immediately dropped the veges into the steaming broth and mixed them around with the noodles hiding underneath. It was now time to dig in. I grabbed my chopsticks and pulled out a giant clump of noodles. Yum! Sometimes restaurants make the Pho broth way too salty and I always am prepared to ask for a hot cup of water to dilute it. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that wasn't necessary this time. The savory broth had just the right amount of salt. The meat was tender and the tendon had just the right soft and slightly chewy texture.
Pho King IMO maintains its rank as being one of the best places to eat Pho...
Read moreMy daughter went there for lunch and did not know it would take them a while to make her food. She explained to the lady she did not have a lot of time due to her school break being only 30min. She asked the lady for a refund and she told her no because they already started making her food (never heard of that). So my daughter left with no food (because she did not have time) and no money. I called the restaurant, the lady who claimed to be a he owner was super rude, would not give me her name and said that the food was made and waiting when she wanted to come pick it up. I asked her if they had a sign that said they do not do refunds and she told me they do not. So I asked her “what do you do if someone is t satisfied with your service and wants a refund?” She said “they have to try the food to not like it”. This lady was beyond rude and this was absolutely unacceptable! She does not get out of school until 5pm so not only did she not want to give her the money back but also expect her to come back and pick up food that will be sitting for 5hrs. I am trying to figure out a way to report her for this. I have never experienced anything like this before. This was beyond unprofessional and just...
Read moreFirst of all, glad that it was a local place and the tables didn't smell like fish sauce and they seem to clean the seats well. We got a small pho #3, a small bun bo hue, and banh beo for $30 including tax. The pho was okay. I actually enjoyed the bun bo hue -- it wasn't too overpowering with how some places making it with too much shrimp paste. It actually had gio heo included, which I love! The banh beo was yummy and loaded with a bunch of minced pork. Usually I think banh beo has more shrimp in it so it didn't taste like how I'm used to it, taste more like banh gio but I actually liked it.
I have to come back and try the mi quang.
The only thing was that I was told last minute after I finished eating that the internet was down and they only took cash...thankfully I had cash that day (normally I don't have any). Not that surprised eating at a viet restaurant but still annoying nonetheless for 2021 especially...
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