Pho Hut’s Vietnamese cuisine makes for an interesting, pleasant and sometimes intimidating meal.
Setting foot inside Pho Hut, located on California Avenue, I was greeted by the pleasant scent of the other patrons’ meals. The restaurant is painted in an avocado-green with a dark brown trim with plastic trees and paintings around that gives the place a relaxed yet slightly sophisticated feel.
The service was wonderful. Our servers were enthusiastic, answering any questions asked and offering suggestions.
The menu has an impressive number of choices.
From Pho to jellyfish salad to curry to lettuce wraps, Pho Hut’s selection was a bit intimidating to someone with no experience with Vietnamese food.
On the suggestion of our waitress I tried the Pho Thai, a beef and rice noodle soup, while my companions ordered spring rolls, chicken Pho, spicy beef noodle soup and a crab meat noodle served with broth. We all chose the small options for our meals with prices ranging from $6.50 to $7.25. Another companion chose to order from their list of specialty drinks, choosing a cup of freshly prepared penny wort and a can of young coconut juice that came in at about $6 all together
After a few minutes, large bowls were placed in front of us with a large plate of bean sprouts, basil and cabbage placed in the middle of the table. We were all surprised by the size of the portions. The bowls were wide and deep; they reminded me of a salad bowl.
To be honest, the size was more intimidating than appetizing.
The Pho Thai was filled with onions, strips of steak, cilantro and lots of rice noodles with basil leaves and bean sprouts served on the side. The flavor wasn’t as strong as I had expected from the smell of the dish.
The broth had a strong flavor of onion and cilantro with a hint of nutmeg or cinnamon. The steak was a little dry and didn’t have the flavor of the broth. The noodles were tender and had managed to absorb the flavors of the soup.
The chicken Pho was similar; in fact it was the same thing with chicken instead of beef.
The crab dish was said to be OK, although its brown color didn’t look particularly appetizing.
Not all the food there has a gentle flavor, though. The spicy beef noodle soup caused one of my companions to begin sweating while eating.
The spring were said to taste under cooked and were difficult to bite into.
The only downsides to the meal were the specialty beverages.
The young coconut juice is a clear beverage with chunks of coconut pulp. The juice had a subtle and unpleasant bitterness.
The penny wort beverage was a green drink served both fresh and in a can. One of my companions ordered the fresh variety that was served in a large glass with pulp. The penny wort tastes the way freshly cut grass smells.
I later found out that penny wort is a plant that closely resembles the clover. It’s an earthy beverage and according to our servers it was a health drink, although drinking the beverage seemed to make my companions and I feel a little sick.
Pho Hut’s large portions, service, large menu, good food and friendly atmosphere make the restaurant a place worth checking out.