Pho restaurants are sprouting up every where. Pho is Vietnamese, but lots of other Asians are jumping on the pho craze. I have been to pho places that are owned by Vietnamese, Koreans, Chinese, Thai and even Burmese.
There’s a new pho restaurant in D.C. Chinatown. It’s called Pho DC. I wonder how they thought of that name. I have been waiting for this place to open since September because it’s only a couple of blocks away from my work. I finally tried Pho DC today.
I was disappointed. First, it is not Vietnamese. I think they are Thai. I heard them speak and saw those cute little spice containers that you would often see at Thai restaurants. I’m being a pho snob, so I want a Vietnamese to cook my pho. Second, the restaurant has no personality. Walking in the restaurant, I can tell that it’s just another Asian restaurant trying to Westernize its food and cater to non-Asians. And I was the only Asian customer in there. I asked for soy sauce and the restaurant didn’t have it. What?! How can an Asian noodle shop not have soy sauce?!
(Also, you see the bar as soon as you walk in, which I don’t understand. Alcohol and pho don’t go together — not at the same time. Pho is great for a hang-over — AFTER you had a little too much too drink.)
Anyways, I am most disappointed about the price. $12.95 for a bowl of pho? Really?! I hear that Vietnamese food in the DMV area is more expensive than other areas. I have taken out-of-town people to Vietnamese restaurants and they complained about the prices. But, having growing up here and being used to the prices, it didn’t bother me. Until now.
$12.95 for a bowl of pho is just over priced. Whether you’re Asian or not, if you knew pho, you know that it’s never more than ten dollars. A lot of people already consider eight dollars to be expensive for a bowl of pho. And isn’t one of the appeals of Pho is that it’s cheap?
The soup I got was O.K. It was eat-able. It wasn’t overly seasoned and spiced like you would taste at an authentic Vietnamese pho place. With that said, nothing can justify the $12.95.
