Bowl Kitchen

Bowl Kitchen is a spot in Santa Monica that I’ve been frequenting quite a bit recently because of how close it is to my bfs place.

View from outside. Taken from Yelp.

The space for this place is AWESOME. Their back patio is seriously so cute with little string lights going across the top, etc. I feel like they need to take advantage of the space more because there aren’t many areas nearby that have it!

Super cute patio! Photo taken from Yelp.

 

I have mixed feelings about the pho here because it honestly does not taste like what I consider a typical pho. The first time I had it, I had my regular pho thai and was not a fan. Howeverrrrrr, the next time I came I was in the midst of a 1-month challenge to be vegetarian so I ordered the veggie pho and WOW it was a huge difference. Still not your typical pho, but for some reason the veggie is so much better than the beef! They load it with a lot of yummy things and their tofu is firm, which I prefer much more to the flubbery kind you get at other places.

Sooo much yummy stuff in their veggie pho. Photo taken from Yelp.

Now anytime I get pho from here I stick with the veggie even though I’m (thankfully) no longer doing my attempt at vegetarianism. So yes, I would recommend this place!

Also, they have THE best Bahn Mi’s here. Seriously. Try the spicy pork one with a fried egg on top… amazing.

Goodbye Pho Now,

Nahal

ASAP Phorage

ASAP Phorage has been on my radar for a while because it’s one of the few spots in westside-ish LA that I hadn’t tried yet.

First things first, this is definitely a unique spot to get pho. It’s located inside of a corner store/market which gives it a very local and authentic flair. Just some good ol’ no-nonsense pho.

The pho menu is not expansive, just a few items. I, of course, ordered the beef pho which actually was a mix of different cuts which is slightly different than the rare steak pho I typically get.

I must say…. I was disappointed. The meat in the pho was delish but the broth itself was really lacking. It didn’t really taste like pho to me! It tasted more like a generic stew, blah. I probably won’t be coming back here for the pho but my coworker got a bahn mi that looked amazing! Maybe I’ll venture back one of these days to try it.

Photo taken from Yelp, credit here.

Goodbye Pho Now,
Nahal

8: Pho 24

Finally tried a new pho place!

Pho 24 is a cute, tiny little spot located on 3450 W 6th St in KTown. My friend and I decided to try this place based on their high Yelp reviews.

Parking is pretty impossible if you’re trying to do it on your own but they have a valet for only $2, worth it. First impression – this place is tinnnnnyyyyy! 6 tables at best. But it made for a really cozy environment so I enjoyed it. On the wall directly next to our table was a little sign that said “Write us a Yelp review for a free serving of dumplings!”. Technically you’re not supposed to bribe customer for Yelp reviews…. but who am I to pass up free dumplings? It was very worth it because those dumplings were bomb.COM.

Full menu – amazing prices.

I ordered my usual, Pho Tai. When it came out I was pretty shocked, I mean LOOK AT HOW HUGE THAT BOWL IS! I added the spoon in there for reference. Amazing. And the price was $8.95, which is a solid $2 cheaper than every place on the westside.

So now for the pho itself. It was okay. When I took my first spoonful of broth, without any fixins, I was slightly disappointed to be honest. It lacked flavor. My friend pointed out that it had a much “cleaner” taste than other phos we’ve had, which I agree with. One Yelp reviewer suggested that this has a purer bone broth than most other spots. Not sure what that means, but it sounds right :p However, once I added my sriracha and plum sauce it was tasty. The portions of meat and noodles were extremely generous too which I loved.

Spoon for size reference – such a huge bowl!

While the broth wasn’t really my style, I will say that I felt GREAT after. Usually after I finish a bowl of pho I feel so full I can’t move. This broth didn’t have that effect on me at all! They have a “NO MSG” sign, so maybe it was the lack of MSG? Although, my usual pho place claims to not use MSG either, so not sure. Either way, it felt great not being absolutely stuffed!

Will I drive 50 minutes in rush hour traffic from the westside again to get it? Nope. However, I enjoyed Pho 24 enough that if I was out in KTown and was craving some late night pho (they’re open until 4am) I would definitely go back. So yay for a new late night pho spot and trying new places!

Goodbye Pho Now,

Nahal

 

Oops…

Well guys, clearly I’m no good at keeping up a blog.

However, that doesn’t mean I’ve stopped eating pho! Au contraire mon frère, I’ve actually been eating pho an unhealthy amount.

You see, my local pho place (Pho Shop, previously called Pho Citi) is open 24hrs. Which means that every weekend when I go out, I end up there not only after my night out, but also the next morning when I’m hungover because we all know pho is the best hangover cure. It’s gotten to a point that the owner knows me and and on the off chance I don’t go one weekend, she makes a comment about it the next time I go. I know, it’s bad. NO SHAME.

But fear not, I’m going to get back into the routine of trying new places! In fact, tonight I’m trying a new spot in KTown, so stay tuned 🙂

Goodbye Pho Now,

Nahal

6: Houston, baby

I know I originally said this blog was going to be about Pho in LA, but I have to include my most recent experience in Texas.

When most people go to Texas they get BBQ. I, predictably, went to Texas and got Pho. Honestly… are you surprised? The place was called Pho Binh and it was located in a cute little area outside of Midtown.

Outside view

This was the first meal I had that day with my friend Megan (hi Megan!!) after a night of drinking. I will stand by my affirmation that Pho is by far the best hangover food out there. I don’t get people who think scarfing down a greasy burger after a night of drinking is the best solution. I tried that once… didn’t turn out well. But there’s something about the simplicity of Pho that really helps calm a very upset stomach.

The inside of the restaurant had some adorable decor (look at those light fixtures) and they were pumping some throwback tunes on their speakers. I was quite pleased.

Inside view, I love this lighting!

As for the Pho, I ordered my regular Pho Tai. Size large. Obviously.

Menu

Now this is the part that makes me really angry because OF COURSE this had to be the best Pho I’d tasted so far and OF COURSE it had to be located in a different freaking state. The Pho gods are clearly not on my side. But it’s okay because that was the best goddamn Pho I’ve had. So thank you, Texas. For the memories, for the great company, for the hangover (sike), and most of all, for the Pho.

Delicious

Size comparison… can you guess which one’s mine? 😉

Goodbye Pho Now,

Nahal

Confession of a Phonatic

I suppose I have to begin this blog with a confession. I’m a Phonatic. That’s right, I’m addicted to the steamy, broth-y, noodle-y, deliciousness that is the Vietnamese dish of pho. The obsession took hold recently in the second semester of my senior year of college and was greatly encouraged by my friends who shared my love (shoutout to Henry, Julian and Chung). Now that I’m back home in Los Angeles and ready to enter the real world (I guess) I decided to take on a lofty mission. My goal is to visit every Pho restaurant in LA and along the way I’ll share my astute observations. By that I mean I’ll post pretty pictures of the pho and over use puns like “it was phoking delicious!”. Get excited!

Goodbye Pho Now,

Nahal