Pho Show
Thursday, June 19, 2008 23:50Pho Show just had their grand opening this week, so I went to visit for dinner tonight since it’s so close to my office. Since it’s on the west side and it is called Pho Show, I didn’t go in with my expectations too high.
While waiting for the rest of my party to arrive, I ordered a Thai iced tea. I was surprised when it came because it looked a bit browner than the usual orange stuff I get at the restaurants in the SGV. It tastes less sweet and more bitter than the usual Thai iced tea, but I liked it. I don’t like it when the iced tea is too creamy or sweet, but this was definitely not the usual Thai iced tea people are used to.
The menu has your usual appetizers of egg rolls, spring rolls, shrimp rolls, and being on the west side, vegetarian rolls. The pho section has all your typical combinations of meat in broth including chicken, shrimp, beef tendon, and my favorite, beef tripe. I’m glad they weren’t scared to put the tendon and tripe on the menu. It also has a vegetarian bowl of pho apparently, but I didn’t get a chance to confirm if the broth was vegetarian as well. For those who don’t like pho, there’s also a rice section with steamed and fried rice and different toppings.
I ordered the pho with rare slices of beef, tendon, tripe, and beef balls. After a long wait, all of the tables had customers, my bowl of pho finally came. I was disappointed to see that the rare slices of beef were already in the bowl and fully cooked instead of raw and on a separate plate. The broth wasn’t as beefy and deep as most of the places in the SGV, and the noodles tasted like they had been pre-cooked and sitting in a clump for a long time –l stuck together and tasteless.
Even though I added ample hoisin sauce, herbs, jalapeno, and bean sprouts from the herb plate they brought out, I couldn’t make the broth flavorful enough. It was just too bland. It wasn’t until I was halfway done with my bowl that I noticed there were no beef balls in it. By then, I was pretty full and didn’t want to bother the already swamped kitchen, but next time I’ll definitely check all the contents of my bowl before digging in.
Other than the relative closeness to my house and them being veggie friendly, another good thing about Pho Show is that despite the “west side tax,” the food was at a reasonable price. My bowl of pho (small — but more than I can eat) and a Thai Iced tea just came out to be $11-12 including tip.
While Pho Show has ample room for improvement in regards to the broth, with the gas prices as they are, I can see myself eating here when I’m craving pho and too lazy to battle traffic to go to the SGV. I was really looking forward to this place opening and having delicious broth. Maybe it’s just the restaurant going through first week frenzies, but I do hope that they work on the broth more and get their timing right with the noodles.
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Pho Show
4349 Sepulveda Blvd
Culver City, CA 90230
(310) 398-5200
Louise absolutely LOVES filthy, cheap places! (See more of her posts). You can also find more of Louise's writing at her own website NakedSushi.
H.C. says:
June 20th, 2008 at 9:35 am
That Thai Iced Tea looks great — I find the usual carrot-orange color a bit off putting, and yea — it has a tendency to be too sweet.
Too bad about the quality & missing ingredients in your Pho, though.
MaxMillion says:
June 22nd, 2008 at 9:00 am
Battling your way to Downtown may be marginally less hassle than to the SGV. I love the pho at Pho 87 on Broadway. Street parking, too.
Louise says:
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:51 am
@MaxMillion, I like Pho 87 too, but it’s been a while since I went there. The closest good pho place to me though, is the pho place in Van Nuys next the the Ranch 99. I think it’s Pho 99 or Pho 1 or something.
MaxMillion says:
June 23rd, 2008 at 3:36 pm
^ ooh — that’s closer to me, too. I’ll have to check it out (once the heatwave subsides……)
Thanks for the reminder!
michelle says:
July 7th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
The veggie pho has the problem of a blander broth, but it has good veggies inside: lots of great greens. The broth is a big problem, also their egg rolls don’t have the same oil-laden glean that the Pho 69 ones do, and they’re on the thin side. I prefer the pho place in Brentwood for the better broth and egg rolls.
jacky says:
July 8th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
pho show is suck dude!!!!
lando says:
July 9th, 2008 at 8:42 am
@Louise, Pho So 1 in the ranch 99 market plaza is a staple of my girlfriend and i. i am originally from monterey park, and this places blows anything in the SGV area out of the water, imo. i highly suggest the trek to the valley for some proper viet-goodness.
there is also a Pho So 1 in Las Vegas that’s equally as good and owned by the same people. it def. hits the spot after a night of boozing, clubbing and gambling.
Julian says:
July 10th, 2008 at 8:54 pm
the broth of pho is a big problem,i think they put alot of sense and to much {MSG}taste plant like the water no meat inside the broth,smell to strong and {MSG}make me thirsty,and the spring roll is not to fresh also the peanut sause taste so wierd without the smell of a peanut.Thanks for all of your comments,[what's the pho show?]
danny says:
July 12th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
lately your pho is really suck and also your other dishes are suck too. i think sooner or later you gonna loose lots of business. get a better chef,
Sara says:
August 11th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
FIRST TIME FOR PHO FOR ME… THE PHO IS THE FUNKIEST TASTING THING I HAVE EVER EVER HAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PROCEED WITH CAUSION :)
REALLY NICE PEOPLE WHO WORK THERE THOUGH :)
eRIK ESTRADA says:
August 19th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
I think the food is great from the PHO to the stir-fry! ESPECIALLY THE STIR-FRY! Take my word being a college student always looking for the best deal and of course the best food. I’ve been eating in the San Fernando Valley at places like PHO SO 1, PHO 999, and well PHO SHOW has converted me, Worth the drive hands down. I LOVE IT,plus the waitresses are just as hot as the PHO! (Always a +)
Noblegases says:
September 10th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
I have eatten Vietnamese food from Paris to San Francisco to Orange County. This is the worst Vietnamese food I have ever had. The coffee I couldn’t drink. It was a mix that tasted like asperin and aluminum, yet with hazelnut flavor. The pho broth was old and rancid had they not added enought MSG and viragaurd to remove the first two layers of my tounge. The vegetables had been washed in soap. Stay way from this place.
Kook of Earl says:
February 20th, 2009 at 11:28 am
Wife and I go here once a week (we live in Rancho Park area). Good pho and last night I got the vermicelli with the fried pork egg rolls on top…pretty tasty. Also, we tried the fried calamari appetizer last night after normally going for the pork spring rolls (which are also good…most vietnamese place i have been to only have chicken, beef or veggie) and it was really good: super salty, which i liked, and on top of something almost resembling pico de gallo, but spicier because chiles were thrown in the mix. not as good as pho 999 in van nuys (or pho so 1 across the street from pho 999), but does the trick.