On the Best of LA List
So earlier this week I decided I would check out a new restaurant to try out this weekend because I had an appointment in the Reseda/Canoga Park area today, in the early morning (trust me, I won't ever get up early on a Saturday morning again unless it's natural and it's to go workout) and since I'm still feeding on my new foods/only new restaurants high, I searched the area online and made the decision to retest Vietnamese since there were a few in the area. It had been years since I've had it and hey, why not! So there were a couple of different restaurants I saw in the area and went from going to Pho 999:
to making the decision to go next door, literally, to Pho So 1 on Reseda and Sherman Way:
(looks better on the street side)
You can't miss it! It's right near that shiny gold --Cash for Gold and Pawn Shop-- store on the corner.
I walked right into the restaurant and immediately loved the ambiance. Very open, spacious, and filled with friendly people. I loved how there are different tables that stand out in the restaurant. Big tables for big groups and the usual small tables that seat up to four people. What I also noticed right away and what I remembered reading in some reviews was that the restaurant seemed to always be packed and how they seat people with others at a same table. I actually find that quite neat! Of course some people may have that issue of not wanting to share their space with complete strangers, but I actually like it. Meet some new people and discuss food politics. We sat next to couple of different people throughout our time there. Everyone was friendly and opened up right away. LOVED it!
Lunch time!
So I actually had a real hard time trying to order food. Not because I didn't know what to get, but because I wanted almost everything! My inability to make decisions, which ONLY occurs when it concerns food, popped up and stayed, making it difficult for me to choose! How can you choose only one good thing when there are so many?
Starting off with drinks, I had to already cancel out the coffee specialty drinks because coffee makes me sleepy so I narrowed my choices down to Soda sữa hot gà (Beated egg sweetened milk with soda) and Nươc vưa tươi (Young coconut juice). Wanted both, but settled on the young coconut juice. ($2.50)
They made the drink 20x better by putting a couple slices of the young coconut into the water. So refreshing...
Jessica chose the Trà thái (Thai Iced Tea) ($2.50)
Next up, we each ordered two different dishes. While we were waiting for our food, they brought us a plate full of wonderful basil, lime, and bean sprouts.
My first dish was Bún bò xào (Stir fried beef with lemongrass, rice vermicelli, and vegetables) ($5.75)
Also came with a side of nước mắm to pour into the bowl:
Ok seriously, I could not put this down. SO unbelievably good! The flavors-just sensational! Had the sweet flavor with a slightly salty kick from the nước mắm, which I just poured over the bowl right away. And you know I absolutely love the taste and smell of lemongrass. Wow, it always brings me back to the Amazon where I discovered that lemongrass smells THE BEST out in the open! Nothing compares to that, but this bowl definitely came close! The vegetables so crisp, the cashews brought the crunch, and enjoyed the surprise under the rice vermicelli. This dish was so light, so fresh, comforting, and.....and I think I'm going to heat up my leftovers now and just finish the rest of it!
and second, I ordered the Com vit roti (Curry duck with steamed rice) ($5.75)
I love how this curry is completely different from Thai and Indian. Each have their own distinct flavor. Right away, I could taste the saltiness of the nước mắm. One thing I wanted to point out was that the duck was just slightly dry. Nothing to obsess about. I thoroughly enjoyed this dish and also looking forward to this leftover.
Of course when I took this to-go, I made sure to take some of the basil, although I do have basil in the garden: (Basil Fresh From The Garden).
Jessica ordered the Pho Gà (Chicken Rice Noodle Soup) ($5.35)
and Bún Thît Nương (Charbroiled beef with rice vermicelli and vegetables) ($5.35)
She thoroughly enjoyed both dishes...well her tastebuds did, not so much her stomach. She basically said, "I'm not experimenting with different cuisines with you anymore!" And I said, "Um....no! You just need to strengthen your stomach lining somehow and keep eating more random things!"
Next up: dessert! Only I indulged in this. They had their variety of natural shakes. I basically was stuck between: Chè Dau Xanh (Green bean drink), Chè Dau Çõ (Red bean drink), Sinh Tó Sàu Riêng (Durian shake), and Sinh To Bơ (Avocado shake). I narrowed it down to the Durian and Avocado shake. Couldn't really decide which one I wanted so they let me try the Durian to get a better idea of it and MAKE UP MY MIND!
And wow, what a pungent scent it has! But still had to test it out. And you know what, I loved it! It has the tropical flavor and my own opinion, I thought it had a slight flavor similar to papaya. I was going to go for the Durian shake but I thought, if I get the Avocado shake, it would be like I had both so I ended up getting the Avocado shake. ($2.35)
Avocado blended on the spot with sweetened condensed milk. Hmmmm, all I've got to say is thank goodness I have some avocados and sweetened condensed milk in the kitchen! Everyone in the reviews recommended trying this and now so do I!
Overall, the service was great and EXTREMELY FAST, the prices---VERY reasonable, and the food, SIMPLY outstanding! I give Pho Sô 1 5 hearts: ♥♥♥♥♥. Honestly, I wasn't really having a good day/week and after coming here, my mood just changed and I forgot all my problems, (like not wanting to wake up for work all week :), waking up early and having my appointment cancelled while at the location, and car problems (leaking gas..scary) earlier in the week...you know those just once in awhile life stresses that all come at once) literally. Still haven't thought about them! It was that good. I can only imagine how great the food is in Vietnam; probably better! I also wanted to mention that everything to me felt light. Nothing heavy in my stomach. It was nice to go home, chill for a little bit, and then go on a bike ride without that feeling of fullness. Nice!
For not living near an area that offers more of this culture/cuisine, this wasn't bad at all for the moment! I'd def go back! And I'd still try to convince my friend Jessica to go back too!
Next up we have Argentine, Greek, Korean, A Home Cooked Meal, and updates on my triathlon training!
