Critique of the week
Ali Mitton/UVU Review
This week my travels took me to a Vietnamese restaurant called Pho Plus Noodle House located on 908 S State St in Orem. I took a fine young lady with me, which always makes the experience even better – especially with the opportunity I was given to demonstrate my best attempt at slurping noodles and broth without drowning myself. That really impresses a girl.
For those of you who enjoy Vietnamese food, you likely know what pho (pronounced “fuh”) is. You likely also know that before now, the only place to get pho was SLC. Now Orem boasts a new pho restaurant, which opened about a month ago.
For those unfamiliar with the dish, it is a very popular Vietnamese soup of beef and noodles with fresh basil, sprouts, jalapeños and a lime presented on a side plate to allow the diners to add these items at their own discretion throughout the meal. If the ingredients are dumped in all at once, the sprouts and basil leaves wilt.
A cursory scan of the menu showed that though the restaurant it is primarily dedicated to pho, it does also offer other authentic asian foods such as real barbecue pork and yakisoba. We’re talking real asian food here, not Panda Express or some chinese buffet.
We ordered an appetizer of edamame which proved to be delicious, and, like the rest of the food there, highly nutritious.
Then came time for the main course. As a first-timer, I decided to take the path of adventure and ordered pho with flank, tendon, and tripe (intestine lining).
About ten minutes later, out came my massive bowl of Pho, which was only the “regular size” on the menu. I wondered if the chef had accidentally sent the whole pot out to me.
The quality of the food was superb. And while tripe and tendon aren’t quite my thing, they didn’t ruin the meal at all. Next time I think I’ll try the steak, flank, and brisket – and there will be a next time. As for the side vegetables, I figured that the restaurant had a garden in its kitchen.
The environment was comfortable and relaxed – not the kind of place to catch a football game on the bigscreen while you eat. However, this restaurant provides a wonderful retreat for fresh, delicious, and nutritious food. Sports and trans-fats are so Applebee’s anyway – give Pho Plus Noodle House a try.