Great Bowl

Went to the awful bowl the other day and ordered some Pho. Let me say it was not very good. First off, It came in a  plastic cup which i did not mind but the serving size was small. Next the broth tasted like chicken stock with oil in it,  Pho broth is made from beef bones and seasonings simmered over hours not this one!  The noodles are over cooked and where not  vermicelli. No extras like bean sprouts or basil not even hoisin or sriracha sauces. I had two choices of meat, chicken or some type of meatball, I went with the meatball and it was chewy and nasty. This place needs help! other choices you can get are spaghetti and meatballs, chicken salad, or pork chops. That does not sound very Vietnamese to me.

I think this place opened a little prematurely, they were definitely lacking some serious ingredients.  I ordered the PHO which tasted good except that it was missing all of the wonderful extra things that normally come with pho (bean sprouts, basil, jalapeno, sauce, etc).  My pho consisted of noodles, meat and a sprinkle of white and green onions.  The broth was very good, but the soup as a whole was lacking.

My boyfriend got the chicken rice bowl, which consisted of grilled chicken, rice, and romaine lettuce.  No sauce or seasonings.  We made it work with some extra hoisin and sriracha sauce.  

The manager informed us that they are going to do a reopening in March which will include a 'do it yourself' style pho bar, which sounds awesome along with a full menu.

We will return in March to see how that goes...

This is an interesting concept, Vietnamese fast food.  Probably tastier and less unhealthy than most American fast food.  They serve pho, but it's more informal and quicker than most pho restaurants.  The pho comes in a small plastic bowl that can be eaten at the restaurant, or presumably taken home.  They are $6 and come with a choice of a few meats - beef, chicken, and I don't recall what else.  They also have egg rolls and spring rolls.

My main problem with it is that the serving size is so small.  The amount of meat was sufficient, but there was nowhere near enough noodles to fill me up.  Also the beef I ordered came with a little bit of the typical thin cut rare beef, but also came with cuts of a beef sausage I'm not familiar with.  Not necessarily a bad thing, but not what I was expecting.  The flavor was fine, not bad, but not amazing.

That said, I'm happy to see an ethnic restaurant this far east in Aurora.  I'm also glad to see someone trying a new concept.  It just didn't work for me as I left hungry.  But please try it for yourself.  If you want a quick, cheap, hot bowl of pho, it may be just what you're looking for.