With Tyler aching for pasta and the rest of us wanting something savory, we tried the nearby Pho Vi Hoa in Los Altos. We talked the hungry twin into the kids' lay banh pho, a wonton noodle soup. He slurped every inch of noodle in the bowl and and really liked the wontons.
Dylan had the thit nuong (grilled pork), which was good and greasy. My, how it gleamed! His brother like it, too and ate about half of Dylan's dish.
The tai chin (pho) had some of the tenderest slices of beef I'd had in pho. The broth was good, but Jenny and I were both thirsty after dinner, probably because of the soup. I can't say if they used MSG; in fact I doubted they did, but the soup was a little salty.
The bo nuong, beef rolls with onion, looked and tasted good. We saw it at the table to my right and were inspired to get it. Then, after it arrived, for the first time in years, I was asked about a dish I'd ordered by another customer, this one on our left. Perhaps because it was oily, though, I wasn't able to finish it.
Pho Vi Hoa proved to be a pleasant surprise. During our previous visit, the service was slow and the food quality mediocre. We went again last weekend really out of convenience. As interesting as the beef rolls were, though, it was the melt-in-your-mouth beef in the pho that will bring us back.
Pho Vi Hoa
4546 El Camino Real
Los Altos, CA 94022
(650) 947-1290
www.phovihoa.com/
