by Jeff Cavanaugh » Fri Sep 23, 2016 9:33 am
I went to Pho Ba Luu twice last week, and enjoyed it very much. I had the grilled pork banh mi ($8) on the first visit, and it was good. The bread wasn't quite as good as the stuff Banh Mi Hero had when they were open, but Pho Ba Luu do bake it on site and I'm sure they'll refine the recipe as they go on. I also would have preferred fresh jalapenos instead of the pickled ones they used, but that's not a huge deal, either. What I was impressed with was the pork filling. It was by far the most flavorful and delicious I've had in a banh mi.
On my second visit I got the beef pho, which was also quite good. The broth was very flavorful and delicious. It was an enormous portion, though - I ate myself stuffed and still had at least a third of the broth and noodles left over. If it were economical for them to do so, I'd prefer an $8 slightly smaller bowl over the $11 massive one that I got.
Oh, we also got the "crispy rolls" (imperial rolls) on our second visit. At two rolls for $6, I honestly thought that was a bit of a ripoff. Nam Nam Cafe's imperial rolls are 4 for $4.50, and they're just as good in my opinion.
They've done a good job with the buildout. It's a suprisingly large space, and it looks good in an industrial-chic way that fits the building and the neighborhood. Lovely back patio, too. The patio looks out on a back yard area that looks like it'll be sort of shared by the other Butcher Block businesses. Should be a very nice spot once all those buildings are renovated and occupied.
I'll be back repeatedly in the future, I'm sure! Pho Ba Luu isn't a substitute for Vietnam Kitchen's diverse menu, but VK is a long hike for me and I'll be visiting PBL regularly, especially for the banh mi.