Pho Hoa Noodle House - dj

649 N Primrose Drive
Orlando, FL 32803
407.895.6098

Pho Hoa is a franchise restaurant, out of Sacramento California, that does not taste like a chain. It is located on Primrose next door to Il Pescatore Italian restaurant. The dining room is your standard fare, disco ball included.

The menu has 112 items listed. This includes a section that explains the how and why of Pho. There are soups for beginners all the way up to the Adventurer’s Choice. As you go up the scale the ingredients become more exotic.

I choose my standard Vietnamese dish a Bun, rice vermicelli with grilled chicken. I also ordered a vegetarian summer roll. The summer roll was very good packed with ingreadients; the peanut sauce that comes with it was not quite as good as some other places I have eaten. The noodle dish had lots of julienned carrots and cucumbers. The chicken was boneless but did not seem to be breast meat. It had been chopped but I had to pull the pieces apart. The flavor was good but the presentation was lacking.

Rating: **
Service: **
Price: $11.00

Pho 88 – DJ

730 North Mills Avenue
Orlando, FL 32803
407.897.3488
www.pho88orlando.com

Pho 88 is located in the heart of Viet Town of Orlando. It is an unassuming restaurant with a rather plan looking dining room. While we were there the all of the other patrons were Vietnamese. The menu is huge there are 212 numbered items, including the Durian Shake # 205.

I had # 107 Grilled Chicken on Rice Vermicelli (Bun Ga Nuong) $6.25. This is the standard dish I get in a Viet restaurant. It was prepared in the way I expected, julienned carrots, dakon, and cucumber. There was also sliced lettuce and bean sprouts. The dish was topped with a sprinkling of cilantro and scallions. The grilled chicken was a little fatty and not as smoky as I like.


The over all experience was a nice one. Viet Garden is still my favorite Vietnamese restaurant.

Rating: ***
Service: Excellent 4
Quantity: Just right
Price: Meal/Water $6.25

PHO 88 - RB

I had Grilled Pork over Rice with a Meat Patty. Pork was a bit fatty but very good. I can't tell exactly what the Meat Patty is made of and I don't think I really want to know but it was good.

Service: Good (3 out of 5)
Quantity: Plenty
Meal/Water: Under $7.00

Pho 88 - DT

730 North Mills Ave

Once again we visit the Mills/Colonial section of Orlando sometimes referred to as "Little Saigon". While Pho88 is a Vietnamese restaurant that specializes in noodle soups, their menu is diverse and extensive (over 200 items). The dining area is large with a high ceiling and modest decoration. It could have previously been a small grocery. For a Thursday, the place was quite busy with mostly Asian patrons. I was anxious to try the cold Spring Rolls with shrimp and pork. You get two large rolls per order served with peanut sauce. I prefer the peanut sauce to be nuttier. The ingredients were fresh and the rice paper wrap was soft at the edges indicating that it had been prepared very recently if not to order. For lunch I chose the Grilled Pork on rice. It comes with a sweet fish broth and lettuce, tomato and cucumber. I like to pour the broth into the rice and the remaining peanut sauce over the simple salad. The pork was prepared in a tasty sweet seasoning and served with a generous pinch of chopped scallion. I would like to have had a leaner cut of pork. Today, I found it to be a bit fatty. The server was efficient and the management friendly. I look forward to trying something new next time.

Quantity: Plenty
Service: Good
Spring Rolls/Grilled Pork: around $9.00

http://www.pho88orlando.com/

Viet Garden - DJ

1237 E. Colonial Drive
Orlando, FL 32803
407.896.4154

It was a sad day today as we were leaving Viet Garden today. We ask were Charlie was and were told that he had "retired". We have not seen him in about 3 weeks. We'll keep you posted on any changes.

Viet Garden - DJ

1237 E. Colonial Drive
Orlando, FL 32803
407.896.4154

Viet Garden is my favorite Vietnamese restaurant. It is located in Viet Town Colonial and Mills. Viet Garden is located in an older strip mall that has several Vietnamese restaurants including Little Saigon. We have tried the others but we always come back to Viet Garden as the best.

The restaurant is decorated with faux banana plants and faux orchids. The walls are covered with idealized paintings of Vietnam with a strange purple cast. The business here is usually quite brisk. The owner Charlie is always friendly and smiling. He tells of the labor involved in making the soups (Pho) 9 hours everyday of cooking the broth.

The menu is extensive and includes a Thai section as well. My favorite dish is #44 “Grilled Chicken with Fresh Lemon severed with rice vermicelli and vegetables (Bun Ga Nuong Chanh)”. This dish has strips of grilled marinated chicken on top of rice vermicelli. There are sliced cucumbers, bean sprouts, and julienne carrots on the side. The dish comes with a fish sauce mixture with sliced carrots on the side it is topped off with chopped peanuts. This is mixed with Vietnamese host sauce and poured over the dish to add some heat and a sweet tangy flavor. This is one of my most favorite dishes at any restaurant.

The staff is always friendly and efficient. The atmosphere is nice. This is a favorite place to eat.

Rating: *****
Service: *****
Quantity: Perfect
Price: Meal/Water: $8.00

Viet Garden - DT

East Colonial, just east of Mills.

This is not my first trip to Viet Garden. I believe everyone I know has been there. Hands down the best garden rolls ever. Garden rolls, sometimes referred to as summer rolls, are rice wraps filled with rice vermicelli, shrimp, pork, lettuce and basil and served cold with a side of peanut sauce. I like to mix a bit of the red chili sauce in the peanut sauce. You can choose tofu instead of meat, but I wouldn't. I believe I have an unhealthy addiction to them. I picked some up on the way home last night. (It's not on my way). So far I have tried the Prig King Curry, the Cashew Chicken, the Grilled Chicken with lemon and the Pad Thai. They weren't bad, but they weren't standouts. Today I ordered the #58 Grilled Pork with Rice. It comes with their sweet broth on the side and a lettuce, tomato and cucumber presentation. The white rice is served with few crispy garlic chips. I mixed a touch of chili sauce in the broth before pouring it over the rice. I asked for another side of peanut sauce for the simple salad. I found myself tearing into this plate of food. I found it odd that the grilled pork was served cold. My friend ordered the same dish but his was served warm. I didn't care. It was outstanding! The marinade was light but sweet. I will find it hard not to order this again. Did I mention the Garden Rolls?