Thursday, April 30, 2009

Pho' 99, Franklin Park

Went out for quite the lunch with Dad today. I have never had Vietnamese food before, so when he told me he discovered a place nearby I quickly agreed to try it out. Located in a strip mall on Route 27, it isn't much to look at from the outside, but let me tell you, Pho' 99 is a darned nice looking joint once you walk in. Brightly colored walls, dark wooden tables and chairs, and simple, tasteful art on the walls... modest but inviting.

We were welcomed right away by our server and had a steaming pot of tea on the table before our tushes even hit the seats. It was tasty... nothing too fancy, just nicely brewed hot tea. We took a quick minute to go over the menus and made our choices. I went with a namesake dish, the Pho Bo Vien, which was a beef broth soup with rice noodles and beef balls, while Dad went with the Vietnamese Crepe stuffed with shrimp and pork. As we waited for the food to come out we noticed that while the menu was somewhat limited, there were plenty of specials posted on lists throughout the restaurant.


Lunch came out and it was gorgeous. Colorful and nicely presented we couldn't wait to dig in. My Pho was delicious. The broth was nice and beefy, but not overpowering or salty, the way beef based soups can be. There were a lot... nay... an abundance of noodles settled nicely into the center of bowl. they were perfectly cooked and really absorbed the flavor of the broth well. The beef balls were a whole different experience completely... not a bad one, just a unique one. The consistency was startling... it immediately reminded me of eating a hot dog. It had the texture of a hot dog and the color of a polish sausage, but it was really really dense, much like a pâté. It was peppery and meaty and just over all tatsy. My only complaint would be that there were a few too many green onions in the dish, even for me ( and I am allllll about green onions). All in all I was very pleased with my selection!  
Dad's dish was also good. The crepe itself was a rich yellow, and looked like it would be incredibly spicy, but, SURPRISE!, it wasn't. I couldn't quite make out what the crepe batter was composed of, but if I had to take a guess (and I do) I would say lentil and eggs. The shrimp and pork were cooked nicely, not dry or chewy like crepe filling can be. Again, I noticed no spice, but a lot flavor. My Dad clued me in to the fact that apparently Vietnamese cooking uses hot spice in their condiments only, not in their food (which is fine with me!) Along side of the crepe was a garnish plate that held cold, crunchy bean sprouts, a lime, and some jalapeño slices. For dipping there was a sweet vinegar sauce that was refreshing and delicious... I think it was meant for the crepe but I couldn't stop myself from dipping the cold bean sprouts in it, much like fries in ketchup.

The meal was cheap, quick and delicious, which is my Holy Trinity for lunches. Although it was my first experience with Vietnamese food, I can assure you it won't be the last. Pho' 99 has scads more soup dishes to try, and I saw some appetizers on the special list that I can't wait to get my hands on. In the words of the Terminator, "I'll be back".

Pho' 99

http://pho99nj.com/

Somerset Shopping Plaza

3151 Rt. 27 Unit K

Franklin Park, NJ 08823

732-821-1828

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