Aku Eats Oahu : a closer look : Pho Five-0, a closer look

Pho Five-0, a closer look

Aloha!

7/26/08 - I guess it could work. I suppose if you're from the Mainland or some far-off destination and are at least 50 years old, she go. Personally, I've never even seen an entire episode of Hawaii 5-0, but I know it was the symbol of Hawaii back in the day as much as J.R. Ewing and Dallas were to Texas or Don Johnson and Miami Vice were to Florida, at least back then. Is Baywatch still the television rep of America to the rest of the world? I once knew a German guy that said "Married with Children" was all the rage there, every young male in the country in love with Kelly (Christina Applegate) and in hysterics over Al Bundy's twisted logic. In fact, they were all pretty twisted, I think you'll agree.

Not that Hawaii 5-0 has anything to do with this Pearl City restaurant. It's just that the name led me to half-expect giant full-color posters of Steve McGarrett, Danno, and Zulu sprawled across walls and the show's theme song perpetuating the mood, along with a canoe-load of ripped-looking Polynesians paddling into a Waikiki Beach sunset.

I don't know if dissapointed was the word for it when I found the place completely void of Island television nostalgia. More like, relieved. Relieved that a small Vietnamese restaurant would not have the cojones to implement such a now-campy idea. Maybe a theme restaurant in the heart of Waikiki with a budget the size of Ruby Tuesday's, Macaroni Grill, or Chili's 'd have a shot, but something tells me that chopsticks, pho, lemongrass chicken, and spring rolls served by a small family enclave out in Pearl City just wouldn't fit the bill.

What did greet wifey and I as we entered the store was a large, beautiful arrangement of orchids - purples, whites, pinks, and yellows, along with red ribbons and broad leaves of dark green. Mom would make the trip out here just to view this huge set of fine-looking plants. Lots of TLC with this pot, for sure.

Boss Gary actually recommended this place to me, saying it was a good alternative to the very popular Cuu Long nearby at the Pearl Kai Shopping Center, which regularly has lines extending out the door. Besides pho and vegetable rolls, he and Doreen also love the fact that the interior is clean and comfy, and the staff are always friendly.

Wifey and I found all the above to be true. Despite the young waiter barely understanding any English, he was kind and attentive, providing everything we needed with a smile. Grandma in the back on the cash register, where you may need to take care of your bill, was a bit blunt, but in a grandmotherly, cute kind of way. She wanted me to fork over the extra dime's worth on the tab instead of taking my whole bills just over the total amount. I say "no, no - no mow." She smile and say "ok, ok."

Here's a shot of the entrance, wifey standing guard.

Our first order arriving was a set of vegetable spring rolls, its normal accompaniments of fresh, leafy lettuce, basil, mint, and sweet-sour fish sauce in tow. Very nice. As far as I could tell, they were stocked with carrots, mushrooms, bean thread noodle, and taro.

And what's the deal with all these guys out there who can detect msg like an airport dog sniffs out the bag of weed you forgot to take outta your carry-on? Some can taste it while others get that puckered, dry-lip sensation and sudden thirst after eating it. For the life of me, I'm completely oblivious.

Chinese food has been the traditional culprit and heralder of msg-laden meals, but on the island these days, the big news is whether or not this or that Vietnamese restaurant uses the much-villified crystals in their bowls of steaming-hot pho. I've long since given up going to great lengths avoiding msg, since just about everything in the grocery store contains it. Try checking the labels! Depressing, it is.

I know that some people have an immediate adverse reaction to the substance while most others, like myself, escape without a clue or care. Of course, I may be paying a price somewhere inside this body of mine, or in the long run, but in this paranoid world of everything causing cancer, how am I to know? If I happen to get struck down with extreme fatigue or start acquiring a tingling sensation down the back of my tongue, I'll consider pursuing the matter. Until that happens, I'll eat a good bowl of pho pretty much anywhere. I do know that Boss Gary is one of those unlucky (or is it lucky?) people who can detect msg, and Pho 5-0 is not so bad in this department.

I found the pho competitive, a worthy bowl with a clean, natural taste and deep, beefy flavor. Pictured is the smaller size, which was quite substantial. My order, though it wasn't beef pho, did have the same amount of noodle as the large-sized bowls, and was so huge I couldn't even finish it.

If you're not speaking Vietnamese, most times they'll bring a bowl with the beef strips already inside, half-done in the hot broth. However, you can always order it separate, adding them in yourself so you can better manage how thoroughly the beef gets cooked. Some of my Vietnamese friends will even eat it totally blood-red and raw! They simply sprinkle it with lemon, which has a "cooking" effect of its own from the acidic juices, and then mix it with the same hoisin/chili sauce combination that complements the pho.

Personally, I find the pic rather appealing and beautiful, but for all you who shy away from meat and are a little grossed out, here's the side of veggies to reduce your blood pressure and calm your nerves. Just stare into the center for a while. You'll be ok...

Upon recommendation from the waiter, I ordered a spicy beef soup noodle. The dish normally comes with thin, white vermicelli noodles, but I requested the broader, flattened pho noodles, a preference he obliged to without a problem.

The bowl was huge and quite a sight to behold, arriving with generous amounts of tender bbq'd beef, onion, green onion, and a soup reddened from chili pepper. Actually, it wasn't hot at all, maybe because he figured they'd better take it easy on this local boy. Little does he know that both wifey and I can fire it up with the best of 'em! I just added some extra heat with the condiments sitting on the table and that was enough to open my nasal passages and clear out the lungs for the time being.

Though a pretty dish, it was actually a bit lacking in flavor. Perhaps I could have finished the bowl if it were pho, but I didn't much care to fill up on this particular order. I think a meal of just the beef on top, however, along with some hot jasmine rice, would be an excellent dish to try later.

The menu here is quite extensive for a Vietnamese restaurant, serving the normal variety of soup noodles, small appetizers, stir-fry's, and bbq meats with rice as well as several types of curry, fried rice, and even thick udon noodles in soup. The crispy fried noodles also look interesting, coming with a nest of fried egg noodles covered with meats, vegetables, and/or seafoods in oriental gravy. It seems from the dishes presented today that the rest of the menu is probably worth a try.

Boss Gary and Doreen have been coming back to this little restaurant quite a bit, and have had good reviews and feedback from people they have referred here. Though my spicy soup didn't quite hit the spot, I could tell everything was done well, from the use of ingredients to preparation to final presentation - These were not dishes simply slapped together and rushed out. Those orchids just inside the entrance of the store may have been only for looks, but may also signify a deeper level of care taken by the owners in general as it pertains to their restaurant.

By the time we left it was certainly beginning to draw a crowd, so they must be doing something right. Will they garner the same crowds as Cuu Long nearby? That remains to be seen, but I wouldn't be surprised if that happens one day.

Hope you all are enjoying your weekend! Summer's in full swing so you better hit the beach parks early to get some party space! Till next time!

Easy,

Aku

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