Pho Express 2.5 Stars
Address: 12067 124th Ave NE
Kirkland, WA 98034
Phone: 425-820-6933
Website:
Directions: See a Map
 
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Price Range: $4-$6 entrees
Best Bets: Rare Beef Pho
Worst Bets: ?

5/15/2002

In case you don't know what "Pho" is, it's Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup. It's a hearty, but not heavy, staple of Vietnamese cuisine, and I'm not ashamed to say that I'm addicted to it. Good Pho is hard to find under any circumstances, since good broth requires cooking beef bones for a long time, like 8 hours. Add in a delicate balance of flavorings, and you have a sublime soup. However, Pho Express fails to achieve that delicate balance.

We tried the Rare Beef Pho and the House Special Pho, along with some shrimp and pork spring rolls and some deep-fried rolls. The uninitiated should stay away from the House Special, as it has many things like tripe and tendon, which are foreign to most American taste buds. But I like it. All the food was okay, but nothing special. The spring rolls were very lettuce-y, and the broth just wasn't that great. Also I would have liked more meat in my soup.

For the best Pho, you have to go to the international district in downtown Seattle. The Eastside has a few places, but Pho Express is the only place north of Redmond at all. So if you absolutely have to have some Pho and are nearby, Pho Express will do. But I'd recommend Saigon City, or even Pho Hoa in Overlake over Pho Express.

Bottom Line: Passable Pho, but go elsewhere if you can.



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