Choose Your Pho-King Meat-- Wisely
Living in the Bay Area, there's never a shortage in pho restaurants to visit. The menu changes slightly and everybody has their preference as to which suits their tastes more, but generally the interior never changes.
What I mean by that is: the walls, tables, decor and utensils are bare bone necessities. They’re set in a way that they can usher customers in and out smoothly, but also just wide enough to push a cart through for clearing out the plates.
Now take all that you know about your typical pho place and throw it out the window.
Think of most pho places like Eevee (yes, the Pokemon) and think of all the other variations as evolutions. Pho Factory is one of them. I classify it as an Umbreon.
Why?
The restaurant sits in a high-ceiling, circular space that’s impeccably clean. Abundant amount of space paired with dark furniture and interesting light fixtures choices enables Pho Factory to stand out.
What other Pho places lack and skimp on is what Pho Factory chose to emphasize upon. This makes it a great place to introduce newbies to pho before easing them into the more chaos driven pho restaurants.
So Pho Factory gets an A+ for decor, but everything boils down to the food. How did the noodles hold up?
My family visited Pho Factory a few months back for my dad’s birthday. Through word of mouth, we heard about this place and my dad wanted to go try it out. When we arrived, the restaurant was pretty empty with the exception of one or two tables, but my parents liked to eat early.
You get seated and they present you with these nice menus. No flimsy laminated sheets of paper here! When you place your order, they give you the option of choosing between two types of noodles: thick and thin. Thin are the noodles that you normally get in a bowl of pho, while thick are a smidge thicker and reminiscent of the noodles you’ll find in Pad Thai.
My dad ordered one of their specialties: ox-tail pho, while I had their pho tai (rare filet mignon). And I believe my mom ordered the pho ga (chicken pho).
Despite only having a few tables filled, the service was crawling. They really took their time when it came to bringing out the food. And when the food came, I was disappointed.
My rare filet mignon was significantly overcooked. As in, the moment I lifted up the piece of beef, it looked like it’s been sitting in the broth for a period of time. It was shriveled up, tough and unappetizing.
Note to self: next time I visit, ask for the beef on the side.
My parents had better luck with their bowls and liked the flavoring. They also like the freshness of the side platter of fresh herbs and bean sprouts.
For me, I’m reluctant to write off the entire restaurant as bad, since my parents enjoyed it. I will have to give them a second chance before I come to a final conclusion.
Much like most pho restaurants, you take note of your number and pay for your meal up front. They accept credit cards, which is a PLUS in my book.
What is a bigger deal breaker: bad food or bad service? Or which are you willing to tolerate more? Bad service with great food? Great service with bad food?
Pho Factory
888 E. Capitol Ave
Milpitas, CA 95035
