Food Review: Pho Vietnam in Fort Smith Has a Banh Mi for the Win!!!

Coming home from a long vacation out West, where not even one banh mi could be found, I was determined to get one before the vacation was over. Fort Smith happens to have plenty of different Asian restaurants to choose from. So, based on online reviews, I chose to try Pho Vietnam. While it wasn’t perfect, their banh mi was!

 

ENVIRONMENT

Set in an old gas station, this place is no 5 Star restaurant.
The outside reflected exactly what we would see on the inside.
With plenty of tables came plenty of unorganized junk lying around. To be fair, they only have one big open room with the kitchen having its own tiny space. So, all those extra chairs, dishes, glasses,  toaster ovens and nautical decor has to go somewhere, right?
But I never judge a book by its cover- some of the best food I’ve had have been in holes-in-a-wall.

 

MENU

The menu is lengthy!  (Too lengthy to post photos of each page)
Full of Thai teas and smoothies, egg rolls, spring rolls, chow mein options, lo mein options, banh mi options, rice dishes, noodle dishes, fried rice options, vermicelli bowls, pho options, and many “Vietnamese Specialties” including rice flour crepes.

 

FOOD

Tea- Free

Immediately upon sitting, we were given menus and complimentary hot tea!
You know I’m a sucker for freebies, but this tea was very delicious! It needed no sweeteners with its almost floral flavor.

Saigon Spring Rolls- $7.95

Ok, these were NOT the Saigon spring rolls, which should have jicama, carrots, lettuce, basil, sausage, eggs, shrimp, and peanuts.
Rather, we were given the regular rolls. I knew by looking at them they were wrong, but gave them one bite to see if they could be enjoyed anyway.
They couldn’t. These were honestly the worst, driest, blandest spring rolls I’ve ever tasted. I sent them back and was told the Saigon ones were not available. I wish I was told that when I ordered them?
*These were taken off our ticket with no issues.

Saigon Beef Salad- $7.95

How do I judge a new restaurant? By its beef salad and banh mis. This beef salad was cheap and beautiful. The beef was flavorful and cooked just right. The rest was extremely bland. It didn’t have the same “zing” in the dressing as I am used to in a Thai beef salad. Clearly, Thai and Vietnamese dressings are not the same.

Banh Mis- $3.95

We tried two different kinds, the Barbeque Pork and the Paris Style.
The Paris Style had eggs with “sausage” and lettuce, plus all the normal additions- pickled veggies, jalapeños, cilantro. However, the large amount of onion was something I’d never experienced on a banh mi before. It was very tasty and different than any banh mi I had tried before. The egg was a nice texture addition and the “sausage” was just bacon. Though it still had the sweetness and spiciness and vinegar flavors you typically get in a banh mi.

However, the star of the show was the BBQ pork. In the perfectly soft, yet toasty bread (ok, the other banh mi had perfect bread, too) there was a ton of ridiculously juicy, flavorful pork. Juices were not dripping, but spilling out of this sandwich. Yes, it was messy, but it was to die for. And $4!!!! And it was anything but small. This is officially my favorite banh mi!

Mystery Dessert- Free

After our meal was done, we were brought small bowls of….well, I’m not so sure. Banana tapioca pudding with peanuts? I am not a huge fan of tapioca. However, this warm pudding was delicious! There was a great banana flavor without the texture of banana. I gobbled it up!

 

OVERALL

I would eat here again just for the free tea and dessert. Otherwise, I’ll be getting banh mis (many bbq pork ones) to go. These are life.
***This restaurant is CASH ONLY.

 

Food Review: Linhs Vietnamese Cuisine in Russellville

I first heard of Linhs Vietnamese Cuisine from a fellow food blogger who said they had wonderful banh mi sandwiches, so I made a pit stop there on my way out of town and got a couple of the “original” banh mis to go. Honestly, I was not impressed. The original includes sliced steam pork roll, Chinese bbq pork, and pork ear ham (whatever that is) and it just wasn’t my cup of tea. Granted, I ate it about an hour and a half after picking it up.

While I had never planned on going back, we were in the area, starving, and this was the only place that had some options that sounded good. Even a so-so banh mi is better than fast food.  So, I gave it another shot and I am so glad I did! Here’s the breakdown.

ENVIRONMENT

Like many unexpected gems, there’s no glitz nor glam to this place. It is a large, open old restaurant building with clutter pretty much everywhere. There’s even a small grocery section where you can buy some Asian products.

MENU

https://www.facebook.com/LinhsCuisine/menu/

Their menu can be found above, on their Facebook page. It is full of 3 appetizers (2 of which I talk about below), many varieties of pho, many rice dishes, many vermicelli dishes, and a few “specialty” dishes including a hot pot, a couple varieties of fried chicken, and the banh xeo I got. Finally, there are a few options for boba tea and other unique items like fresh lemonade, Thai tea, and Vietnamese coffee.

FOOD

FREE Egg Drop Soup

I was starving when we arrived, so I was very happy to see a small cup of egg drop soup dropped off as a starter after we ordered our meals. It wasn’t amazing. It was a little bland and very thick. The green onion was the star of this show. But nevertheless, I ate it very quickly.

Spring Rolls with Pork Patty, $3.50
Description: Handmade fresh everyday with cermicelli, cabbage, and mint.

This was the most unexpected spring roll I’ve ever tried, or heard of, and it was delicious! It had a cut and seared hot-dog like “pork patty” in it as well as a very crispy fried dough. So, each bite was crunchy and porky and divine! I’d eat this every day if I could.

Banh Xeo, $10.95
Description: Traditional Vietnamese rice battered crepe stuffed with shrimp, pork, onions, and beansprouts, served with fish sauce.

I had never had this dish before, and it sounded like nothing I’d ever tried. The waiter suggested it, so I gave it a shot. The texture of this “rice crepe” was very different from anything I’ve tried before. It was crispy on the outside, but soft in the middle and full of bean sprouts and onions. There were only two shrimp, but plenty of pork bites. I loved it! The side salad that came with it was a nice addition as well, and all of it together, dipped in the side sauce, was very tasty! Also, it was HUGE.

Banh Mi with Grilled Pork, $4.50
Description: 6″ oven baked white hoagie with choice of meat and chicken liver patte, picked carrots, cilantro, and jalapeño.

Side note: even though this is listed as an appetizer, it is a full meal, especially after that huge spring roll.
The main reason I didn’t like the original banh mi I tried before was because of the meat in it. So, since it was so cheap and I can’t say no to a banh mi, I gave them another shot. Though, this time I just got the grilled pork. And we got a winner! This time it was perfection. The bread was perfectly toasted and soft in the middle. The pork was so juicy and tender. There was a lot more sauce on this sandwich than there was on the previous one, so it was not dry in the least. In fact, it dripped juices and sauces and was a little messy, but oh so darn good! Looks like I’ll be dropping by here again for this sandwich.

 

OVERALL

While one bad take-out experience did occur, they shined when we dined in. Maybe the key is to eat your food immediately rather than waiting an hour and a half?  Also, pretty much everyone else in the restaurant ordered pho and when I saw a bowl of it, I regretted my menu choices immediately. These were the biggest bowls of pho I have ever seen, with deep colored broths and tempting aromas. I HAVE to get pho (and a banh mi) next time we go!