Pho So 1

We ate at a new restaurant today in the same shopping center as the aquarium store we like to go to located in the southeast corner of Spring Moutain and Decatur. Last time Ian was getting tank water for my jellyfish he noticed Pho So 1 was a really busy lunch spot, so we went back to check it out. Pho (pronounced fuh) is a traditional Vietnamese soup that can be prepared in a myriad of ways. It is obviously abundant on the menu, yet there are also about a million other options to choose from. One of those options appealed to me as an appetizer - the "authentic" Vietnamese egg rolls. They were delicious! They were not served piping, however, which was somewhat disappointing, yet they were hot enough and fried to perfection. The rolls were stuffed with a tasty mixture of pork, spices, and rice noodles (just the right amount of rice noodles, as they were not used as a bulky filler). Since it was our first time there so we had to get the pho. I got the vegetable pho and Ian got the pho with shrimp. These were served piping hot, and the broth was delicious. The best part about pho, in my opinion, is getting to season it to my liking with the various accoutrement. These include fresh bean sprouts, a varietal of thai basil (distinguished by purple stems), mint, limes, and asian hot sauces. Ian's pho left something to be desired since the shrimp was frozen and farmed, but the other ingredients were fresh and the vegetables were cooked perfectly. Ian ordered "33 Export" beer (pictured below) to pair with his meal, which was a fine pairing, but probably not a beer you'd drink outside a Vietanamese restaurant. We plan to go back to another Vietnamese restaurant, Pho Saigon 8 (the hot spot for Pho in Vegas), to make a comparison, yet we enjoyed our lunch at Pho So 1 and the price point was great - my pho was less than $6 and Ian's less than $8. Next time I think we will try the grill-it-yourself at the table option by ordering the make-it-yourself spring rolls. This is a more labor intensive lunch (not Ian's first choice) but I think it's fun (see attached picture of the table next to us)!

Today's Food Rating: 6.5
Today's Drink Rating: 5.5
Ambience: 6
Would we go back: YES, IF IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Tip: Go to the asian market next door called Sieu Thi Thuan Phat to pick up dinner. Wild Chilean Sea Bass is $9.99/lb and red bell pepper are $0.99/lb. Check out the ingredient shopping page for more info.