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anonymous
The food was ok but they added more tip on my debit card that I did not approve.
@nowthatscookin
This is one of those places you drive by all the time, but for one reason or another you don't stop and try out. I have had a number of my Ffacebook friends suggest this one to me for quite a while now, so I decided it was time to go in and give them a try.
You will find them tucked away in a little strip mall across from the University of Arkansas on Martin Luther King, they occupy the corner spot there. And when you go in you will definitely get the feel of a mom and pop operation, it seats probably 50 people at the maximum.
During my visit there were two distractions I found. First, there was holiday music playing through their PA system, and it was a bit on the loud side. Fortunately I was not there with a companion, and therefore did not need to hold a conversation with anyone. And second, there were two televisions hanging on opposite walls. Now I do not mind watching programming while I am at a dining establishment, but one of the televisions just happened to be on The Learning Channel. And the program that was playing was one of those ER programs. And at times it had some pretty graphic scenes on it, now mind you I do not have a weak stomach. I have seen my share of "bad" things in my life. But when you are wanting to sit down and have a nice bite to eat, that kind of imagery is not conducive to a pleasant eating atmosphere.
Now in regards to the cleanliness of the facility, overall it seemed ok. Around the front counter area there is a lot of "stuff" that gives it a bit of a disorderly feel. I was not able to check out their bathrooms as someone was in the one bathroom they have, which prevented me from using those facilities. Overall the interior was ok, and surprisingly not cramped considering how small the overall inside of the restaurant is in relation to how many could be seated at one time.
I decided to try out two of their mains, the first of which was the Bun Bo Hue.
This soup consists of lemon grass, shrimp paste, onion(s), a pork product they make their as I was told by my waitress, a flank steak meat and noodles.
It came with a side of red cabbage, bean sprouts and some herbs. That could be added in as desired.
The broth was great, and seasoning was spot on. This was a great soup for a cold day. A little bit of bite to the soup which I liked, but not too intense at all.
For my next main I tried a soup called Pho Nam, Gan, Sach. This soup is made with brisket, soft tendon, tripe, and onion..
After a few minutes of waiting for my waitress to come around, she finally walked by and I got her attention. I asked her as any novice might, what does the soft tendon look like and what does the tripe look like.
I had discovered they had left out the tripe and wanted to see if she would figure that out. Well she did. I could tell she was having to explain to the cook that the tripe had been left out. In fact according to what I over heard, it looks like the cook knew what the dish was, but did not think it was supposed to come with tripe. She walked back with the menu in hand and showed it to him.
They fixed up a separate bowl of tripe for me, which I added in to the main soup. I love tripe!
Overall the soup was good once it had all of its ingredients. Broth was smooth and seasoned well.
The appetizer was Bi Cuon, shredded pork rolls. These rolls were very good, as was the sauce.
But my appetizer was served at the same exact time as my main. Appetizers should never be served at the same time as the main course.
And the plate that the food was served on had three large cracks on it, as you can see in the photo. One of the edges were a bit sharp.
Very sloppy indeed!
The true hallmark of an above average dining establishment is not only the taste and freshness of their food, but also sits squarely in the shoulders of "service". And I have to tell you that aspect of this establishment was lacking greatly.
First, we have an appetizer that comes out on a broken dish, served at the same exact time as the main. That is not just pure laziness of the owners and staff, but also shows that they have no pride in their facility. There is no way I would serve food on a dish that not only looked the way mine did, but also had sharp edges. That dish would have been thrown away after the first chip.
Second, I waited for approximately fifteen minutes for my water to be refilled the first time. And something to point out is that while I was in their establishment, there were no more than three other tables being served. The place was very empty, and there were plenty of staff just "hanging around". My waitress walked by my table at least four times before I finally had to ask her to get me more water.
Third, I then waited a second time for approximately five minutes to get my water refilled again. And again, I had to actually ask her to get me some more water.
Now if this is how they treat a single person that comes in and they have never seen before, who is ordering two main dishes and an appetizer, how are they treating everyone else? Why in the world would I want to go back?
The food was ok, but remember they did not get my order right the first time. So I would say they are a bit below average overall in regards to food.
The service was very bad. When you have no more than 7 people in your restaurant, each person should be treated as gold. And if you have someone in your restaurant you have never seen before, that is when you want to impress them with top notch service. That top notch service is what will help them decide to come back over and over again.
In summary, here are my thoughts. This place just didn't "do it" for me, and I will not be going back anytime soon. I think they have gotten complacent in the business that they get from the college students, and could really care less about hitting that average to above average mark. They are ok with being mediocre at best.
And in this day and age, my dollars are going to go towards eating establishments that show they not only have a passion for the food that they prepare, but also a passion for providing excellent and above average service. And Pho Quyen just is not that place. I can not in good faith recommend this restaurant to anyone.
anonymous
Although I would like to write a book about this place, I will limit it to a few sentences. Essentially, the food is amazing, but at what cost? The wait staff is terrible (family business, thus family included here). I'm talking about appetizers coming out at the end of the meal, no refills, no "how are you," no smiling, etc. Not only that, I saw roaches in the bathroom, told the wait staff, and they didn't do anything about it. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but Something! I've been there, honestly about 30 times total in the past 3 months--a regular you could say. I brought my boyfriend's mother there recently for dinner, and they were more inconsiderate and disrespectful than ever before. Common decency is expected in everyday interactions, even more so when you are purchasing their products. Remember how I said the food was amazing? Well, most Vietnamese food is amazing so I recommend the place on College, Pho Saigon.
