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Back in Chicago, there were several pho houses I regularly frequented, but since relocating to LA, I haven't been able to find one that meets my expectations. Today, Blossom changed that.
First of all, the egg rolls were out of this world. I've always loved Vietnamese egg rolls and the fish sauce that comes with it, but these were some of the best I've ever had. They came with lettuce, cucumber, and carrots, and my roommate and I were at a loss for what to do with the vegetables until we saw the table next to us wrapping their egg rolls in the lettuce. Huh. It was a good combination, though. Then the pho came, and higher level thought succumbed to pho-induced heaven. I got the chicken pho with brisket added. The chicken and brisket were both tender and plentiful, and the soup was perfect -- not too bland, not too salty. Like other Yelpers, I noticed there weren't a lot of noodles, but by the time I got to the bottom of the bowl it didn't matter much; I was already stuffed.
The service was surprisingly good (I don't expect much when I go to non-upscale Asian restaurants). They seated us quickly and we didn't have to wait too long for anything. Our waiter kept coming back to take our plates and chat with us about the upcoming USC vs. Oregon game.
I wish I could say this is going to be my go-to pho house from now on, but parking was such a nightmare that I might have to consider less convenient modes of transportation if I decide to go back.
Decent Vietnamese food for downtown LA. It's not Westminster and it's not Van Nuys, but it beats having to commute all that distance for lunch or for when I'm craving a bowl of pho.
Had the pho tai here. It was filling, but lacking a bit in flavor compared to some other places I frequent. That being said, it did the trick for a downtown lunch.
Service was friendly and quick, and I must have had my water refilled at least a half dozen times. Nice and clean interior too.
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Blossom is Awesome!
This flourishing little vietnamese noodle place caught my attention right away! You can smell the freshness itself from blocks away. Blossom is like the lotus flower blooming secretly in the corner of the still water. Hidden from all other average looking lotus flowers, glowing brilliantly but soundlessly and can be found only by those beholders' of true beauty. My point is... Yes! I am one of those people AND Blossom is beauiful and mesmerizing!! I think I'm falling in love...
I have passed by this place many times before but didn't have chance to try out the food until recently. I just love the places like Blossom. Hidden but well-known to savvy and canny artists and professionals of downtown Los Angeles. The building where Blossom located looks very old and rusty but the phrase we all know: "Don't judge a book by its cover" can be applied to blossom. The restaurant is divided into two different dining areas. I call the corner area where all the walls are pained in white as "Modern" and the other as "Traditional." Blossom did a fantastic job with its interior. The "Modern" area can be seen openly through wide window glass panels. The red bottles of "Sirirachi" chili sauce (the rooster brand) on each table play as an accent color piece for the whole interior. The chairs and tables are somewhat llike "Eames" style. This area receives plenty of warm daylight during lunch hours. The light will bounce off from the white walls to all the directions. It feels really nice to be present in the "Modern" side of the Blossom. The "Traditional" side has no windows except to the entrance side. Unlike the "Modern" side, it's dimly lit. Ideal for romantic and steamy (to clearify "steamy" part: I meant to say you'll be sweating because of eating hot chili sauce and hot broth of Pho noodle) dinner! I tryed out the dry vietnames noodles for the first time. Vietnames rice noodle soup: PHO was my usual choice but was in the mood for different arrangement. I also ordered Japanese "Orion" beer brewed in Okinawa island. This was a PERFECT and dreamy combination!! The dry pho nooldes with steak and shrimp was out of this world~ Bean sprouts, green onions, carrots, cucumbers with full of protein packed steak and shrimp were the healthy recepes. The noddle tasted so fresh and clean. Speaking of Orion beer. WOW~ It was so refreshing and the natural barley flavored was well preserved. It was very smooth~ What was surprising at the end was the PRICE! Just as I confessed in the beginning: I am falling in love with Blossom! She's beautiful, pure, innocent, brilliantly glowing but not boastfully nor flauntly and her caring and warm heart makes every man to come back for more noodles!!!
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Finally a decent vietnamese restaurant in DT! Favorite items so far are Com Bo Luc Lac/Shaking beef (wok tossed marinated filet mignon, sauteed onions with steamed rice, side salad, salt-pepper-lime dip) and vermicelli rice noodles.
Oh and they have actual coconuts that you can drink coconut milk out of. I'm def a fan!
I am on a quest, like a man possessed. Never shall I rest 'til I find the best veggie noodles in the west. Word.
Blossom Cafe might not be the best, but its still pretty damn tasty. I embarked on this adventure with a veggie companion, and we were both after the same thing: meatless pho. But, hey, we had to try some other stuff too, right? We ordered the vegetable fritters.
DAMN! Fried sweet potatoes, tofu, and mushrooms and a sour dipping sauce? (My mouth got unbearably moist just writing that.)
When the pho phinally arrived, it did not disappoint. Boo to all you naysayers who think "real" pho can't be vegetarian. The soup I ate was filled with fresh vegetables and a delicious broth.
The coffee was the weakest link in this chain. Or, maybe it was the condensed milk. Either way, it wasn't my favorite vietnamese drink. Also, the atmosphere was a little odd. Not quite ghetto...not quite chic.
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It's easy to get the beef pho right, and Blossom does. More importantly, they get the often dreary chicken pho right, too. The meat was tender and stock complex with hints of pork and fried onions. Absolutely divine.
Why do I give Blossom 4 stars, you ask? For being smack dab in middle-of-nowhere LA, their pho is AWESOME. 95% of the time it's what I order (and I come here every few weeks). The filet mignon is delicious as well. And the restaurant itself has a very relaxed atmosphere that I like.
My only caveat is that there's not enough noodles in the damn pho! Whenever I get my bowl of pho I have to do a little digging for the noodles, which are always in a clump the size of a baby's fist. Then I feel like a fatass whenever I ask the waiter for extra noodles. For $7 (which is already more expensive than some other joints) I expect to so full from pho that it hurts. Get on that, Blossom.
OK Vietnamese fare for downtown lunch or ArtWalk dinner; we did the latter. The goi cuon (rice noodles, lettuce, pork, shrimp and herbs wrapped in rice paper) were just fine for appetizers. I was, however, disappointed with the bun (cold noodles) with beef and cha gio (fried spring rolls.) The beef was lackluster in flavor and missing the smoky crustiness of the BBQ beef that other places use for this dish. The best cha gio- the kind I've eaten scores of on trips to Vietnam over the past 15 years- have a delicate phyllo-like skin that forms crackly bubbles when deep fried. The cha gio at Blossom are made of thick dough never develops a crunch. (I think they're among the places that use won-ton wrappers.)
The place is attractive and service is decent. It's definitely a find for downtown, but not all that authentic. (The bun I had at Blossom made me appreciate all the more the wonderful version they serve at Dong Khanh in Little Saigon, and about which I've written previously. But alas, no ArtWalks in Westminster!)
We ate dinner at Blossom last night before ArtWalking. It wasn't busy yet when we got there around 6:30 so we got a table right away.
We started off with the vegetarian fritters appetizer, which were actually tempura fried sweet potatoes, tofu, and mushrooms. I'm not a huge mushroom fan. In fact, the thought of eating mushrooms sends my gag reflex into overdrive, but the dish was pretty darn tasty and I didn't gag at all.
I ordered the vegetarian fried rice and my ladyfriend ordered some vegetarian noodle thing with spring rolls. My rice dish was ok, but I wanted to steal all of the spring rolls from my date's plate -- they were soooo yummy. The rest of her dish wasn't as appetizing, though it was very fresh-tasting.
I think I'll probably come back when I'm craving spring rolls. I mean, I've never craved spring rolls before, but I might start now.
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From the reviews and a co-worker's recommendation, a bunch of us took a stroll from the office and just got back from having lunch here. Had the Pho Tai. Soup broth wasn't murky, but flavorful, and meat was tender... two thumbs up! Will definitely be back to try other menu items like the pork chop/rice dish.
Only minor thing was that we ran out of noodle! Please add a tad more noodle in the pho dishes.
"Meh. I've experienced better."
Really?? I don't know what the rave is about with this place. I really wanted to like it just because a lot of my friends tell me it's good. I've passed by during artwalks and it is really packed with people. Again, it was my dads birthday and we weren't full after Warung Cafe so we decided to walk the corner to Blossoms.
As much as a I really wanted to like this place, I didn't. At a vietnamese restaurant, I think it is KEy to have your pho right. You have to ):O ! The meat was very fresh, but the soup was poor. It was bland and super salty. The noodle portions were really small and according to John they were not fresh. I gobbled up my noodles and I still felt hungry.
You could get pho for 5 bucks, and it's not just a 5 bucks pho, it's a really good damn pho. My dad ordered their grilled porkchop on rice and that was pretty good. But he was like "it doesnt come with egg rolls?"
So we ordered some egg rolls which weren't as bad as I thought it would be. He also ordered the vietnamese coffee (Hot) and that was okay. Not as strong as some that I have, but it will do for his coffee craving.
Will I come back? Probably yes, because I do like giving restaurants 2nd-3rd chances.
So this was the 2nd meal for dinner that we had, after?
.. Popeyes..
rofl
I have frequented Blossom at least once or twice a year for the past 3-4 years and have noticed a drastic decline in the quality of their dishes and even more drastic decline in the quality of their hospitality.
I always order something from the bun section and am always baffled by skimpy servings of lettuce, bean sprouts, mint leaves, shredded cucumber and fish sauce. They only give a total of 4 peanuts and green onions are almost invisible. The size of the bowl is tiny. But the biggest gripe I have is the fish sauce, which isn't even fish sauce. This time around I ordered beef with egg rolls. The beef was poorly cut and marinated and the egg rolls were cold. My boyfriend ordered the shaking beef with rice. The beef was (again) poorly cut and marinated. The rice portion was teeny tiny. He had to douse the dish with tons of hoisin sauce and Sriarcha in order to add some sort of flavor to the dish.
The whole time I had to keep reminding myself "This is downtown LA where the hipsters live. Hipsters. Hipsters. Hipsters..." So, I must be a bit forgiving and acknowledge that Blossom is catering to folks who can't stand Asian fish sauce.
Along with the food, the hospitality was mediocre at best. My boyfriend and I went on a Saturday night before watching a play at the LATC and the place was half-full with local hipsters. We were the only non-white folks and why were we seated at a tiny table for two between a white hipster chick who was eating her pho while writing in her journal and a young, college-age couple who ate their pho with forks. Both of these parties were seated in spacious tables for FOUR. Ordering required us waving smoke signals and getting our bill required by boyfriend to get up and ask for the check. Our waters were never refilled and we were ignored the whole time. Why is it that Asian restaurants in gentrified neighborhoods feel the need to discriminate against their co-ethnic/racial customers? Why?!
Boo on you, Blossom. Your dishes are mediocre and your hospitality is lousy.
Stopped in at Blossom as I was apartment hunting. I actually had hoped for a hole-in-the-wall, authentic place, but realized when I saw the menus that it was a bit more upscale and perhaps "fusion-y". But I put that aside, hoping for the best.
The servers were very attentive, very polite. The space itself was nice, reasonably well decorated and setup... the food was just okay. I liked the banh xeo crepe, though it wasn't the best I've had in my life. Similarly, the goi cuon (summer rolls) were good but nothing special. It seemed like they made them early in the day so they were a bit rubbery compared to fresher rolls I've had elsewhere.
Not great, not bad. Close to home so I'll likely go again when I want to walk to Vietnamese food... but wouldn't drive very far to get there if it weren't.
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I live 1 block away from this restaurant and the 3 times I have been here because I was too lazy to drive to Pho 21 they have given me the worse service ever. First of all they take so loong to take your order and second the soup tastes okay. Nothing special and they serve very little noodles. I dont plan in coming here anymore since now I know that Pho 21 delivers to my apartment. This place is only convenient if you want to sit down, have a drink and wait a long time for your soup.
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What happened to this place? Everything used to be so reliably delicious, from the pho to the cold vermicelli bowls to the egg rolls. But the last time the food was borderline inedible, or at least not worth the calories. Like broth that has absolutely no flavor except for a weird soapy aftertaste and limp eggrolls. Did their cook just go on vacation? Is it safe to go back there?
My coworkers order from here for lunch sometimes. We typically order the beef pho or the bun.
The beef pho soup has great flavor. When we ask for it as take out, they nicely separate the noodles and veggies from the soup and meat. The price was pho of course if more here than if you get it in Alhambra or somewhere around there. The price is close to $8.
The noodles (bun) with lemongrass beef and egg rolls is YUMM-O! I love lemongrass beef! The egg rolls are crispy.
We had ordered the crepes before and it was ok. The crepes were not crispy. I don't know if it's because we ordered it to go.
If you dine there, try not to sit on the new side of the restaurant. The side with the bar. It's freaking freezing there!!! My coworker asked the server if they can lower the AC because it was blowing directly at us and our soup was cold in minutes! He said that he can't because that's how it blows out or he couldn't control the strength. Not a pleasant setting when you are freezing your ass off and it doesn't even help that you're having soup!
I haven't eaten at the restaurant in a while but I don't think they've fixed that issue...
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Who'd have thunk it? Great selection of beers and wines! Not the best Vietnamese food i've had but the food is still good. Also, considering the cute decor and great wine, perfect place in Downtown to get some PHO (cuz god knows the sanitary concerns we all have over pho in certain places... think of Chinatown). Or, you can totally order glasses of wine/beer and have a bunch of egg/spring rolls!
They were also super accommodating (for a party of 10). They just set up a couple of tables on the 4th street side along the window so that was really nice of them. Although, I'm not sure how accommodating they'll be booking large parties once business starts booming but regardless, I appreciated what they did :)
Blossom Cafe has solidly good, cheap eats in a spot that's fabulously situated near the Regent Theater, Crewest Gallery, Old Bank DVD, Metropolis Books, Raw Materials, etc. Great place to get Vietnamese grub while you're out and about (and until I track down the newly-hyped Nom Nom Truck, it'll do for my occasional Vietnamese fix).
The restaurant is split into two sides -- a livlier side with larger tables for groups and a paired-down version next door with counter seating and small tables. The interiors are sparse and industrial but softened up with a dose of Bertoia chairs and George Nelson lamps. Mid-century design just makes me cozy on the inside.
I probably should've been more adventurous and tried one of the phos or rice noodle dishes but I stuck to the basics -- com chien chay (vegetarian fried rice) and goi cuon chay (veggie spring rolls). The food presentation was really wonderful (can you tell I'm all about aesthetics?). The spring rolls were HUGE and full of fresh, crisp herbs but they definitely benefited from the added flavor of the peanut sauce. The fried rice also needed to be amped-up with chili and soy sauces but once I got the seasoning right, I thoroughly enjoyed going back and forth between the hot, spicy rice and the tongue-cooling spring rolls. Sort of the culinary equivalent of jumping into a cold pool after being in the hot tub for an hour. Good stuff.
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On a hot LA day, a bowl of cold rice noodles with crispy veggies, roasted peanuts, lettuce strips, and topped with strips of beef and 4 prawns, all tossed together with the dipping sauce, was heaven in a bowl! It was refreshing and filling, and I think I probably looked like a pig with chopsticks as I gorged, but I didn't care. $7.50.
The iced jasmine tea was perfect with it, and refilled for free! $2.75
Last time, we had the spring rolls and a bowl of pho, and enjoyed both. Will definitely go back again!
Get the pork chops. Nicely flavored and moist, they were the hit of the table.
Delicious vegetarian pho. my boyfriend and I came here on a whim one night, and we liked it so much we came back and ate here again the very next night. I love the vegetarian spring rolls with peanut sauce and the pho was fabulous. My boyfriend had a vermicelli dish with egg rolls on top and loved it. We will definitely be back! Excellent choice for downtown vegetarians.
OK, so one day me and my hunny went to The Edison to have happy hour drinks and on the way home I had the great idea of stopping at Blossom. I have heard that Blossom was good from other people in my building, but I was taking it with a grain of salt.
We went there sat down, decided we would have some dinner, but weren't ready for what was to come. We had a shrimp dish and a beef dish. Sooooooooo GooooooD! Not only was it delicious, the prices were stupendous. We also had some drinks and our total came out to a little of $20. The food was so worth it. If you ever are walking by Blossom and are curious, STOP, EAT and enjoy!
Sure the neighborhood is sketch during the day AND night. Sure, parking can be a bit of a hassle when you can't find street parking. Yes, if you're a girl ( or just look like one ), you will probably get cat called by some random homeless person. But overcoming all of these portentous impediments is worth the struggle when you get a delicious, mouth watering bowl of pho in your hands.
Blossom is a singular gem in an otherwise unimpressive culinary environment infested with fast food mexican and fried chicken joints. I recommend starting with Blossom's egg rolls. They don't skimp on the fillings, like most Asian places, and are a good size for sharing. For the main entree, order their Pho Tai, which is the perfect amount of thin, rice noodles and rare steak slices cooked in a tasty broth. As an added bonus, the broth they use tastes fresh, unlike other Pho places where the soup tastes like its been sitting for days. If you're looking for a good rice disk, definitely go with the Shaking Beef - and ask for a fried egg to top it off. Yummmmm....
Blossom is also known for its great selection of teas. I'm partial to their White Tea, but when I'm trying to beat the heat, their Soda Chanh is equally thirst quenching.
Overall, Blossom is a great Pho place that never disappoints. The staff is always friendly and the restaurant is super clean. Always a plus when you're dining downtown. The restaurant is kinda small, but they've expanded a bit and now have seating on the other side of the kitchen. Street parking is possible, but if not, there is a small lot across the street where you can pay to park. But this place is a must if you're in the downtown area, and beats anything in Chinatown.
People thought this was:
Gotta agree with my two fave pho-Yelpers here (Louis N. & Laura Y.) ... the pho @ Blossom was serviceable but lacked depth of flavor. I'm an annoying pho-stickler that way (but what self-righteous Viet isn't, ha) ... My beef pho better be rich with beefy goodness and like many of the eastside Viet dining options around here -- the broth continually falls flat, but I'm guessing it's deliberately watered down for the mainstream palate. I get it. Broth @ Blossom is a smidgen sweet, but not offensively so. It's still leaps and bounds better than the stuff Gingergrass in Silverlake amusingly calls pho. (Sorry to hate, cause I admittedly hit up Gingergrass out of desperation and severe lack of other Viet joints around the area.)
The goi cuon, an easy staple we always order, are neatly rolled and I appreciate the fresh ingredients. The grilled beef spring rolls were solid, albeit a tad sweet. $3.50 for some hot tea though? C'mon now.
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We came here at 9:00 PM to have a bite to eat before hitting up Crocker Bar. When I rate Vietnamese restaurants, I mainly have to taste their sauce for the Bun Thit Nuong first. And here the sauce is pretty good, somewhat balanced. Their egg rolls are good too. We ordered the Bo Nuong Spring Rolls (Beef spring rolls) and they were okay, not great. However, the restaurant could improve on the appearance of the rolls since they had rolled the spring rolls with the brown beef on the outside, which made it look very phallic...
Overall, the prices are very cheap. I would come back again if I'm in the area and I have 10 dollars in my wallet. But if I'm looking for an amazing meal, this wouldn't be it.
Vietnamese food in downtown is pretty rare, but Blossom fills in the gap nicely, especially for the workers on weekdays who want to escape the blandness of their sad homemade lunches or the fast-food fare that dots the city (Little Tokyo is a better bet).
With that said, I've only tried their bun (vermicelli with egg rolls), and I thought it was pretty decent. Nice, refreshing veggies, and mini, crispy egg rolls, although the sauce is so-so. I've heard their spring rolls are a better choice, so maybe I'll visit this place another time.
It's generally very busy at lunch, with pretty high turnover, so getting a table (inside or out) shouldn't be a problem. Unfortunately, the price is $1-$2 more than your average place, although overhead in downtown is rather high, so it shouldn't surprise anyone. If it's a turnoff, then head northeast to Chinatown and get your fix there. However, this joint does deserve a try. Just don't let the white-collar workers scare you off.
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Pleased every time!
People thought this was:
Cean, simple, delicious and CHEAP. We eat here at least once every 2 weeks. It's our fallback whenever we don't feel like cooking.
The service is efficient and friendly and the food is consistently well cooked and flavorful. My favorite dish here is the vegetable Pho. I don't think any other Pho place makes it this way or includes as many veggies. The tofu is soo delicious! Lightly pan fried around the edges...and the sauteed onion bits? AMAZING!! My husband's go-to dish is the cold vermicelli, #23. It comes with lemongrass skirt steak, pieces of egg roll and shrimp Try it!!
If Blossom were a woman, I'd would lay her down by the fire... go slow and treat her right. After all, she's truly a lady-- not a cheap whore (Yoshinoya Bowl), so you gotta respect her... and in return, boy will she put out!
(man, i gotta stop with these creepy sexually veiled metaphors when reviewing restaurants. I mean, what I wrote above doesn't even make sense!)
Anyway, Jesus has indeed returned to Earth as he promised, and it is in the form of Blossom's spring rolls (#4 on the menu). These are UNBELIEVABLE. They will warm your tummy and soul, and make you believe in God again. Bill Maher should try these.
The only other dish I've ever gotten (and I used to eat here 3-4 times a week when I first moved downtown), is the Shaking Beef (#10 on the menu)... which is frakking delicious. Why have I not ordered anything different? I try to force myself, but the savory thought of that Shaking Beef always sways me at the last second.
**Make sure to squeeze the lime-wedge that comes with it INTO the tiny salt/pepper bowl (also included); dip, eat, and repeat.
My only complaint: WHY is it closed on Sundays? It would make more sense to be closed on a Monday, rather than a weekend day when people are usually more free to eat out.
People thought this was:
one redeeming thing about jury duty is the excessively long hour and a half lunch, which left me enough time to walk to Blossom, one of my potential future favorite Vietnamese restaurants. I have eaten there 2 or 3 times, and have always thought the food was flavorful, fresh, and picky-eater friendly. Today I had the vegetarian pho and among the typical bean sprouts, rice noodles, mushrooms, basil, lime, tofu, etc., were carrots, green beans, and fennel. Fennel! In my soup! made my day.
The soup plus an iced tea came to under $11. When I was ready to go the server offered to put my iced tea in a to go cup, a friendly gesture I wish he had done with my help so as not to get his long nails all over my straw. I think it was his version of a peace offering since a few minutes earlier when I jumped off my chair to grab my purse he poised himself to chase after me in the event I walked out on my bill. i mean, is this Denny's and is it 4am and am I a raver? no. So let's not jump to any conclusions.
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My boss took me to lunch here one day, which I have never had Vietnamese food before, so I was kind of nervous. I ordered the Beef Pho Tai, and the spring rolls with the peanut sauce, and it was really good. I also tried my bosses soup which she ordered the Pho Ga (chicken soup) but I don't know which one I like better. The workers there are really nice, and the price is really cheap!
I was really surprised, but I would definitely eat here again.
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NOM NOM NOM NOM!
I ordered take out from here once. Got the Pho Tai (rare steak). So good! It was the perfect fix to a rainy and cold day in downtown L.A. Also ordered the Thai iced tea. Very good.
I would definitely come here again.
I like this place. Cheap, fresh, good friendly service, local joint.
Their chicken pho is great when you are feeling under the weather, take our or dine in.
And i like their pork and shrimp rolls with peanut sauce. Good for a litebite.
If you like tamarind tree in seattle, you will like blossom in la.... but I still like little saigon wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy better!!!!! well the area, not the restaurant.....
so what you would order at any vietnamese restaurant is what you should order here, you won't go wrong... and they even smiled at me when I ordered an extra egg over easy :) if you have never tried an over easy egg at a vietnamese restaurant.. man you are missing out!!!! it is the bomb dizzle as my sister ngoc would say
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Mmmmmm!
I tried my first bowl of Pho during artwalk a few months back and have been mowing through huge bowls of this tasty soup ever since.
Soooo good!
I don't know why their Pho is so much better than other places i tried. it's so flavorful, I barely need to add any sauces to spice it up.Spring rolls are a little dry. sake is good. recently, a friend got some fried rice that looked and smelled amazing but i was too full too partake. so full it hurt to laugh and of course i was with the funniest goofiest boys i know.
they come with the check pretty damn fast so i feel a bit rushed to scoot out of this place at times. that soup always makes me crave something sweet and last timei walked over to pete's cafe for a caramel apple martini and mmm boy it really did top off the night!
a strong 4 stars especially for asian food in the downtown los angeles area. quite clean and a great place for lunch. it get quite busy, so if you can go a little before or after lunch hours, you can avoid the hecticness.
i've tried the steak and porkchop dishes before and both were delicous. they were served with a little side of lettuce and slice of lemon.
the curry was so so to me. i prefer to have curry in little tokyo, but the waiter suggested that it was a popular dish.
last dined: 2009 March
# of visits: 5
favorites: Rare Steak Pho
description:
Authentic Vietnamese food for a modern, hip crowd.
food: A
Good Vietnamese food but just fresher than most places.
portions: B
service: A
value: A
ambiance: A
I love the modern twist on a Vietnamese Restaurant.
cleanliness: A
Cleanest Vietnamese restaurant I've been to by far.
seating: B
It's actually two restaurants connected to each other. I've never had to wait. Good for parties of 2-8.
location: B
parking: D
Street parking in Downtown LA is what it is. Have quarters available if you go during the day. If you go a couple blocks south you'll be close to Skid Row and I wouldn't advise parking there at night if you're easily scared.
I want to love you Blossom, I really do. I must say you have a great location downtown. I like that you have a separate diner section for people who roll solo and want to grab a quicker meal. Minimal decor and the service was prompt. Nice.
Your vegetarian spring rolls were tasty and cut in half the way I like. I did order the Pho Chay which should have come with Tofu, but it didn't. I inquired about this minor error and you followed up with some right away. No worries. I liked it with the boc choy & carrots but it's missing the portobello mushrooms that I wished it had. It is hard to make Pho Chay believe me I have tried a few times to get it right. I appreciate your take in this item.
Pricing was super reasonable and you DID take credit cards which was a plus. I have faith in you new found Pho friend, I really do. I will be back again soon in the future.
Blossom is conveniently located in central downtown near 5th and Main so an easy stop during the monthly Artwalk. The cold noodle (bunh) is delightful but I must say, I have not seen a "hipster" Vietnamese joint master the banh xeo (crepe) quite like them. You can have it with shrimp and pork or veggies. Their fish sauce appears darker in appearance than usual but tastes perfectly fine. Beer is also served - a nice compliment to the cold noodle on a hot LA day. Service is quick and friendly and atmosphere is unpretentious and pleasant. My only complaint/query is why the floor is split into two sides with two separate entrances? This puzzles me... I should probably just ask.
3/9/09 Upade: After eating half a dozen bowls of pho from this place I've come to the conclusion that their broth is way too salty. I'd really give this place 3.5 stars.
A bowl of rare steak pho is $7.00 plus $.85 tax.
Today I had the steak vermicelli dish ($7.50). Dish was out within minutes. Note: I ate a small quiznos sub about 10 minutes earlier but I was still hungry (munchies). I was stuffed after eating the entire dish. The ratio of meats to noodles to fish sauce was just right.
Only complaint, I like ice water not lukewarm water. Also, they need candles outside to set the mood a little better. Maybe I'll just bring my own candles.
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Update!
This place now has an A! Apparently they got their new score a week ago.
I ordered the rare…
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Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Elysian Park
Category: Vietnamese
Los Angeles, CA
Category: Vietnamese
Los Angeles, CA
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Sandwiches
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Trying to find good eats downtown is proving to be…
Not completely vegetarian. But good vegetarian…
