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Category: Vietnamese [Edit]
Neighborhood: Outer RichmondMon-Tue., Thu-Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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I'm pretty consistent. I consistently do stupid, regrettable sh**. The most recent of which was 2 Fridays ago. Since I'm still recovering from Pho'od coma, I'm gonna recap this event photo montage style.
After work, I went to a café and met up with Ting A. http://static.px.yelp.... and Sascha O. http://static.px.yelp.... . They weigh about 180 lbs. Combined.
They are damn sexy hot waifs with wicked metabolisms. I am jealous.
Since we're foodies, we eventually start talking about food. Out of nowhere, Sascha proclaims "I can eat a lot!" Lies. However, I have seen Ting's in action. She once ate as much as me. I was not pleased.
So I suggest this: http://static.px.yelp.... Free if you eat it within an hour.
The two sexy waifs agree. They shall explode like corpuscles and revenge will be mine. They will become fat for a few days. During this time, I shall be hotter than them. I will no longer be jealous of their metabolisms.
I am pleased.
We arrive and stare at the bowl. It is big. http://static.px.yelp....
I hold it to my face. No, it's not big. It's Pho'king huge. http://static.px.yelp.... I am starting to think this was a stupid idea.
The owner, Brendan, is nice and makes us sign a waiver. http://static.px.yelp.... Oh yeah, I'm Pho'ked now.
I decide it is also good to write a last will and testament http://static.px.yelp.... I bequeath everything to your Mom. She loves me!
The bowls come out. They are ginormous. http://static.px.yelp.... Ting realizes she is also Pho'ked. And not in a good way.
She strategizes, though, that the best way would be to remove the noodles so they stop soaking up liquid. 2lbs of uncooked noodles = 5 lbs after cooking and still have the capacity to grow. Pho'king smart.
We start to eat. I am doing well. Ting is all business.
Sascha, however, has decided to eat slowly and enjoy her food. She is smiling and having fun. Random white people come and want to take pictures with her. http://static.px.yelp.... White people love Asian women.
30 minutes later, I am slowing down. I start to look like this: http://static.px.yelp....
5 minutes later, I give up. We all do. It looks like Ting and I have the same amount of food left over. Sascha is no where close.
Brendan grabs a scale.
Ting is proud. She has 2.5 lbs left http://static.px.yelp....
I have my leftovers weighed. A tick over 2.5 lbs. http://static.px.yelp....
ZOMG WTF I lost to a girl?! AGAIN!?
I am not pleased. I'm Pho'king pissed. I am jealous. I hate the world.
And I hate your mom.
But there will be a rematch. Stay tuned.
Pho'king peace out.
Delicious Pho, and great service too. Usually a wait if you go during dinner hours so plan ahead.
Never tried the challenge but its always fun to watch others try and fail hhaaha
This restaurant is GENIUS for making the pho challenge, because their pho is mediocre at best.
The place was clean and the service was fine.
The hype about this place is the fact that they have a PHO CHALLENGE...its a $22 bowl of pho that you have to finish within an hour...but it's tough! 2 lbs of meat and 2 lbs of noodles!!
Thing is, aside from the pho challege, their food is only at best average. They have all the standard dishes and drinks but nothing really captivates a patron to return. Besides, the pho challege is highly demanded by the patrons, yet they never thought to invest in additional bowls (currently only 4 of the massive ones are available).
Of the 2 times that I have been here, our party ended up not doing the challenge because there were too many people waiting on the bowl itself.
I did the pho challenge and failed :( I got 85 percent of it down and could not have another bite after that. I haven't looked at pho the same way since :(
Turtle Tower closing at 8:30 has forced me to go elsewhere for pho within walking distance in my hood. Hence Pho Garden.
Been there about 5, 6x now. No intention of doing the Pho Challenge, just interested in a good, inexpensive meal. I can eat decent Vietnamese almost every day.
So Pho? Well, theirs appears to be more of a Southern style. I prefer the Northern style of Turtle Tower. My favorite pho is still from TT or Bodega Bistro (Pot de Pho in a pinch). However Pho Garden's will do nicely too. It's fairly clean-flavored for a Southern style. Ingredients seem pretty fresh.
Then I tried the 5 Spice Chicken noodle soup. Mmm mmmm. Definitely one of my favorites now. Nicely grilled caramelized chicken on a plate (boneless! unlike most) and a small bowl of yummy clear broth.
The other day I had the grilled pork chop with egg over rice. Awesome. Huge thin pounded chop, nicely marinaded and grilled. The fried egg (pristine looking) is placed on top of a neat mound of rice, exactly where I want it. I couldn't believe I ate the whole thing. Would make an excellent breakfast too.
But today for lunch, alas, my first real disappointment. Had the bun with grilled shrimp and egg rolls. Good thing -- vermicelli was thick and fresh. Lots of veggies chopped in it. So-so were the egg rolls. They were just slightly warm and could've been fried a bit more. They were not crispy. Bad -- the shrimp was uttlerly flavorless. They didn't seem marinaded and they didn't seem grilled at all. They seemed fresh, that's all.
When I order the same dish at Sunrise Cafe on Bryant, the shrimp are caramelized nicely and the egg rolls hot and fresh and crispy. If I could combine the vermicelli from PG with the shrimp and egg rolls from SC, I'd have a pretty damn good bowl of bun.
Anyway, not enough to ruin my go-to pho place. I'll still be back for 5 spice chicken and pork chop. I also want to try the filet mignon and garlic noodles still.
Best of all, Pho Garden is really really clean (something I can't say for TT or SC). And they're open till 10pm.
The "Pho Challenge" has got to be the best marketing tool ever conceived by a Vietnamese food restaurant. What better way to get an average person to essentially buy 3 extra large bowls of pho knowing 99% of them cannot finish! Thats three times the profits! The Pho Challenge Pho'ked me up pretty bad but I was able to finish all 2 lbs of meat as the noodles grew with the soup. This is definitely not the best pho I have had but it is a down right ingenious gimmick! Half the fun was taking the before and after pictures! To imagine petite little Asian girls have beat the challenge just makes me feel like less of a man :(
Being from DC, we're fortunate enough to have very good pho in the area, and it was nice to confirm that after eating at Pho Garden. Is it good? Yes. Is it better than the good pho places in the DC Metro area? No.
What is good, is the five spice chicken. Not sure what they do to that chicken breast, but it's pretty amazing. The broth has a lovely flavor to it but I think the noodles could be a little bit better. I wasn't a huge fan of the Summer Rolls and the accompanying peanut sauce is kinda meh.
The decor is nice and clean but the place kinda smelled like old fish tank. I'd like to try some of the other pho offerings in SF.
I did not try the Pho Challenge, but I was there as the first female attempted the giant bowl of Pho. Girl Power!
Beyond their insanely awesome challenge, the food is pretty solid. But this is the best part: it's quite possible that you'll pay more to feed your parking meter than to feed your face.
Oh yes friends... Pho Garden is perfect for those hit hardest by the recession and those who were cheap before the recession and now are downright miserly. Also good for college students, musicians/artists, homeless people, and anyone else who loves a great deal.
Given that Pho Garden has 4 star average rating, I've had high hopes for this place...
Taste was plain boring - the broth in their pho was very watery, close to no beef taste and the sauce for their spring rolls felt watered-down to cut cost (quantity over quality perhaps, since they have a long line of customers to get through).
Service was OK - the service was not too bad given the amount of chaos going around this place. I was very surprised they were able to fulfill orders seeing how busy it was around lunch time.
Atmosphere was terrible - I enjoy eating in a clean, usually low to moderate noise restaurant, but Pho Garden was no where near my expectations. There were way too many hungry customers in the restaurant waiting around, especially the ones in line waiting inches away from where I've sat to eat.
Overall, I disliked the experience I've had at Pho Garden, even paid and left the place half way through my pho bowl. I doubt I will come back to this place again any time soon.
After somehow surviving camping for a couple of days at Henry Coe State Park while bringing too little dihydrogen monoxide and too much C2H6O, we were left in a slightly hungover, extremely dehydrated, and rabidly hungry state. After finding a 7-11 and drinking the most delicious premium FIJI water ever EVER, we headed over to SF for hopefully even better food.
After some talk about a legendary Pho challenge, I soon found myself here. My eyes seriously went O_O after seeing the size of that bowl. NO JOKE. It was GINORMOUS. Like it was the biggest bowl I ever seen. My confidence of finishing the challenge withered away. Two POUNDS of noodles and two POUNDS of meat?! Srsly? Srrrsssly? As I waited, I witnessed some huge big bulky dude guy thoroughly defeated. He was easily twice my weight. With that, the white flag went up.
I remember ordering some good pho here. It was delicious. Everything was done right. Noodles, meat, veggies, broth, everything. I ate so fast and was so concentrated on my food, I finished half my dish before even lifting my head to contribute to the conversation. There was also another spicy noodle dish that was ridiculously good.
There is still this tiny part in the back of my brain that says, U CULD OF EATEN TAT, Y U CHIKEN OUT. I ignore him though, he's stupid.
i'm probably the only person who isn't a fan of the pho challenge.
it turned my favorite vietnamese restaurant from a peaceful precise establishment to a sometimes too loud and overwhelming dining experience. service has slipped a bit, so has the food.
-imperial rolls are not as crispy
-servers are still nice, but not as attentive, for the first time i found mistakes on the bill.
-they always leave the door open now, because of the steam from all the giant pho bowls, which makes the restaurant feel cold
-its often crowded and loud in there, and parking is even more difficult
or maybe i'm just getting old and crabby.
tuesday 7:45 pm seems to be the magic night. it was quiet and i discovered a new fave dish - shredded chicken salad with banana blossom. a new must try!
this is my new favorite vietnamese restaurant in SF.
it's cheap, clean, solid, and the service is…
Read more »
I went here to try the Pho Challenge two months ago. I went on a Friday night, so the wait to eat was long (2 hours) since they only had two Pho Challenge bowls and there were two parties of challengers ahead of us. The bowls were huge, but I was still feeling pretty confident that I could finish it since I was starving at the time and I am capable of doing major damage at buffets.
After eating pho at a fast pace for 30 minutes straight, I started to slow down due to fullness and was getting discouraged at the seemingly endless amount of noodle. Needless to say I gave up on the challenge approx 50 minutes into it as I was almost at the point of puking.The pho itself was not very good, the soup base had no flavor and the noodle tasted blehh.
Overall, I definitely recommend this place if you are a big eater trying the pho challenge to see what all the hype is about! Just remember to bring a barf bag in case you need to barf in the car on the ride back =D
I remember in highschool, I went to Medieval Times with my English class. We sat down and ate and watch the knights fought. Since then, I never went there EVER again nor do I want to.
Pho garden is like Medieval Times for me. I went to witness the Pho challenge. It was VERY entertaining. Especially because when we went there, there was actually a guy who were finishing up his bowl. The server lady took out a strainer and strained out remaining solids from his bowl and put them in a smaller bowl to make sure he was finish. Very thorough job. I guess it's to make sure he didn't hide any meat in the soup.
Now, to the food itself, husband and I ordered pho and spring rolls. The spring rolls were okay and uneventful. The pho was bland for my taste. I didn't like it at all. I asked them to put the rare meat on the side, but she forgot to do it. It would have been a 2.5 stars, but the pho challenge bumped it up to 3 stars. It was a novelty that wore off really fast.
I've always meant to write a good review about Pho Garden. It's cleaner than most pho places and the food isn't so bad. Not great food, but better than ok. However, this restaurant is in dire need of one thing; SERVERS WHO KNOW HOW TO SERVE. Here's a sampling of the amateur performance I've been subjected to from a dozen or so visits:
1. Waited 15 minutes after I was clearly finished with my meal to receive a check. Usually not a big deal....except I was the only customer in there at the time.
2. Was seated and given tea. 10 minutes later a server asked if I was ready to order. I said no, because no one gave me a menu.
3. A friend of mine tried the pho challenge. 30 minutes of eating later, he uncovers a really long black hair. Our server comes by, he points it out to her, and all she does is make a face and walk away.
This last incident was the straw that broke it. Another server came by and we told her about it. She said the best she could do was give 10% off our check. Her reasoning was we were 40 minutes in then we "found" the hair. I can kind of understand what she was driving at. From one perspective, it looks like my friend couldn't beat the challenge and was trying to get out of the bill. But she didn't see what really happened which was that the hair was buried underneath a ton of noodles and my friend spent the last 30 minutes eating a meal with a long ass hair in it before finding it. We raised a fuss about it and got the challenge off the bill. Beside the point that the long black hair could not have come from anyone at that table, passively accusing regular customers is the best way to ensure that they'll never come back.
i'm the type of girl who likes to stick to a routine. i eat the same thing for breakfast everyday. i blast the same songs on my ipod when i work out. i always go to the same sushi bar, this list goes on forever. it was kind of a big deal when i decided to cheat on Pho Clement & head here for some brothy goodness.
the boy & i went at about 7:00 p.m. on a Sunday & every table was full. thankfully, there was only big parties ahead of us so we were seated in about 10 minutes. we decided to order the fried egg rolls, two small bowls of rare steak pho, & two breswkis (which were really cheap). we waited another 10 minutes to order, there were only two servers working & they were juggling a lot of large parties. the egg rolls were really great, probably the best part of the meal, & the pho was so-so. the broth was not flavorful & i found myself adding a lot more sriracha than usual.
overall, everything was just decent. i definitely see the appeal of Pho Garden (the modern decor, the pho challenge, etc) but i'm not really into it. i think i'll stick to Pho Clement cause that place always hits the spot.
p.s. why hasn't Man vs. Food filmed an episode here?
Pho here is average. If you're here for the "big" bowl challenge, then I suppose it must be awesome, but for someone like me, probably isn't best as you only have 1 hour to complete the challenge.
Came here looking for a steamy bowl of fragrant soup, beef, and noodles, I got a watered down broth. Also ordered was the combination pho which did have a lot of meat and tendons, etc., and summer rolls which had a lot of filling, but were bland and came with bland sauce unlike at other vietnamese places or like that which my family makes. Other dishes may be delish --like five spice chicken or curries, but as the name says, I thought pho would be the signature dish.
Atmosphere was loud like other busy Asian restaurants, which is expected and o.k.. Restrooms are not too bad, but located very close to the kitchen, so if there's a line, beware to be pushed aside a bit. Service was rushed as the staff was busy which meant we had to flag them for water and the check several times; so, off-peak hours may be better.
Overall, decent, but too average for me to be back regularly.
heard the pho challenge isn't free anymore even if you finish it... lame-o. you get a coupon to come back next time or something...
Got to try out the Pho this time and still excellent. The pho broth was very tasty and they gave… Read more »
I'm giving Pho Garden 3 stars because nothing was EXCEPTIONAL. I ordered the fresh rolls which were stuffed nice and big as an appetizer. For my entree I had the #1 soup (with the tripes and beef ball and such). The broth was a little bland and I thought the noodles got overcooked quickly. And there was little meat. My other company both ordered soup too and they didn't complain. If I come back it's because I want to do the Pho Challenge. Though, I hear the Challenge is 3 of the XL bowls and I didn't even finish my own bowl so maybe that's saying something :)
Pho Reals? Came here with a bunch of family and friends to watch them do the Pho challenge. This place gets busy so make reservations if you don't want to wait in line. The Pho bowl is huge, it's equivalent to 3 xl pho bowls. If you can finish 3 xl bowls with no problems, then you've got a chance. There were so many people doing this challenge on a Friday night. This is how this place probably makes most of their money. When we left, I asked the waitress if any one beat the challenge that day and she said no. One guy came close but after they weight the noodles and meat, he had about 1/2 lb to go and he couldn't even do it. $22 bucks to eat until you feel like throwing up is so not worth it IMO.
Now on to the food...I had the pork ribs in the caramelized hot pot with rice. The white rice was good, nice and fluffy. The pork ribs on the other hand was not so good. It was tough and chewy, not soft and tender. The sauce was not so sweet and more garlicky than I'd like. I wouldn't order this again. My husband had the xl Pho bowl and it was ok. The meat again wasn't so tender and the broth wasn't as flavorful. I'm sure it's because they have to make the broth so many times a day, that's why the meat is so chewy and not tender. Most good Pho places have the broth cooking overnight for that full flavor.
Someone in my group ordered the bun - vermicelli noodles with grilled shrimp and pork. She said it was also just ok and that she's had better.
The consensus at our table was, the food was so-so, not the best or the worst, but that we wouldn't be back for seconds. This place was entertaining, watching random people try to finish the pho challenge. It's like watching a train wreck. You know what's going to happen but can't help to watch. Parking is a huge problem by the way...oh, and when you leave the restaurant, be very careful and aware of were you step, we noticed about 5 random spots where people lost it and threw up along the streets and sidewalk. Eeeweee....
i might get burned for this review but I thought this place only deserved 3 stars! Beside the 'Pho Challenge' this place is just OK! We ordered the spring rolls and let me tell you, they just taste like ordinary spring rolls. nothing to rave about. I ordered the pork chops with over-easy egg and rice. The presentation was nice, but I came here to EAT AND YELP! The pork chops were thin and ordinary. I was only C level satisfied!
What really bothered me was that we found a long piece of HAIR in one of our dishes. Not good! They were really responsive and took care of the situation in a calm manner.
Like I said, the food is ordinary Vietnamese cuisine, but what made this place different was the 'Pho Challenge'! Its really entertaining just watching someone try there best to finish that ridiculous over-sized BOWL of noodles, chicken, beef, tripe, seafood and broth! EXTREME!
I came here specifically for the Pho Challenge and granted I know I wouldn't be able to finish it but I still wanted to experience it. Haha. We flew in right around 9pm for Labor Day weekend but didn't get to the restaurant until 10pm. The people there were really nice and it was still so crowded at the time that they sat us at the bar. My two other friends had eaten already and hubby wasn't up to eating big so we just ordered one BIG PHO and I practically half of it. It was good - pretty good. Quite surprised actually.
The owner was behind the bar area and I think I just mentioned who thought up of this and he started chatting with us. Very nice guy - saying how he loved pho so much and can eat alot and was thinking what's the biggest bowl he could make to do just that and have a challenge. Took him several bowl prototypes before they finally settled on one that was sturdy and didn't break in the kiln. Very awesome idea indeed. They had about 20 challenges that day with $21 or so a pop which is not too shabby. Only 7 of those made it. Because we only ordered one big one for four ppl to share - the price is actually $25 which is still reasonable. I would come back for sure! =)
Home of the PHO challenge - which makes the whole place sound very Americanized and touristy but its not..
the PHO is really good. good broth - not to salty but very tasty. the ingredients were fresh. its fun to watch people do or try to do the challenge although i don't think i will ever try it, i can barely finish a regular size.
it seems to be pretty crowded in the evenings we went on a sunday night and there was a list of about 6 other parties before me. but it was worth the wait.
Definitely not who at I consider a good pho restaurant. Without the Pho Challenge, they would probably not be successful.
How can a pho restaurant not have good, delicious, mouth-watering soup?!!
A group of friends came here just to watch one friend do the challenge. Result: no picture was taken for the Hall of Fame. It's just a big gimmick to get people in here and waste $22 + tips on a bowl of pho they are not going to finish.
I sat in the smaller table of 4. The bf ordered pho and I ordered the grilled pork with shredded pork rice plate. Good decision on my behalf. He did not even finish his pho; same comments about the pho with the rest of our friends. The rice plate was better though - same amount and taste as most delicious rice plates at other pho restaurants.
The waitress (a 20-something year old girl with medium black hair, medium height) was kinda of bitchy. She had her mean face on throughout the night. I just felt sorry for the customer next to our table who had shit spilled on his jacket by her. She did apologized though.
I was just happy to get out of here.
Its Friday. Its Payday! We is going out for lunch yo!
I jest stumbled back into the office after eating a large Pho Garden bowl of Pho, a Thai Ice Tea and Fried Banana & Ice Cream. Now tats what u call a lunch! Every pay day now, my coworkers and I pile into one of the vans that my buddy uses for his vanpool. Damn tat van is comfy! We drive to Pho Garden and in a matter of a few minutes find parking! Amazing!! We get in to see the lunch crowd had not dissipated yet. We were seating almost immediately. About two tables down we saw that there were two people who were ready to surrender to the Pho Challenge. I was thinking of doing this but after peaking into their bowls after they left. The Pho looked nasty so I am not sure I want to now.
I ordered a large Pho Garden Pho and killed in bout 6-7 min and my Thai Ice didn't stand a chance. After looking at the menu again i saw
FRIED BANANA & ICE CREAM!!!!!!! V(^__^)V I was sold!
I figured I have been beating the crap outta my abs all wk and am going to continue to beat them at the gym tonite. Since that is how much of a loser I am ;) I go to the gym on Friday nites :P. So why not splurge a bit :D
I am glad I did, when we got back to van to go back to work. I reallie felt like climbing into the back for a nap! Here I am back in the office wit a few more hrs left of work. Can't wait to get outta of here! 4 day wk end! Woot Woot
I thought what could make this day better! My wish has been granted!!!
WE GET TO LEAVE NOW!!!! Boss let us out early!!!
Honestly, there is nothing to hype about except the pho challenge here. Maybe I came on a bad night, maybe all the pho challenge people got all my chicken...oh wait, the challenge only includes beef and tripe...
- Coi Cuon Tom Thit: Spring roll w/ shrimp, pork, lettuce, bean sprouts, mint, and vermicelli noodle. Normally you can't go wrong ordering this appetizer at most Vietnamese restaurants. This one was pretty good and I was super hungry from waiting for a table.
- Pho Ga: Chicken noodle soup. I would have been satisfied with stringy thin chicken strips (at the least), but I ended up with tiny small bits and pieces of chicken/fat here and there. It was quite sad, I had to search for mini pieces of chicken/fat in my big bowl that consisted of pretty much all noodles. It felt like the chef gave me all the left over unwanted pieces of chicken.
Expect to wait, even with a party of two during dinner time on a weekend night. The pho challenge is quite popular. There were approximately 6 separate pho challengers that came and went during my visit here. Sadly, they all surrendered (I think. I don't recall any loud cheering/screaming from what I remember). If you do get pho, please don't EVER order the chicken pho. I was disappointed, big time!
P.S. Come if you want to be challenged with a ridiculous amount of pho, other than that just order the spring rolls. =)
The bowl has many opponents. To survive the bowl, one must think like the bowl.
Sometimes the bowl is a gentle river flowing in the Springtime and sometimes an ocean in Winter.
One cannot defeat the ocean. For victory, wait until the gentle river flows.
This place a great place to get your pho craving fixed. Came here with my manfriend and I had a large pho tai (rare steak). The noodles were cooked the way it should be...chewy (not too hard or soft/soggy). The broth had the perfect taste, not too salty and you could taste the beef flavor (probably from the bones being soaked in the broth). My bf got the grilled pork chop with egg over rice. They were nice enough to de-bone the pork chop for him (yeah...he's kinda lazy, haha).
I'm giving 4 stars for the food and the extra star is for the great service. They were very attentive to us and extremely nice. And...this place is totally affordable! Our bill came to about $17 (not including tip and plus a three colored bean drink). I will definitely come back again :)
I agree with Tracy T. There is nothing more than the hype of the Pho Challenge at the Pho Garden. If you're not there for that challege/fun, then just skip this place. Learn from our lesson.
We first started with a Banh Xeo, which is a Vietnamese crepe. Disappointed. That crepe was filled with only bean sprouts-one thinly sliced pork, and I don't think I remember see if we got shrimp.
I ordered the small Pho Tai (Rare beef slices) and when I said small, it was REALLLLLY SMALLLL.. Ridiculously small. The bowl and the contents were no more than a bigger sized rice bowl. My hubby ordered the beef cubes with garlic noodles. The garlic noodles came out COLD. Not even room temperature - COLD. It was so bad that we had to send it back to the ktichen. After 5-10mins of waiting, we had to remind the waitress to check on our dish- and she actually has the NERVE to ask us, what dish??? Finally the dish came out, and the noodles were now pretty much at room temperature. By this time, I was done w/ my tiny bowl of noodle and just had to wait for my husband to finish his meal before we get the hell out of there. Btw, the noodles was bland and tasteless. The beef cubes were marinated well, but they only gave you a few - the rest was just bell peppers and onions.
So disappointed. Poor service. Bad food. Small portions.
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Review #127
Pho Challenge 1 - Me 0
I don't know why I thought being half vietnamese meant that I was genetically predisposed to eating giant quantities of pho. As if there was a second stomach vietnamese people had when it came to pho. Maybe that's why I failed bio :(
I'd been training under the Kobeyashi food eating regimen by drinking tons of water and keeping my stomach stretched for two weeks.
The day arrived when I finally attempted the challenge. I went with a couple of buddies, all of whom were rooting for the pho. There was approximately a 40 minute wait since all of their pho challenge bowls were in use that night (They don't take reservations). They can now accommodate seven challengers at any given time.
As soon as I was seated, there was no time to take a breather as the bowl was unveiled before me. You don't really realize the epic-ness of the bowl until its staring right back at you. I grabbed my earphones and turned on my mixtape (It was just actually Eye of the Tiger on a loop).
My strategy was to build a bridge underneath the noodles with spoons so that I could keep them from getting soaked too long in the soup. I even stole my friends' spoons when they weren't looking to support my bridge of pho noodles. I would eventually work my way to the meat after completing the noodles. Despite the fact that I had an hour to complete the challenge, I told myself that if i didn't finish the bowl in 22 minutes I'd quit the challenge. Since that's typically how long it takes for my body to wake up and start telling me what an idiot I am.
At the 22 minute mark, I wasn't even close. As I was on the verge of quitting, the waitress actually offered to move the contents of my bowl into a smaller bowl with the soup drained. 1-UP!!! Back in business!! As she was draining my bowl, everyone found out where their spoons had gone. I'm pretty sure I counted seven spoons :D
After a few minutes, I only had an XL bowl left, but my mind had already made up its mind. Any flavor that was left had been extinguished by the draining of the soup. I gave up. The pho won.
I woke up the next day with a pho hangover. It was like being kicked while I was down. :(
I hate this place. Worst service ever. How are you gonna make a customer wait an hour and a half, then be about to seat them only to bump them for a larger party who had been waiting for 10 minutes. EFF that.
YOUR TRENDY PHO CHALLENGE WILL ONLY LAST YOU SO LONG!
Review #500
It sounds cliche but I didn't know what to do for my #500 review. It's a milestone and you only do it once.
So......I decided to celebrate #500 by doing something I've never done before. A pho'od (food) challenge. To prepare, I didn't eat the whole day and I ran around Pho Garden's block, twice!
Here's a recap of details for you upcoming pho challengers.
- sign a waiver to confirm your idoicy http://static4.px.yelp...
- $22 for a toilet sized bowl of pho
(2 lbs of noodles / 2 lbs of meat (slices of beef, tripe, beef balls, tendon) - you don't need to finish the broth. http://static2.px.yelp...
Finish it within your 1 hr time limit and your meal's on the house and you get to go home to fill your toilet bowl with the pho you just ate.
The ginormous bowl came out and I was like whoa. It was piping hot and full of flavor. Seriously, one of the better bowls of pho in the City.
http://static2.px.yelp...
I later learned, from the chef who later came out to see his latest pho victims, that they average about 15 people a day for the challenge, with about 10% completing it. The fastest completion time was 15 minutes!
The key is that you're suppose to put ice in your toilet sized bowl to cool it down, eat the noodles first as they absorb the broth, and to just keep on eating.
Even if I did that, I still don't think I would have finished my bowl. I did however finish about 75% http://static3.px.yelp... after calling my mom for words of encouragement. http://static1.px.yelp...
After watching a ton of Man vs Food episodes, now I know why they have that caption on tv that says, "please do not try this at home." We all had a fun time and hell no did I want to take the leftovers home. http://static3.px.yelp...
In this man vs pho challenge, pho might have won but I'm planning a rematch at review #1000!!
i had a group of friends come into town to visit. they heard about this restaurant that served HUGE bowls of pho with two pounds of noodles. we got to pho garden and it was your average pho restaurant. one of our friends attempted the challenge to eat this huge bowl in one hour, and the meal would be free. it was a $22.00 bowl. he was in the marines and has a ridiculously huge appetite but the challenge was too much. we all had a bit of the pho and the taste was really bland, probably because of the size.
i had the garlic noodles, which was pretty good. everyone felt their food was just okay.
pho garden is worth the trip just to pose with your face next to the ginormous bowl but nothing special or yummy about their food.
This place is dear to my heart, I have sent so many of my friends to Pho Garden it's in sane! I turned loyal TTowerist into Pho G. fans, it's a great staff never have to wait long, or at least i never have, and the food is of the best caliber. The price is perfect, I couldn't believe how cheap it was for two of us to eat, under $30! The staff is always friendly and recognize you quick if you care about that kinda stuff. Thanks Pho Garden!
Pho Challenge with Co-Workers...building up for 2 months now. We finally did it and it WAS EPIC.
The Challengers?
Pho Sho
Pho Eh-Va
Pho Shizzle My Nizzle
Pho Real
Pho King called in sick earlier in the day and had to default the competition.
Place your bets...Now. Go ahead...I'll wait. Ready? Good.
Its 7PM. We called ahead for a table for 20. It turned out to be 30 people. They accommodate this (I mean...its an extra $100 in earnings. I would accommodate too). 3 round tables. 1-2 challengers at each. (SIDE NOTE - They don't do reservations usually, but since it was such a HUGE group, they did).
We give them bibs with their names on it. The challengers sign their waivers...with a green pen. ITS ON! They bring out the GIANT Pho Bowls one by one. Pho Eh-Va is the first at it. The waitress brings the bowl and a timer. She starts the time and Pho gets crammed into Pho Eh-Va's mouth. He starts out insanely well. 10 minutes in and he's devoured 1/2 of it.
Pho Sho comes in and decides to use the bathroom. Fair enough, as he's about to conceive the PHO BABY. Pho Real and Pho Shizzle My Nizzle notice this and agree its a good idea. There is now a line for the bathroom. Good job. Whilst this happens, I conduct an interview.
Me: How are you feeling?
Pho Real: Nervous.
Pho Shizzle My Nizzle: (bathroom opens up) Not good. (He runs into the bathroom).
Pho Sho: Not Good. Hah.
This whole time, Pho Eh-va has been KILLING his Pho.
Pho Real's Pho comes out and he's still not there. Its placed at the table, and for a few minutes all witnesses are thinking one thing: DAYAM this Pho is going to get FAT. Less than 3 minutes later, Pho Real emerges and turns in his waiver. The Waitress sets his time as Pho Real holds not one, but TWO forks at the ready. Timer starts, Pho crammed into his mouth. Two competitors have begun at this point.
Pho Shizzle My Nizzle decides to wait for Pho Sho before starting. After 5 minutes, everyone is telling him to start. He does. 1 minute later, Pho Sho's noodles comes out. Finally, all 4 are challenging at the same time. It's ON!! What felt like a 15 minute difference was really only about an 8 minute difference. The time is all messed up when you're in competition mode.
30 minutes into it...Pho Sho bows out. He didn't stop eating, but the bowl never seemed to diminish. He has FAILED. But he gets a belly rub for his good effort. A quick look over to Pho Eh-Va and Pho Real shows that they too have slowed down significantly. Only Pho Shizzle My Nizzle doesn't look like he's going to pass out in the bowl. But he too has slowed down.
10 minutes later, the waitress comes around with a smaller bowl and spider to scoop out all the noodles for our remaining competitors. Its still on! But slowed down.
Pho Eh-Va stops 45 minutes into his bowl. He doesn't look good. Alternating between "don't touch me" and "stop taking pictures" he stares unfocused at his small bowl of Pho. After a little while, he's encouraged to continue, much to our happiness. We cheer! He takes one more spoon full. He's got about 5 ounces left. GO PHO EH-VA!! Next thing you know...his mini-bowl is filled up again. You figure it out. Its official. Pho Eh-Va is out as well. 2 down, 2 to go.
10 minutes remaining in the last two competitors time (they're really about 5 minutes apart in start time, but it's about there). Pho Real looks Pho Really bad. His face has not changed from the "I'm about to throw up" look. The clock's ticking. He has about 1/2 a lb left of noodles and meat. He stares hopelessly at the bowl. We hear a beeping noise. He has not outlasted the timer. Quote Pho Real: "I'm never eating Pho again...or at least for the next 3 months."
Quick look to our remaining challenger. Pho Shizzle My Nizzle is holding relatively strong. His eyes are watered...his mouth suddenly expands. It deflates and he continues eating. We're sure he's just thrown up a little in his mouth and swallowed it. A true competitor. This Pho has beat 3 of the challengers, but he won't step down. There's 1 minute left in the timer, and 1 spoonful of Pho left (note, this is the LARGE competition spoon). We start cheering him on. In the final 30 seconds, he scoops up the remaining Pho and crams it into his mouth. The timer beeps. His mouth is empty. PHO SHIZZLE MY NIZZLE CONQUERS THE PHO! The restaurant erupts in cheers!! Well, the 30 of us do anyway.
End Result?
Pho Sho - Surrendered to the Pho.
Pho Eh-Va - So close, but did not succeed.
Pho Real - failed the Pho.
Pho Shizzle My Nizzle - DID IT!
4 Challengers, 30 people, $350 in food. 1 free 4lb bowl of Pho. It was a Pho'king good night. Oh, and the Pho wasn't half bad either. =)
Well my trip here was a total bust.
Armed with a mission to come and take a picture with the pho challenge bowl (I know I'm lame) Me and my boyfriend were fuming and tired after circling around that place for 30 mins trying to find parking. We ended parking a couple blocks from the store. We asked if we could get the pho challenge bowl and just split it between the two of us but the waitress told us no. :[ I was SO dissapointed. I had a MISSION. To take a PICTURE with the cute bowl! And I know no way I could finish it all by myself either. (My boyfriend is a wimp also haha)So that one yelper that said you could buy a bowl and just split it with a couple people, you're sadly mistaken .
After being so sorely dissapointed. I decided on getting the Com Suon Trung (Grilled Pork Chop and Egg Served with Steamed Rice). It was alright. I like the pork chop. It had a lot of fat on it. My fav. My boyfriend got the Pho Garden pho. He didn't like his. He's not a big fan of the broth.
Our waitress was nice and the place was fairly clean unlike most pho places. But I wouldn't recommend it unless you want to come take the pho challenge.
They do it right. This place probably has the best pho in San Francisco and I am not one to throw superlatives around.
still.......... THE WAIT :(
2 - #8
1 - #9 small
1 - #10 small
1 - #23 (bun bo hue)
1 - #52 (three color drink)
Total: $50
I am always tempted by the bon bo hue here because they get it just right, but I always die towards the end because it's so damn spicy. I swear I'll get something else next time.
xe lua + bon bo hue : $17.55 (before tip)
Dear Friends,
I am a picky pho eater. I always complain…
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Ok, i was a little disappointed with "da Garden"... growing up in the richmond, one thing people come out for is the food.
The Pho Challenge is probably the only enjoyable thing here. Don't get me wrong, it's a great idea! My colleague and I both thought the broth was sub-par, clear in color, not too much flavor. I think it needs to either cook for a bit longer, or they need to add some more bones to the broth.
On a side note, the egg rolls were pretty good...but the pho... not really
BTW, it is HILARIOUS to watch these kids try to eat it!
I tried the pho challenge today. It was okay at first. I've had better pho. Don't do the challenge unless you're planning to be a glutton and actually finish it. It was overwhelming and the broth was not all that great. It was not that busy and the two lovely ladies working there was very caring and we had great service throughout the night. I would have enjoyed it more if the food wasn't so tasteless.
Likes: The Pho Challenge Atmosphere
DisLikes: The Pho challenge Atomosphere.
So, how do you love and hate something at the same time?
This place is not for the romantic type. My gf and I like to blast off into the stratosphere, walk into an establishment and feel "cozy". This place is NOT cozy.
Yeah they have a pretty cool challenge that will take you one step closer to food greatness, but it's not that easy! 5 lbs. of PHO MEAT AND NOODLES would make Joey Chestnut hurl. The Pho Noodles are average, the broth doesn't feel like it has been "made with love". Kind of like the quick version pho with a dash of M.S.G. for good luck. The rare steak is not bad but had a little bit of a 2-day after taste.
Prices are average, the service was good and smiley. I would try this place once, and would not return -unless- I had an entourage of people witnessing an attempt at the pho challenge. Man vs. Food, I hear food usually wins =P
Neighborhood: Outer Richmond
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Outer Richmond
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond
Category: Vietnamese
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Category: Vietnamese
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