Vietnamese Food Experience at Pho Street! (My entry to the January2025-Eating-Out-A)

Happy weekend, everyone!

It’s been raining all day in my city, so I had to postpone my planned activities. I’m hoping tomorrow will be a better day to make them happen. Since outdoor exploration wasn’t an option today, I decided to explore a cuisine that’s relatively new to me—Vietnamese cuisine!

Although there are plenty of Vietnamese-themed restaurants in the city, I seldom opt for this cuisine because it’s usually more expensive than the typical local-themed restaurants. But since it’s the weekend, I wanted to treat myself to something special.

If I remember correctly, I’ve tried Vietnamese food fewer than 10 times—that’s how rarely I eat this cuisine—and most of those experiences were at food centers. Tonight, I wanted to change things up and visit one of the popular Vietnamese restaurants called Pho Street, located at the Woodlands Civic Centre.

I arrived at the restaurant around 7:00 PM, and I’m glad I got there early because it was completely full just 10 minutes after I sat down.

The restaurant has a contemporary vibe that I really like. Despite being a small place, it feels very spacious. I think it’s a clever design for a restaurant with a limited dining area. It doesn’t feel cramped because they’ve made it open, overlooking the corridor of the mall. The furniture is compact and thoughtfully designed to avoid taking up too much space.

The ordering system is quite modern, as it is fully self-service. They have two machines readily available, and they don’t require any assistance from the staff. I find the system intuitive to operate, and I’m quite impressed by it.

There’s also a menu displayed near the ordering area, which is convenient in case there’s a queue. This way, you can check the food you want to order while waiting for the person ahead of you to complete their order.

Additionally, there’s a screen displaying the menu on the other side of the restaurant, which you can refer to as well.

The preparation of my food was quick, taking less than 15 minutes. I believe this speed was possible because many of the ingredients in the dish were either pre-cooked or pre-assembled in advance.

I liked the dishes that were used because they had an authentic feel to them.

The lemongrass roasted chicken I ordered already came with a piece of spring roll and iced tea, but I felt it wouldn’t be enough. That’s why I ordered two additional spring rolls to complete the spread—it looked perfect!

They have plenty of sauces available at the counter, and anyone is free to help themselves. I chose the sweet and sour sauce and the peanut sauce, to which I added a few drops of fish sauce. :D

The main dish of this spread is the roasted lemongrass chicken!

The flavor and aroma of the lemongrass were well-infused into the chicken. I could taste the freshness of the herbs and the sauce. However, I was disappointed that the chicken was a bit cold, which suggests it was pre-cooked. Although I enjoyed the sauce and the coating on the chicken, the meat was slightly dry and tough. I feel it would have been perfect if it had been freshly roasted.

I’m glad I ordered a few extra spring rolls because they ended up being my favorite part of the meal.

I’m so addicted to the texture of the rice paper wrapper, and the taste of the sauces is incredibly enjoyable. If I were to come back to this place, I’d simply order the spring rolls (probably six pieces of them) LOL.

---

Overall, my experience at this Vietnamese restaurant was enjoyable, and I’m glad I got to explore a cuisine that’s still relatively new to me. While there were some minor disappointments with the main dish, the spring rolls absolutely stole the show and made the visit worthwhile. I’m looking forward to coming back for more spring rolls and discovering other hidden gems on the menu!

---