Pho Garden
2109 Clement St
(between 22nd Ave & 23rd Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 379-8677

Let me introduce you to FINGER PHO!

FINGER PHO = when waiter serve your beef noodle soup, but their finger is in the bowl. A touch of salty flavor.

Now, travel 360 degrees and enter Pho Garden, located on a breezy street on Clement in the outer Richmond in San Francisco.
“No finger pho soup for you.” Not to worry, Pho Garden does justice to a clean well run shop.

Brandon (owner) uttered, “We had a 100 on our inspection check.”
My jaw dropped. Uttered to myself, “Pho Garden is an Asian restaurant, right?”

Briskly walking along Clement street, I was not convinced by its lackluster signage.
Where’s the vibrant artwork? Wow me, baby! I’m a cocky food writer.

But…

One hop into the restaurant, the restaurant started giving character.
Playful wine shelf behind the register, tantalizing shades of green walls, and a menu that literally sings.

The menu sings because it incorporates both Northern and Southern Vietnamese delights. Menu design itself is an art. The fulcrum is to provide a menu that invites as oppose to intimidates with their target audience. Sure, salty shrimp paste soup would be authentic, but fitting for the demographic, I don’t think so.

This allows patrons to taste more flavor profiles.

Food. For a light starter, the crepe does the trick. With a thin crispy crust, the crunchy spouts and a drizzle of the fish sauce adds a sweet tingle to the palate. Fish sauce does its part by only add a slick “nudge” in flavor as oppose to drowning out the garden fresh ingredients.

My small eyes widen to optimal position when the beef noodle soup arrived. (aka super bowl or head of train) With a slurp of the soup, the sweet tones from the beef along with the sweetness from cinnamon hit the spot. Noodles were cooked al dente. I applaud the choice of bowl, which keep the soup hot even minutes after arrival.

Switching my stance, the garlic noodles with filet mignon were a safe choice. With tender cubes of meat and stir fried onions, the elements lack “wok-air.” A term used in Chinese wok cooking with incorporates cooking at flaming temperatures with minimal cooking time. Garlic noodles were chewy and tender. Again, this is a taste preference. Some enjoy garlic noodles drenched with butter and oil with an overpowering garlic perfume.
In this case, it was more a gentle garlic visit, a slight pad on the back. For those on dates expecting a good night kiss, this level of garlic will work for you.

Arriving in a hot clay pot, the catfish with a caramelized sauce paired so well with pillowy white rice. The sea sweet taste of catfish played centered stage and expects a sauce that is not over sweetened.

Ambiance. Great for friendly gathering. Parking is though, carpool or make it a neighborhood eating spot.

Service. Attentive. Owner Brenden is full of smiles. Staff open to suggest items.

Tip. Kitchen cleanliness is parallel to how clean the bathroom it. Clean bathroom, clean kitchen. Last year, I worked for Asian sauce giant Lee Kum Kee. Most Asian kitchens were filthy with food sitting on shelves and flies swarming around. Nasty.

My conclusion stands that Pho Garden is a great place for Vietnamese food for 3 mains reasons
- Most items fall under $10
- Clean restaurant that can pass as a good 1st date
- Service that is attentive
- Dishes that deliver, but don’t expect a flavor roller coaster

Rant. Message to Pho owners out there, shape up. In this economy, the customer is key. Practice your smiles, greet us, because the market will not allow all the Pho noodle shops to survive.