Being sick for the past week, I was in dire need of good pho, which means choosing to drive to the south bay or hit up the SGV. The SGV obviously being the better choice. Now, the Chineser in me tells me all Asian places in the SGV close at 2am right? So imagine my surprise when the recommended Saigon Flavor was CLOSED! CLOSED at 8:30pm! Who eats this early?! In a mad panic, we detour to Golden Deli barely slipping in the door at 8:59.
I seriously felt like such a jerk. Everyone else is wrapping up their meal. Who goes and orders two bowls of pho with extra beef balls and extra noodles, a side of charbroiled pork, AND eggrolls 2 minutes after closing? Luckily this place is quick. Within 3 minutes of ordering, all our food was served piping hot. I got the #1 special pho with tripe, tendon, rare beef, beef balls, etc. Thank you pho gods for granting my wish. Two other people got turned away 5 minutes after we sat down. Ouch. Enjoy your del taco tonight.
Maybe it's because I had my mind set on pho. Maybe it's because I felt so accomplished for making it here on time but the broth was absolutely mind-blowing. I was sweating and slurping down the noodles as fast as I could. Felt like I was detoxing. The side of pork was delicious with green onions and garlic bits. The egg roll was greasy but equally amazing. And guess what? All that food for less than 25 bucks? Where else can you find this kind of satisfaction?
My only dilemma is I can never decide if I want pho or try something else since the pho is so good and I know I'm hardly in the area so my choice is crucial. Next time I'll just order both and pretend that my 'friend' flaked on me and lord knows its bad form to waste food.
Pros: Fast service, large portions
Cons: There's a line even at 3pm on a Sunday, closes too early
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