Is Bowl of Pho still good?

[TheCat]

I haven't been in awhile.

The last time I ate there the food was middle of the road. It was decent but I don't feel any need to ever go back given our other vietnamese options.

[blizz01]

Seriously - Saigon Tokyo in Fleming Island is as good as I've found.  I'm in Orange County, CA once a month & there's obviously a considerable Asian / Vietnamese population with Pho restaurants all over - that said, I find myself drawn to my place in suburbia every time. 

Now, Korean BBQ on the other hand.....we have a long way to go.

[ProjectMaximus]

It's still a favorite among my many Viet friends. I personally like it the most although I eat there the least often due to location.
The times that I go I've noticed the crowd has drawn quite a few Chinese folks (of whom I'm a part)

[ChriswUfGator]

The best I think currently is the one that opened up relatively recently in the first floor of the Ashley Towers apartments. I can't remember the name, pho something of course, but it's delicious. I've been there three times since a buddy turned me on to it and each time has been incredibly good.

[ben says]

I don't like Bowl of Pho anymore.

My favorites are Pho Viet on Mayport Road and any number of Vietnamese places on the Westside (Lenox/Normandy/etc).

If you haven't been, check out Hung Thinh Supermarket on Normandy. Hidden JAX treasure.

As for Korean, I agree with don't have a raging Korean scene, but I think Hon Korean on Beach is fantastic. Try the seafood pancake and prepare to have your mind blown.

[thekillingwax]

Bowl of Pho started out really good- they had this really amazing tomato-based beef stew when they opened- not even sure if it's on their menu anymore but the last time I ordered it, it was awful. If I'm in the area and want something sweet, I'll drop by and get one of their boba slush things but that's about it.

[02roadking]

The best I think currently is the one that opened up relatively recently in the first floor of the Ashley Towers apartments. I can't remember the name, pho something of course, but it's delicious. I've been there three times since a buddy turned me on to it and each time has been incredibly good.

Pho Fever   http://www.yelp.com/biz/phos-fever-jacksonville

[TheCat]

The best I think currently is the one that opened up relatively recently in the first floor of the Ashley Towers apartments. I can't remember the name, pho something of course, but it's delicious. I've been there three times since a buddy turned me on to it and each time has been incredibly good.

I went. Didn't do it for me.

The broth tasted one dimensional. I imagined them dumping cambell's beef broth into a pot with anise seed and calling it a day.

I'll give it another shot. It won't be the first restaurant that disappointed on the first round and then won me over on subsequent visits. 

[TheCat]

I don't like Bowl of Pho anymore.

My favorites are Pho Viet on Mayport Road and any number of Vietnamese places on the Westside (Lenox/Normandy/etc).

If you haven't been, check out Hung Thinh Supermarket on Normandy. Hidden JAX treasure.

As for Korean, I agree with don't have a raging Korean scene, but I think Hon Korean on Beach is fantastic. Try the seafood pancake and prepare to have your mind blown.

Hung thinh is incredible an incredible supermarket.

I've only tried one thing from their version of a grocery deli, which looks abandoned and you practically have to beg someone for help.

Ive tried the roasted pork. It was good, pleasantly sweet but very fatty.

Their roasted duck looks fun. Soon.

[ProjectMaximus]

I have not tried Pho Fever yet. My wife did not enjoy Pho Noodle Bar and Indochine so it's hard for her to consider another downtown establishment. I'll admit I'm quite skeptical as well but willing to give it a shot some time. Especially since we usually get pho more than once a week...

I don't like Bowl of Pho anymore.

My favorites are Pho Viet on Mayport Road and any number of Vietnamese places on the Westside (Lenox/Normandy/etc).

If you haven't been, check out Hung Thinh Supermarket on Normandy. Hidden JAX treasure.

As for Korean, I agree with don't have a raging Korean scene, but I think Hon Korean on Beach is fantastic. Try the seafood pancake and prepare to have your mind blown.

Pho Viet is good. Pho 99 is great. The other westside ones though (Yummy Pho and Saigon Time) aren't up to par imo. I miss Pho Cali off University. Wife and I most frequently go to Pho Today and Pho King out of convenience. Hung Thinh is absolutely a lifesaver and the best thing Jax has going for it in the Asian food department.

Finally ate at Hon Korean a couple weeks ago. I had a personal issue with them and generally refused to go but being as there is such little selection in the Korean food dept I finally gave in. It was alright...I don't consider it that much better than Sam Won (if at all). My wife used to live in Fairfax, VA, down the street from a Super-Hmart and adjacent to Annandale. Definitely miss those days...well at least as far as eating Korean food goes.

[ben says]

I had a personal issue with them and generally refused to go but...

DO TELL MY FRIEND... 

(Everyone I know has had some issue with the owners, from the good/bad/ugly to the downright horrific)

[thekillingwax]

We've always kinda wanted to try Hon but we always hear that the food is decent but everything else ranges from uncomfortable and weird to unpleasant and rude.

[ProjectMaximus]

We've always kinda wanted to try Hon but we always hear that the food is decent but everything else ranges from uncomfortable and weird to unpleasant and rude.

Yes, I had heard similar things from multiple people, including my parents.

I had a personal issue with them and generally refused to go but...

DO TELL MY FRIEND... 

(Everyone I know has had some issue with the owners, from the good/bad/ugly to the downright horrific)

Alright...since you asked so nicely . My wife (girlfriend at the time) organized a small surprise birthday party for me at Hon last year. Was supposed to be dinner followed by Karaoke at Austin next door. Unbeknownst to me, she made reservations for 6pm and at around 5pm Hon called her to ask if she would be willing to move that reservation to 8pm. They said it would be hard to accommodate our large party at that busier time. Reluctantly she obliged and notified all our guests of the change, resulting in several friends having to decline.

Fast forward to 8pm when I'm let in on the secret (although I was able to tell something was up when she got all frustrated and scrambled to make arrangements but wouldn't share anything with me). We arrive at Hon, and we're now down to just 8 folks. Yet they separate us into two tables of four, apologizing that they weren't able to reconfigure the tables given the way other guests were situated in the room. Ok?!?! We all thought that's both strange and quite upsetting, but fine. So we're chatting for a few minutes (and I believe we had our waters served already) when the waitress returns and apologizes profusely to us. It's ok, several of us respond, we'll be fine sitting separately. Alas, that was not the issue. She then proceeds to explain that she cannot serve us at all. She says that her mother is the only chef, gets very temperamental at times, and given how late it is and how many people we have she just doesn't want to cook for all of us.



I think she had to say it about five times for it to sink in. Not sure cause we were in shock, but it seemed like the whole restaurant (maybe three other tables) was staring at her thinking, wtf? She apologized a bunch more, said her mom can be crazy, and asked us to leave.

Anyway, we went to Sam Won, had a good time, and then returned to Austin. My wife also ran into issues getting a room at Austin since we had to shift our time by three hours, but it all worked out in the end.

Since that time my wife has suggested eating at Hon but our friends would always shoot it down after what happened to us. A few weeks ago we had a guest from NorCal who wanted Korean, and also did not know of our history with the place, so we finally ate there.

[ProjectMaximus]

btw, since Sam Won and Hon are both getting mention in this thread, I would be remiss not to plug the little old lady in World Food Mart next door. Wife and I go there for lunch very often and it's great by Jax standards. fwiw, 90% of the time we order one Beef Bulgogi box and one Jjamppong...whenever we deviate from this we have to tell her quickly cause she usually starts the orders the moment she sees us walk in. 

[TheCat]

They are good. The Bulgogi is a bit greasier than i like but they are worth visiting.


http://www.metrojacksonville.com/article/2013-oct-jacksonville-hole-in-the-wall-restaurants-part-iii/page/1