Saiwalks

Saiwalks (3348 Steiner St)

Meat: 5

Noodles: 2

Broth: 5

Bonus: 0

Total: 12

This Marina restaurant was not as authentic other pho restaurants. The first thing on the pho menu is chicken pho (which is not the most authentic), and they did not have pho tai, so I had to order regular beef pho. In addition, they had a wide selection of non-Vietnamese food including fish tacos and grilled corn. They also advertised pho as good hangover food, which tells me that they are targeting young people who know nothing about Vietnamese food. They highlight that they have no MSG and they have vegan options. How do you have pho without meat? Finally, they had oyster sauce instead of hoisin sauce, and they put it in the same dish as Sriracha. The Sriracha was also way too pasty.

On to the pho. The broth had way too much star anise flavor, and very little beef flavor. In the broth they had fried shallots and scallions. The noodles were average, except they came stuck together. The beef was not super flavorful, but it was very tender.

It was the slowest of any place I have been to by far, it took quite awhile for the pho to arrive.

It was extremely expensive for a small bowl of pho.