Thanks to Anne Kwon for suggesting this wonderful restaurant at 1447 Independence Ave in KC - Spike Nguyen, the owner was a fabulous host. Several of us had the Vietnamese soup - Pho - which is so flavorful and tasty and fresh. We also sampled appetizers from dumplings to spring rolls to a fried sweet potato and shrimp dish. Marcus and Michelle tested the steak and rice dishes. Then Spike brought us samples of iced Vietnamese coffee - so yummy- and one of the sandwiches - wow, very flavorful. I learned so much about Vietnamese cuisine from Spike, including the Chinese and French influences of its dishes.
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| Pho |
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| Spike talking to our students |
The portions were very generous! The aroma of the herbs from the Pho smelled really good across the table. Spike was very nice to let us try his sandwich and coffee, which I liked very much. I actually ended up buying the iced coffee that he worked on for a year to perfect to a high quality before I left the restaurant. He was a very humble guy, and was very proud of his products. He had every reason to be proud.
ReplyDeleteMarcus Henderson
The iced coffee was quite a hit, and the story behind his one year quest to make it perfect was really interesting, I agree. Thanks for coming Marcus.
DeleteThe beef and rice were really good! The soup on the side was also good. I love how this place opens at 9 am with the full menu served all day! I can get used to this treatment because they eat soup, noodles, and rice for breakfast just like me! The spring rolls, dumplings, and fried sweet potatoes went well together as appetizers. The decorations inside were very warm and inviting. It's amazing how some of their Vietnamese ways were similar to my culture's ways. This place is a hidden treasure, and...........it's realllllyyyy hidden. ~ Michelle
ReplyDeleteYes, I had to laugh at your realllllyyyy hidden remark! This restaurant is a local treasure. Spike has such a passion to make his food the best. Thanks for coming Michelle.
DeleteI was really glad that everyone ended up enjoying this recommendation. It is one of my favorite places to go out to eat at and it was a fun experience showing it off to you guys. Like I had told Dotty, Spike LOVES to talk and I'm sure you all could see that he goes around to each table and speaks to all his guests in his restaurant. That is one aspect of Pho Hoa that I absolutely love. Especially working in the restaurant business, I find the customer relations aspect very important. I had suggested ordering the steamed dumplings and pho for everyone and it seemed that everyone enjoyed these items. I knew that many people had probably never tasted pho or even heard of it so that is one of the reasons why I had suggested it for extra credit. There is not one dish that I have tried at this place that I have not liked! Like Spike mentioned he has really put some time and effort into perfecting all his dishes and drinks and I think it really shows! Although he is one of my friends and I go in there to eat a lot, I had never heard the background history of Vietnamese food and I found the information very interesting.
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