Pho Binh

Today I had planned on eating last night's leftovers for lunch but two of my co-workers had other plans. They wanted to "get out of the office"....so I tagged along. And I didn't have to PAY! HA! Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch?

It wasn't until we were in route that I learned we were headed to the "Noodle House" -- which I later found is really named "Pho Bin".





Now I've never been here before and I am not a huge Asian food fan but I'll try ALMOST anyhing once. The restaraunt is located in a strip mall on Mangum, just off HWY 290 in Houston. It's very small and the grill (which I failed to take a photo of) takes center stage. We were greeted promptly by our waitress and took our drink orders. By the time she returned all 5 of my coworkers were ready to order! UH OH! I was still looking at the menu trying to decipher what was what. I asked the waitress a few questions (you will notice that my posts will quite frequently include this tip. It's because I truly believe that since they want your repeat business they will give you an honest answer) and finally decided on the "G11".

The G11 really amounts to a Vietnamese grilled chicken sandwhich. Although, when I ordered it with chicken the waitress asked if I also wanted egg. Sure, I said...we can change the name of the sandwhich to the BEFORE AND AFTER.....buh duh bump.

Our food was served quickly as most everyone had some form of the grilled chicken with noodles or rice. Everyone's selection looked good.

As for mine...

..seen above after I took a bite...it was very good. It was, strips of grilled chicken, shredded carrots, cucumber, fresh jalapenos, a fried egg and parsley. Lots and lots of parsely. Too much parsley for my taste, so I removed most of it. The french bread it was served on was perfect -- crunchy on the outside and soft and light on the inside. And it was the prefect lunch sandwhich size. A few bites in I started to miss not having a side item. I like sides. Chips, salad, fruit....something. So I ordered a side of rice. It was very good rice...Jasmine I think, steamed and slightly sticky. It was not the healthiest side but it tasted good.

The chicken, and other meats, are grilled out in the open on 2 REAL FLAME grills (not a flat top "griddle") and are basted with some sort of sauce while cooking. This combination gives the chicken a nice taste and great charred bits. It was really good chicken that would stand up quite nicely on a plate with no accompaniments.

All in all it was a very nice experience, especially for my first trip to a Vietnamese restaraunt.


OVERALL RATING - 4
FOOD QUALITY - 4
FOOD TEMP - 4
DRINK SELECTION - 3
CLEANLINESS - 3
RETURNABILITY - 3
ORDER ACCURACY - 5
TOTAL: FREE! Thanks Brent!!!!