Super Pho

Best for: Vietnamese
Location: Kaimuki
Foodgasmic dish: Bánh xèo (Vietnamese pancake)

  
Super Pho is where my mom asks to go whenever she's stressed. No one complains. Apparently my mom's been stressing out a lot because we've been here twice in two weeks. The first time, all four of us ordered different variations of pho. I don't know if I was just in a bad mood that night, but I was disappointed with my beef flank pho. I've had better - at Pho Van in Portland, which says a lot.

sour soup

However, last week my mom demanded another dinner here, and this time none of us ordered pho. My dad got some shredded pork dish, my brother got papaya salad, my mom got sour soup, and I got the bánh xèo, a savory pancake made with rice flour and coconut milk. This time, we were all satisfied. More than satisfied.

papaya salad

The restaurant is small and usually crowded, yet service makes you feel as if you're paying three times as much as you actually are. Our waitress kept bringing me napkins (because I'm a klutz) and more lettuce for my pancake. There are two huge TVs usually on some sports channel, which would normally kill my mood but it's easy enough to ignore the baseball/football/volleyball game while enjoying my meal.

This photo does not do my bánh xèo justice

My dad, who learned Vietnamese in college, impressed our waitress with his language skills (how the hell is he able retain Vietnamese while I have already forgotten most of the Russian I learned 5 months ago?). My bánh xèo was perfect - huge, crispy on the outside, with lots of pork, shrimp and bean sprouts inside. It was served with lettuce already cut into perfect pieces for rolling, mint leaves, and fish sauce. Please, mother, stress out this week too.