Pho Char

Recently, my sense of taste brought me to Pho Char once again. On a quiet Thursday night, curiosity took control and we made the decision to try it. We were welcomed by an atmosphere that was almost Zen-like when we arrived. But because it was the middle of the week, I was willing to overlook the seating area's appearance of a ghost town as a potential warning sign. We ordered a variety of foods, including fried rice with vegetables (we asked for Thai spicy), summer rolls, and dumplings. A crisp and energizing bite like the summer roll, which made a commendable debut, would be ideal on a hot summer day. The dumplings, on the other hand, were an underwhelming supporting act and had a curiously store-bought performance flavor. The combination fried rice, the pièce de résistance, was a visual spectacle but sadly tasteless. It came in an oddly shaped bowl and featured shreds of chicken breast and enormous shrimp. The culinary group, though, fell short of expectations. The shrimp, despite their size, lacked flavor, and the chicken was as flavorless as a cardboard cutout. Richer flavors of chicken thighs and smaller, more flavorful shrimp would have greatly enhanced the dish. Ironically, the star of the show was the rice itself, whose perfectly aged texture hinted at the use of day-old rice. In a previous trip, the pho also failed to impress me because it lacked flavor, just like the fried rice did. While Pho Char checks all the right boxes for a calm atmosphere, its food selection falls short. It resembles a beautifully wrapped gift that is disappointing when unwrapped. Unfortunately, Pho Char is still a melody that falls flat.