The Fan's Friend or Pho Restaurant Review

Pho seems to be a religion among some foodies. Devotees often take to the blogosphere to run down each detail of the broth, firmness of the noodles, temperature served. Heated debates occur about who in Richmond serves the most authentic bowl of the Vietnamese staple.

If you’ve come to this review looking for such a debate, you’re in the wrong place. To lump Friend or Pho into this category is missing the point. If it were going for Vietnamese authenticity, you wouldn’t hear a mix of the Pixies and Sonic Youth pumped into the dining room. The fact that the joint is named Friend or Pho, completely ignoring the fact that it’s actually pronounced, "Fuh", signals that the owners aren’t interested in winning any debates on how their pho would measure up in Hanoi.

That being said, Friend or Pho has a hip, bar vibe going on with low blue lighting, cozy booths and a long, inviting bar. The setting is definitely low-key with paper menus and beer cartons serving as condiment holders.

After helping ourselves to a bowl of complimentary shelled peanuts, we immediately went for the extensive beer list. In addition to a variety of staples and micro-brews on draft, beers such as Dale’s Pale Ale and Ommegang Ale are also available by the bottle or can. Short descriptions of each beer are available for perusal. While not the most extensive in town, there is certainly something to tempt any beer lover.

Unlike the plethora of beer options, the menu is limited to a few choices. Starters include a house salad ($3.95) and braised short ribs with a hoisin-BBQ sauce ($7.95).

We dived straight into the egg rolls. The fall roll ($4 for two), served fried with pork, mushrooms, carrots, cilantro and green onions, was delicately crispy and piping hot. It didn’t produce any wow moments, but definitely hit the spot of fried goodness.

The Buddha roll ($4 for two) had a much more interesting and unique flavor, with tofu, zucchini, bean sprout, onion, basil and cilantro wrapped in a fresh egg roll. The cilantro provided the most flavor of the bunch with the tofu offering a creamy consistency that could have used a bit more balance from more crunchy sprouts.

The Saigon sub ($8.95), Friend or Pho’s take on bahn mi, was served on a nicely toasted 12-inch baguette, but the marinated beef was thin and lacking punch. Adding a little sriracha and hoisin sauce gave it a bit more flavor, but we missed the promised pho broth reduction. Served on the side, pickled daikon and carrots could be added, but the flavors didn’t hold up under the weight of the crusty bread. This would definitely be a good dish to devour on a late night after a few more beers; however adding a bit more flavor to the meat would help this dish be more satisfying on its own.

And now, we come to the main event, the pho ($7.95). We ordered the traditional rare beef variety, which was served with cilantro, basil, Thai peppers and bean sprout on the side. With a little help, again, from the sriracha and hoisin, the pho had a good, though not overwhelming flavor, and went down well with a nice Belgian beer. We’ll leave arguments on authenticity for another forum, but we found the pho to be tasty and a good meal to enjoy on a cold night in November.

As an addition to the Fan scene, Friend or Pho has done a nice job of establishing its identity as a fun bar where you can enjoy something different than your regular burgers and wings. This is the type of place you either frequent often for its fun, atmosphere and quick, hot food or try once and return to your old favorite pho place. Just be careful not to take it too seriously, and you may find yourself having a good time.

Friend or Pho **1/2 (Two and a Half Stars)

2329 W. Main St.

(804) 355-4PHO

What’s in the Stars:
0—don’t go
*-average
** above average
*** very good
**** excellent dining experience

Jon and Leah Nelson, like most married couples, can’t agree on how the dishwasher should be loaded, so they eat out a lot so someone else can worry about the dishes. As RVA natives, they have had plenty of practice checking out what the city has to offer.