Food: Pho Hoa at Festival Mall, Alabang

Living in the south of the metro leaves us with fewer convenient choices in as far as good places to eat are concerned. We are usually limited to restaurants inside malls, that is, if we prefer somewhere near and accessible to public transport. So when Pho Hoa opened a branch in Festival Mall in Alabang, Muntinlupa City, I thought that finally, here's a chance to see what the rave is about.

I've been seeing Pho Hoa branches in SM Megamall and SM Mall of Asia whenever we go there. And because the sign says "Vietnamese Noodle House", I've been wanting to try their food but never had the chance. We always end up choosing the other new option, the one that offers safer and familiar food choices, like pizza and pasta, burger and fries, BBQ grills, Chinese food. Dishes like that.

Pho Hoa shares a space and a whole crew with My Thai (not sure if they're sister companies or what) and has this energizing hot pink and lime green theme, which at first glance, looks more like a hip girl's clothes shop rather than an Asian restaurant.

It was late afternoon when we went there the first time, and the restaurant only had a couple of customers. As expected, I ordered a noodle soup, Seafood Noodle Soup (which I will review on a separate post). My husband wanted to try one of the rice plates, but I convinced him to get the Vermicelli Bowl (chicken, veggie and fried spring rolls) instead, thinking that it is plate sampler. But when it arrived, it was a salad.

When we realized that the Vermicelli Bowl is a salad, I asked my husband if he wants to order another dish to go with his garlic rice. But he said it will do.

The Vermicelli Bowl was an interesting hodgepodge of curly lettuce, cucumber, nuts, grilled chicken, vermicelli noodles and fried Vietnamese rolls. It was very good, tasted different from the veggie salads that I usually have, but very good.

It came with a sweet vinegar-like dressing that I can't quite make out what it's made up of. The sweetness of the dressing was pleasantly mild and refreshing. The taste doesn't linger in the taste buds, but in fact, seems to cleanse the palate.

I've heard a lot about Vietnamese Spring Roll and how it's superior than our Lumpiang Shanghai. And based on other people's reviews, Pho Hoa is one the of best places to order it from. We didn't order a separate dish, but the ones that came with the Vermicelli Bowl were enough for me to say that indeed, the Vietnamese roll, at least the one served in Pho Hoa, is a better counterpart of our beloved lumpia. Better, more filling.

Didn't get to try this. But it looks HOT! 

But despite the Vermicelli Bowl, our first visit elicited a not-so-good-not-so-bad impression. I wanted to give it another chance though because I felt that we didn't order enough to truly know what the restaurant has to offer. So I came back, with my husband and mother. I wanted her to try the Vermicelli bowl. She would enjoy it for sure.

This time around, we picked from the rice plates choices. I chose Sauteed Chicken and Mushroom on Rice, husband had Tofu and Assorted Mushrooms with Rice, and it's Bread Fish on Rice for my mother. And of course, a small Vermicelli Bowl (pork, veggie and rolls) for all of us to share.

Sauteed Chicken and Mushrooms

It was flavorful, although the sauce overwhelmed the taste of the chicken. The Tofu and Assorted Mushrooms looked a lot like this, but without the chicken of course. I think they were cooked the same way, but I like the taste of latter better.

Breaded Fish on a Rice

The breaded fish fillets were fried just right, slightly crunchy on the outside but soft and flaky on the inside. And it came with a really yummy sauce.

Vermicelli Bowl. I really like this a lot.

Took a while before our orders arrived because it was lunchtime and the restaurant was jampacked. But it was worth the wait. We had a truly satisfying lunch. All dishes were delectable, full on flavors but not overpowering. The rice plates came in big servings, one is big enough for two average eaters. My mother and I only ate half of our rice because we're already full.

We like the chicken dish the least and loved the fish and mushrooms rice plates equally. My mother, as I had expected, enjoyed the Vermicelli Bowl. The dishes were so delicious, they left me wanting for more. And they are not even Pho Hoa's bestsellers. I wonder how those -- the bestsellers -- would taste.

The average prices range from P175 to P250, which I think is not bad considering how sumptuous the foods are and the big servings. We didn't order any drinks because both my mother and husband are advised by their doctors not to drink anything but water. Both of them have throat allergies. And I didn't feel like having a flavored drink or juice, so I also had water.

I know for certain that I'll be back. I can't wait for the next visit. And maybe we'll try something from My Thai, too.