My parents and I resumed our pho and banh mi adventures at Pho Time. Aiea Town Square has multiple buildings, and I'd put this somewhere in the middle of the complex. If it's a busy time, such as a Saturday, there won't be a lot of parking spots for the number of businesses.
Pho Time has ~7-8 tables, so it won't be uncommon to wait at peak lunch hour. Fortunately, we grabbed a table right away.
The menu is slightly unique. There are a lot of traditional Vietnamese menu options, such as pho and banh mi, but also several Japanese items like Oyako Donburi and Chicken Katsu. The medium and large pho options are just $1 apart.
As usual, I got a large steak and meatball-type pho, this one with eye round and meatballs ($15.75). Wait time was about 10 minutes. Perfect noodles. Good portion of thin eye-round strips and several meatballs. The broth had good flavor, but admittedly I've had more flavorful ones elsewhere.
My mom got her Vegetarian pho with beef broth ($14.75 medium). Despite being a medium-sized bowl, the abundance of veggies made her pho look more filling. Won bok, carrots, and broccoli included here.
On the side, the usual plate of sprouts, basil, jalapeños, and lemon. Note, in the pic, the jalapeños and lemon are hidden under the basil.
However, the BBQ pork Banh Mi ($11.75) stole the show, arriving in a small basket lined with paper. The presentation alone drew me in, a colorful array of pickled carrots/daikon and fresh cucumber/cilantro; several strips of BBQ pork; shoyu; and a homemade honey-mayo sauce inside a baguette. But friends, this isn't an ordinary baguette. It was a warm, soft roll that I've never had with other spots serving banh mi, not even Le's. While Le's has that crunchy exterior, this one had a softer, satisfying experience that held everything intact.
From the crunchy veggies, to the flavorful pork, to the warm bread, Pho Time's banh mi immediately shot near the top of the banh mi list. I don't yet know if it completely overtakes Le's, but it's in the discussion for me.
We came for the pho and left wanting more banh mi. Ironic that if I didn't get the pho, my experience would have been even better.
Good service here. I know what I'm getting next time and probably every time after this. 8.75/10
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