Yesterday marked my third Pho Lang Thang experience, which means I finally became unofficially qualified to review their food....and other peripheral pleasantries.
1) If "Pho Lang Thang" is pronounced like I pronounce it in my imagination ("Fo Lang Tang") then the restaurant is immediately granted bonus points for "fun name to say". If, in actuality, it is pronounced any other way, don't worry - this won't affect the way my mind pronounces it, and thus no fun will be forfeited.
2) If you are lucky enough to get an outdoor table, do appreciate their inventive table setup - doors over trash cans. If it sounds shady, I assure you the look is lovely and the experience is more stable than most outdoor seating made up of clanky webbed black steel that leaves plenty of gaps in the table for slippy slips.
3) Cà Phê Sa á is their iced drip coffee which has the condensed milk at the bottom ready to be stirred and mixed accordingly. No sugar necessary, everything is already contained to make a fantastic cup of coffee - THE MOST DELICIOUS COFFEE I've had in Cincinnati.
4) Gi Cun are their salad rolls that are wrapped in a see-through substance. This gives the rolls a "Bones Exhibit" quality that, though must be healthier than a regular fried roll, adds a texture that I'm not completely comfortable with. Also, my friend had HIGHLY recommended these rolls to me, and as expectations set the standard, I was sadly disappointed.
5) But, if you're still feening for a roll you're more likely to recognize in a lineup, please try the Ch Giò. These are INCREDIBLE, and unlike almost all other rolls I've tried, are somehow able to stay together in a cohesive manner unprecedented in these rolls' relatives.
6) Bánh Mì Tht Nng - delicious hot sandwich
7) Bánh Mì c Bit - cold-cut butt sandwich
Unfortunately, I can't comment on the restaurant's namesake dish, Pho. This is kind of like me writing a review for Taco Bell and only commenting on the quesadilla. My apologies, and until I actually try their Pho, I'll leave that validation to another Yelper.
Since this place is right next to the freshest ingredients in town within Findlay Market, they seem to be using that to their advantage by using those ingredients in their own dishes - this gives the food a freshness that best be described as "New York good."
And whether it should or not, the fact that they keep authentic names for their dishes does give more legitimacy than replacing the name "Bánh Mì Tht Nng" with "Hot Chicken Sandwich and Fries" just for the domestic customer's convenience. Even the descriptions are chockful of Vietnamese vocabulary which makes it difficult to clarify the dish's contents. Still, that's better than a tactic employed by one of my favorite restaurants in Ann Arbor that would write the name of the dish - Mysore Masala Dosa - and the description 'ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS' without any further clarification.
All in all, if you like delicious Asian food in which you can taste the freshness of the ingredient, do yo' thang at Pho Lang Thang.