Food With “Un-pho-gettable” Flavors and Prices

For healthy dishes bursting with authentic Vietnamese flavors at reasonable prices, one does not have “pho” to go. Pho My Lien, located in Westridge Shopping Center, is ringing in 2012 with a brand-new takeout menu highlighting the eatery’s most popular dine-in dishes. These dishes are favorites among Pho My Lien customers, according to Walter James, a close friend and business partner with the restaurant’s owners, Tommy Dang and his wife, Lien Bui.

“We started offering our brand-new takeout menu on Jan. 1,” says James. “If somebody wants anything on the main menu for a takeout order, they can have it, but the (restaurant’s) most popular dishes are on the takeout menu.”

Pho My Lien’s new takeout menu features dishes such as Crispy Spring Rolls ($7.50 for four) — thin flour sheets rolled with pork, chicken, shrimps, shredded carrot, long rice and mushrooms, deep fried and served with mint leaves, lettuce, rice noodles and sauce — and Crispy Calamari ($7.95). The menu also boasts an assortment of salads, including the frequently requested Chicken Salad ($7.50) — shredded skinless and boneless chicken mixed with shredded lettuce, mint leaves, onion and house special dressing — and Green Papaya Salad ($7.50). The latter, composed of shredded green papaya, shrimp, mint leaves, peanuts and served with a house special salad dressing, will be the eatery’s special for the month of February.

“Each month, we offer a monthly special for $4.99 or less,” he says. “This month’s special is the Won Ton Soup (a shrimp and pork dumpling soup). February’s monthly special will feature the Green Papaya Salad.”

For customers looking for healthy dishes, James recommends the eatery’s signature dish, pho ($7.95), with the customer’s choice of meats, including slices of rare steak, beef soft tendon, beef well-done brisket, beef tripe and beef balls. Pho with Chicken Meat ($7.95), Pho with Mixed Vegetables ($7.95) and Pho with Shrimps and Squid ($8.95) also are available.

While pho is the restaurant’s signature item, Pho My Lien offers customers a variety of healthy entrees from which they can choose. James also recommends Broccoli Sauteed ($7.95) with one choice of chicken, pork, beef, shrimp or tofu. The restaurant’s Summer Rolls ($4.95 for two) are another good choice for healthy dining, as they feature rice vermicelli, mint leaves and bean sprouts wrapped in rice sheets with the meat of one’s choice.

“The appetizers are all popular, but if you look at the summer rolls, there are different varieties,” James explains. “You can have (summer rolls with) boiled shrimp, shredded pork, barbecue beef, barbecue pork, barbecue chicken or tofu … if you want to eat healthy, you can simply have tofu summer rolls.”

While Pho My Lien is promoting its new takeout menu, it has not changed its dine-in menu. James states that the eatery has remained consistent in its menu items and reasonable prices ever since it first opened in November 2010.

“We’ve not raised our prices on the menu; we’re still going to give you good value for your money,” he says. “For the quality and quantity (of food) that you get, it’s priced very, very reasonably.”

Although the eatery is not anticipating any major changes in terms of its menus, James states that Pho My Lien is currently searching for a second location.

“Basically, we haven’t changed from last year; we’re keeping the same philosophy of delicious food at reasonable prices,” he says. “We’re still going to cater to families — we offer food with family-style prices.”

Pho My Lien Vietnamese Restaurant

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