Thursday, October 2, 2008

Pho Ngon Vietnamese Restaurant - Hornsby, Sydney.

If you name your restaurant Pho Ngon ("yummy noodles"), you are clearly adducing a standard that your customers should expect when choosing this restaurant instead of the others that line this strip of Hornsby. This restaurant falls short of the expectation by disappointing and failing on the quality of food served, service by its waiters and leaving you with a embittered aftertaste.

Sizzling Chicken ($14.50): A sizzling mess.

I respectfully disagree with Julie Huffer's review (the only review online) who praises and readily recommends this eatery to the readers of Hornsby Advocate. Please research about your ingrediants before you lay them out Julie: "The rare beef noodle soup was a meal in itself, with a divine broth, pieces of meat and egg noodles". I'm certain that pho contains rice noodles - not egg noodles, which are distinctively yellow in colour. Also, the broth should not describe as "divine"; it was watery, bland and tasteless.

Beef Pho: it looks good - but tastes bland.

Had to request 5 times for a straw.

Julie, I'm also calling you out on: "I predict Pho Ngon is going to be the talk of the town for some time. With its fabulous food, refreshing interior and reasonable prices, we’ll all be coming back for more". Sorry, I think it will be negatively talked around the town and you probably won't be coming back for more. Drinks are served without straws. You have to ask for a waiter at least 5 times before they serve you. Tea isn't refilled after request. Beef Pho is served without the usual accompanying platter of bean sprouts, hanh and lemon (we had to ask for it?? what the...); and the staff are untrained - they actually stand at your table as soon as you are sat down, waiting for you to order...I mean come on seriously?!

I actually looked this restaurant up on eatability and there was one review, which should be the only review. Who are you "chrisquared" - you are truly an inspiration to me. A few of my favourite parts of this user's review were: "It was shocking from the moment we were seated" and "We ended up waiting over 40 minutes for food, so we just left. I will never go back, and I don't recommend that anyone else should try this place, their layout of the restaurant is far too complex for the waiters to work in and their takeaway stand just makes it worse!". I could not agree any more.

I'm guessing this the manager Helen Hoang? If so, why did you stand behind the cash register the whole night? Please do something else besides handling the money- like checking up on your patrons and ensuring a better running of this eatery.

Please save yourself money, time and ensuing disastrous dining experience by avoiding this place.

Pho Ngon Vietnamese Restaurant

8-10 Florence St
Hornsby NSW 2077

Phone (02) 9477 6300

Lunch
Mon to Sun 10am - 4pm
Dinner
Mon to Sun 4pm - 10pm

D

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

woo go D. nice and blunt.
the way that a review should be!

ChocolateSuze said...

hey did you guys get my email about the foodbloggers meetup?

D said...

hey tomatosalsa - thanks for reading our blog and commenting :)

hi chocolatesuze - I checked our email this morning and saw your invitation. I'll ask FFichiban to see if it clashes with anything. Get back to you soon!

Anonymous said...

oh pwned!

Michael Doherty (@OzBeer_MD) said...

Good review, I ate there 2 nights ago.

Its always good to see someone constructing a modern and fresh looking restaurant in my area.

I felt that the food was quite good. (some kind of crispy Pizza and the Vietnaese Seafood Curry) But the complete lack of good service could be this extablishment's downfall!

I suggest to anyone venturing to Pho Ngon to get up and serve yourself (your your straw or what have you) at the outset, Do not wait, you will grow old.

D said...

hi FFichiban - gotta tell it how it is...

hi doc_d - nice to see some readers on the upper north shore. Good to know other people that have tried this place share my sentiments.

cupcake said...

lol D you even turned me off from that place all the way in singapore! good service is something every restaurant should try to achieve - i would turn a blind eye to a slightly bland noodle if the waiters were attentive and amiable and did their job excellently. Service always adds another dimension to a great eat!

Anonymous said...

i always like reading an honest review. well done !

Lenny said...

I ate there a couple of months ago and did not have this experience! I think they improved their waitering since October because we had the exact right amount of service, not asking for our orders straight away, serving them promptly... I was thinking of going back but since I read this I'm not so sure :S maybe it's just the luck of the draw?

Anonymous said...

I totally agree, this place is a joke. The staff are so rude and arrogant. The food was bland. So all I have to say is AVOID!