Did it not take forever for Pho Cali in Kirkwood Plaza (no relation to Pho Cali in Philly) on Kirkwood Highway to open up? I pretty much gave up on the place, and when it did open up about four months ago, they neglected to make a website (inexcusable nowadays), and neglected to answer the phone (because Google lists the number incorrectly...and that's why you should have a website) the few times I tried to call and ask the very most important question a Pho-seeking vegetarian has: Do you serve a Pho made with vegetable broth?So, yeah, I wrote them off. That is until Spark, Wilmington's free weekly, reported back that the vegetable and tofu Pho at Pho Cali uses vegetable broth. Sign me back up!
Soup is the hardest thing for vegetarians to eat when dining out, because they're invariably made with meat stock, and only the most conscious kitchens offer up a vegetable-based soup. So, always a soup skeptic, I asked if Pho Cali's vegetable and tofu Pho was made with vegetable stock, and, sadly, it is not. It's made with chicken stock. Or, at least that's what my server told me, and what a person on the phone told me when I called back later to double check. Meat-stock-Pho is the norm at most Pho shops, but it sure would be nice if everyone offered a veggie option.
Aw, well! I was already sitting at one of the bright green booths in the stark, white walled, beige tiled, strip mall restaurant with plasma TV's at either end of the room, so decided to order the one vegetarian Bun dish: a bowl or rice vermicelli topped with fried tofu and onions sauteed with lemongrass and chilis. 
Tucked on the side of the bowl are shredded carrots, shredded iceberg lettuce, cucumber sticks, mung beans sprouts, and chopped peanuts to be stirred about with the side dish of nuoc cham brought to the table, and any of the various condiments already sitting on the table, such as garlic chili paste, sriracha sauce, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, and chilis in oil.For $5.95, the huge bowl of veggie Bun is a good deal, and the sweet and spicy fried tofu is the tasty centerpiece of the dish, but only hints at the strong lemongrass flavors the menu alluded to. And, I would have loved to have seen some strongly flavored herbs like cilantro, basil, mint, or scallions either already in the bowl or brought out in a dish for me to add to the Bun.
The tops of the condiment bottles are a little crusty, and one hole on the soy sauce bottle at my table was clogged, so it'd be nice to see Pho Cali clean these up daily.With no veggie Pho, or veggie egg rolls or spring rolls (I really wanted the spring roll-topped Bun), and only a fried rice dish and a couple noodle dishes for vegetarians, I can't see myself going out of my way to visit Pho Cali on Kirkwood, but if I were closer I certainly would stop in occasionally.
It's just nice to see Wilmington finally get a Pho restaurant! And Pho Cali offers dim sum on Saturday and Sunday.
Want to know what's on Pho Cali's menu? No problem! Just click the pic to enlarge.
Pho Cali
4373 Kirkwood Hwy Wilmington, DE 19808
302-999-8107
Open daily, 11am-10pm
4 comments:
I haven't been back in awhile, but the last time I was there...
They serve Philly Chinatown dim sum on the weekends. For those of you in that area of Delaware, you can get your dim sum fix without having to drive to Philly. I stumbled upon this on my first visit. I ended up getting a bowl of pho because that was my original intent for the visit, but also ate one order of dumplings. The ensuing food coma was worth it. I loved the pho and it was awesome to get some good dim sum. The next time I visited I ran into a friend of mine, Sam, who was there with his kids for the dim sum. After some discussion, we decided that dim sum is only good when the kitchen it's made in appears questionable form a health perspective. i.e. any Chinatown you've ever visited.
I've been busy and away and full of lame excuses. It's time I got my butt back there for soem good eats.
Hey, I am loving your blog. I'm new to the South Jersey/Philly area and I'll be sure to check out some of the places you mention. Now, if you are on the hunt for some delicious vegetarian pho (made with veggie broth) you have to check out Pho Eden in Cherry Hill, NJ. My boyfriend is Vietnamese so I had him talk to the owner and varify that their broth was vegetarian. Their pho is topped off with some amazing strips of fried tofu and lots of fresh veggies. And comes with a a plate of bean sprouts, jalapenos, basil and lime. And the huge bowl was only $6! Haha, I know I'm gushing but it was so so so good. I've had the bf's mother's pho and Pho Eden's was just as good. (They have at least 6-7 other vegetarian dishes too but I can't seem to experiment, I love the pho too much. They have a veggie spring roll topped Bun that my best friend called "better than sex." Haha)
Hope this helps. I feel like I owe you since your blog just helped me plan for at least 30 different places I need to check out.
Anushree - That's so awesome to hear. Thanks for the tip.
No problem. Let me (well all of us blog readers) know what you think of it if you happen to check it out.
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