Old Town Pinole’s newest dining venue, PHOnomenal, brings authentic Vietnamese cuisine to this diverse community. Owner, Sonnie Tu, opened PHOnomenal on February 5th, transforming the former Abby’s Grill into a steadily growing Vietnamese restaurant and delicatessen. Although the name, PHOnomenal, may imply that only Pho is served at this restaurant, the menu also includes appetizers, numerous rice and vermicelli plates, and Vietnamese sandwiches, as well as a variety of beverages. However, Pho is definitely a specialty at PHOnomenal, with currently nine different selections on the menu. For those who may not be familiar with Pho, it is a type of Vietnamese soup that is typically made from beef or chicken stock and spices, to which noodles and thinly sliced beef or chicken is added. At PHOnomenal, all of the soup selections are prepared by Sonnie’s husband, Long, and all of the beef Pho 34 MARKETPLACEcontracosta.com october 2015 selection are made with the finest Ribeye steak to provide a high quality dining experience for customers. Coincidental with the opening of PHOnomenal, Sonnie and her family relocated to Hercules from the South Bay area earlier this year. Sonnie was previously the primary caregiver for her parents, which prevented her from working outside the home for a number of years. Now, no longer a caregiver, Sonnie wanted to find a job, but was uncertain about what she wanted to do. She’d always loved cooking and working in the kitchen, and so began to consider opening a Vietnamese restaurant, although she’d never been a business owner or restaurateur before. There were already many Vietnamese restaurants in the South Bay, so to avoid the competition, she began to look for business opportunities in other nearby cities. When Sonnie’s brother, who was already a Hercules resident, learned that Abby’s Grill was for sale, he notified Sonnie, restaurant review 2320 SAN PABLO AVeNue iN PiNOLe | (510) 964-7647 by vickie lewis PHOnomenal Vietnamese Cuisine & Deli RiBeye PHO
Contra Costa Marketplace - Oct 2015
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