OPeN TueSdAyS – SuNdAyS: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM (CLOSed MONdAyS) october 2015 MARKETPLACEcontracosta.com 35 HuNG, LONG, SONNie, eLizABeTH & dANiCA GRiLLed PORk ANd PRAWNS WiTH PeANuTS OVeR VeRMiCeLLi and . . . well, the rest is history! Sonnie and Long have only a five minute commute to work from their home in Hercules, where they live with their two children, dan and kimberly, who also regularly assist at PHOnomenal. The dining room of PHOnomenal is small, but is bright, clean and welcoming. There are 11 tables providing seating for up to 30 guests. The front windows facing San Pablo Avenue provide plenty of natural lighting, supplemented with ample recessed lighting in the high ceilings, which are adorned with heavy crown molding. The décor is simple, featuring large photographs of available Vietnamese sandwiches on one wall, and a large screen TV on the opposite wall. The atmosphere is casual and relaxed, perfect for a leisurely lunch or dinner. upon our entry to the restaurant on a warm Sunday afternoon, my guest and i were promptly and courteously greeted by the staff and offered menus to peruse as we waited to interview Sonnie. Sonnie and Long are both immigrants from Vietnam, but they actually met in the united States in 1990. As previously mentioned, Long prepares all of the Pho dishes, and Sonnie is the head cook for all other menu offerings, assisted by a couple assistant cooks. They also employ a small hostess and wait staff in addition to family members who help with the business. For the first several months, Sonnie worked 14 – 16 hour days getting the business up and running. even now, long hours are still “par for the course”, starting with early morning shopping for fresh ingredients, and then preparing and cooking all foods fresh daily. We began our culinary samplings by sharing a bowl of Pho— Rice Noodles with Ribeye (Pho Tai). The aroma of the Pho when it was delivered to our table was truly phenomenal . . . (pun intended!) Large pieces of thinly-sliced beef were mixed in with steaming beef broth, accompanied by a separate plate of fresh basil, bean sprouts, lime wedges and jalapenos to mix into the soup. The Pho was excellent—the beef was tender and easy to eat, and the broth seasoning was very flavorful. i would say this is my favorite Pho of all that i’ve previously tried at other Vietnamese venues. Some of the other Pho menu selections include the ribeye beef strips, combined with beef flank, tendon, and/or beef balls; there is also one chicken and one vegetarian Pho selection. i will definitely return for the “phenomenal” Ribeye Pho at PHOnomenal, and may also try the chicken Pho on a subsequent visit. Next up were samples of the Vietnamese Shrimp Spring Rolls and Fried egg Rolls. The spring rolls were made with shrimp, lettuce, rice vermicelli, celery and bean sprouts, all wrapped in rice paper. These are made fresh at the restaurant daily, and were some of the best spring rolls that i’ve ever eaten. A special highlight when ordering the spring roll appetizer is the excellent and generous portion of accompanying peanut dipping sauce, homemade by Sonnie, which further enhances the flavor of the spring rolls. Although the fried egg rolls are not handmade at PHOnomenal, they had an excellent flavor, and were cooked to a perfect crispness on the outside which enhanced the moist, tasty ingredients in the center. These also rank among some of the best eggrolls i’ve ever eaten and you shouldn’t miss ordering these when you visit. Sonnie and Long were eager for us to try a little bit of everything from the menu, and soon their son, dan, delivered two Vermicelli bowls (Bun) to our table. My guest had requested the Grilled Pork and Prawns with Peanuts over Vermicelli, and i’d opted for a similar dish, which substituted the prawns for fried egg rolls. These were served in large bowls accompanied by fish sauce, with all of the fresh ingredients heaped atop the vermicelli noodles. My guest mixed the ingredients, added the fish sauce, and enjoyed approximately half of the entrée, commenting again on the freshness and excellent flavor of the ingredients. i actually ate very little of my vermicelli dish, as i chose to wait for samples of the chicken and pork Vietnamese sandwiches that we’d also ordered. However, i did sample a few pieces of the pork, which was tender and perfectly seasoned, but then opted to take the rest “to go” to eat for lunch the next day. Sonnie ordered one each of the pork and chicken Vietnamese sandwiches cut into smaller pieces so we could
Contra Costa Marketplace - Oct 2015
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