Pho Bac

Rating: OK
Meal:  Dinner for 3
Price: 867 pesos
Payment: Credit cards accepted
Dishes: Pho with beef and beef balls, fried rice, pork with lemon grass, fresh spring rolls, tofu with garlic salad, steamed pork bun 
English Menu: Yes

Pho Bac was our first real disappointment of the trip to Manila.  We really wanted good Vietnamese as it's so hard to find in Japan, and my dad said this place was recommended by some Vietnamese friends of his who said it was the most authentic in town.  Well...we weren't impressed.  The pho was ok, but not great, the fresh spring rolls not very flavorful with the usual herbs, the "lemon grass pork" didn't have any lemon grass flavor to speak of, and the garlic tofu was bland as all get out  My son was happy (as always) with his fried rice.  The one pleasant surprise was the odd steamed pork bun, which was nothing like Chinese/Japanese/Filipino bao.  It was almost like a thick corn-meal pyramid covering some very tasty bits of ground meat and a quail egg.  I was tempted to rate it "Not Great" but my wife said it was just my disappointment talking, it's more like a solid Ok.