Gardena has a lot of noodle restaurants and so trying to decide which one to go to is difficult. We first tried to go to Pho Hong Long down the street but it was packed and decided not to wait. We saw Pho Consomme right on Redondo Beach Blvd. and decided to give it a try. It is a free-standing restaurant so has lots of parking and lots of seating inside unlike Pho Hong Long which is in a small shopping/strip mall and not much seating. First impression is that it is very modern – computer touchscreens for the waiters, big screen tvs with the games on, and very clean looking. The menu is huge with so many items to choose from but we had a craving for pho so stuck with that page.
Here’s a disclaimer that this blog is not about restaurant reviews but just our general impressions on what we like. We are fairly new diners to pho so don’t have a ton to compare from. I love ramen but something about the beansprouts, basil and jalapeno that just creates a craving for me. Plus the rice noodles are just awesome!
Alana had the rare beef version and I had the #1 which had everything – rare beef, meatball, tripe, tendon, flank and also brisket. Small bowls are $5.50 and the large is $6.25 so these photos you’re seeing are large bowls. There is a lot of meat for sure! The only thing I would notice is that the rare beef is not a thinly sliced as other places. Something about the broth was also not as good as other places… maybe tasted more of star anise and lacked a flavor that I just can’t place… a little flat. I usually like to start eating as they serve it to get a sense of the soup base then add everything else in after. Since all we had was pho we would rate it only for the pho at 3 stars out of 5. Alana was a bit disappointed that they were out of boba and fruit smoothies even though they were advertised on the outside and on the menu… and this was 12:15 on Saturday. We discussed it and may not come back for the pho but maybe for the other items on the menu. We noticed the food our neighbors were also getting and it all looked really good. Also of note was that the waiters were very attentive and service was very fast.
Pho #1 on the menu – with rare beef, meatball, flank, brisket, tripe and tendon.
Pho is so delicious!