OC Restaurant Quest – The Pho Pot Vietnamese Eatery in Waterford
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Nov. 4, 2023)
Waterford, MI – There is little more comforting than a nice hot bowl of pho on a chilly day, and I was excited to try out The Pho Pot Vietnamese Eatery at 5673 Dixie Highway in Waterford, connected to a small grocery in Waterfall Plaza.
Their website tells the story of owner Phuc Le, saying “our family escaped Vietnam at the end of the Vietnam conflict. Using a homemade boat, the family made it to China. In 1983 we came to America by way of Kansas City. Circumstances took us to Louisiana, Hawaii and, ultimately, Michigan, where we were given the opportunity to own our own business through hard work and persistence. We are appreciative and grateful for everything we have, including the wonderful community we live in. A special thanks go to the Veterans of this country, because without them, we would never be able to tell our story.”
The family’s preparation of traditional Vietnamese recipes delights customers as their food is authentic, delicious, and truly prepared with care.
Pho is a soup made with rice noodles, a choice of broth, beansprouts, cilantro, basil, jalapenos, lime, culantro, purple onion, green onion, and a choice of protein or vegetarian which adds tofu, carrot, and mushroom. I had the beef pho, which comes very thinly sliced and rare, to be cooked in the heat of the broth when added to it.
The best way to carryout pho is with the ingredients all packaged separately, with items added to the hot broth just before enjoying. And the Pho Pot did this perfectly. I was impressed with the freshness of the ingredients and the care in preparation.
Once mixed together, the pho was an amazing soup.
I also ordered egg rolls, which were wonderful.
The Pho Pot keeps a very simple menu, meaning they can focus on customer favorites with consistency. In addition to five pho options, there are grilled meat dinners served with lettuce, cucumber, mint, cilantro, tomato, pickled daikon and carrot, an over easy egg and your choice of rice or rice noodles. Options include sesame pork, grilled chicken, boneless pork chops, steak, ginger soy chicken and more.
The Pho Pot offers another traditional delight – Boba Smoothies. I opted for the peach smoothie with rainbow popping pearls. There are over a dozen flavor options, including honeydew, pomegranate, pineapple, lychee, and banana. Guests can enjoy tapioca pearls, or choose from a selection of popping pearl flavors that includes passion fruit, strawberry, mango and more. There is also black milk tea, Thai Tea with tapioca, and pot ginger hot tea among the beverage selections.
Online ordering can be done with DoorDash. Check out the Pho Pot’s website at https://www.thephopot.com/.
Oakland County Times is on a QUEST to enjoy every local restaurant in Oakland County. This long-term project is a labor of love, supported by our friends at White Castle. White Castle is a family-owned company that is proud to be one of only 20 large employers to make the Fortune Best Places to work list in 2022. With steam-grilled sliders, crispy golden french fries, fantastic slides like onion chips or fried clams, and the best chocolate shakes, White Castle is a by far our top choice for a fast food meal. Check out their website at www.WhiteCastle.com.
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