One weekend, we saw an advertisement for Restaurant Week in Fort Lee, NJ. We often go to/around Fort Lee on weekends, we decided to check it out. Many restaurants and eateries were participating, but not in the same way the NYC restaurant week is done… Most places just had some discount on some items. After looking at so many participating restaurants, I found this spot that offered 2-course meal, a bit similar to NYC restaurant week offers. The building is in bright yellow, you won’t miss it. It has a small parking on the side and back, which was great. The entrance is facing the parking lot in the back.
They are open early, but with limited staff. We arrived before 10am, and it was almost empty. We were greeted by a friendly and courteous staff immediately. Inside was bigger than I thought, long with bench seating along both walls all the way from front to back.
We received a complimentary Kimchi, which was interesting. This restaurant offers Vietnamese standards such as Pho, and grilled pork chops. But they also offer fusion foods as well. Since Fort Lee has many Korean residence, it is smart to offer kimchi as complimentary appetizer.
Their Restaurant Week menu had three options to choose from, and we both went with the option with Porkbelly Bun. They also had a side item on the Restaurant Week menu, Kimchi Bulgogi Fries ($8). It sounded really good, so we added that as well. The fries were so good! A bit smaller in portion than I thought, but it was meaty and very satisfying. Kind of a mix of sweet and spicy from southern island-type dressing and kimchi. Addictive and tasty!
Porkbelly bun was super fluffy and moist, steamed to perfection. Pork was tender with sweet and tangy sauce, with fresh veggies. So much better than I expected it to be!
For main, I went with Pho and my hubby went with a rice dish. They looked really great, we were both excited to have this brunch!
I went with Option 1 ($10), which came with a choice of Porkbelly Bun or Summer Roll, and a choice of any Pho. I chose a Pho with Brisket and Flank.
I added beansprout, cilantro, and peppers to my Pho, and went in! The soup was almost clean and tasted very clean. Nice earthy and comforting flavor. Light yet satisfying. Fresh veggies and tender meat, and I really did like having the beansprout and cilantro with it. Even though it felt light, it was a really huge portion, I was stuffed!
My hubby went with Option 2 ($10), which came with a choice of Porkbelly Bun or Summer Roll, and Bacon Kimchi Fried Rice. It also came with a side of soup. The fried rice had a nice amount of spicy-ness. It was large in size and came piping hot. Clears up your sinus! Meaty with a good amount of bacon, I liked the greens beans in there also. Very filling. The soup was kind of a consommé type soup, very comforting.
The food was great, and what a bargain! We really enjoyed them all. The AC was a bit too strong though, we had to go get a jacket from our car. The staff was polite and attentive, we had a nice brunch here. I would like to go back again to try more of their tasty dishes!
Phobu – 1645 Lemoine Ave, Fort Lee, NJ 07024