Absolutely Phobulous...pho for the lazy

350 N. La Cienega Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90048
(310)360-3930
Mon-Fri 11AM-9:30PM
Sun Closed

Not too bright of an idea to write a post on a mostly full stomach while eating even more. I sit here at my computer stuffing my face with some corn bread I got for lunch from Bristol Farms. It's good and yet there's a task at hand. A task that makes it increasingly hard to write about something being tasty when the last thing you want to think about is more food being tasty. Well you'll just have to bare with me cause that's how I roll. Might I also mention wow...already 50 posts this year. A personal milestone for me indeed.

Pho lovers seem to be very particular about their pho. First lets back up, pho, pronounced "fuh", is a rice noodle soup in clear broth with fresh herbs and veggies in it. It would seem the simplicity of it is what makes them so hardcore about it...it's the balance of simple ingredients that are to agree in harmony in a large bowl. The way the meat, broth and herbs create a single flavor...it's just one of life's simple treats.

As I was saying , pho lovers are hardcore about what you get when you get pho. I went to Absolutely Phobulous this weekend and had a good meal with Celeste. We got the Pho Beef Combo (rare beef, brisket and meat balls), the Vietnamese Crepe (rice crepe with spiced ground pork, mushrooms and onions and comes with Vietnamese ham and cooked bean sprouts with crispy onions), and two orders of Spring rolls. The rolls we ordered were the Fresh Spring Rolls and the Royal Rolls. The Spring rolls had typical shrimp and vermicelli and were yummy but the real standout was the Royal rolls which had marinated pork sausage with golden wanton skin which gave a nice hearty flavor to it as well a refreshing crunchy texture to play against the freshness of the outside rice paper...very yummy indeed.




The pho itself was good...should I be the one to say it wasn't the best or was the best? Probably not. It was very fresh and hearty. The meat was of good quality, the staff was super sweet, and we had a good time. The Vietnamese crepe was fun and while the spices of the meat and the ham was awesome the texture of the crepe itself kind of got old in your mouth when it's all you're eating (kind of smooth and slick). I'd recommend sharing that plate. If you look on yelp you'll hear Absolutely Phobulous was overpriced for what you get while others say it's really good and they enjoy it. I enjoyed it and so did Celeste. They then proceed to name off a bunch of other east side spots that are better. The argument is just that... sometimes you don't feel like driving that far for pho. The other argument is sometimes the rich and famous know a little more than we do cause they get lots of finer food. Not that I'm a media whore but Cameron Diaz stops in as well as other celebs. Kind of a nice perk. I like it and sometimes don't feel like driving to Echo Park, or worse, Monterey Park for killer pho. Henceforth I dub it pho for the lazy. As for the prices...typical west side prices. If you're over here you know what to expect and know that it's actually not pricey at all (especially when you consider you'll be home sooner than later).

All that being said, I shall be writing about my favorite pho place soon enough(which IS on the east side).

Free Drink Refills: Yup
Entree Price Range: $7 to $9