They said they served Udon...

...And they did, sort-of.

Today, I visited Pho Lien Hoa (901 NW 23rd Street, Oklahoma City, OK -Open 9AM to 9 PM all week long). If you know where the infamous Miriwa Chinese Restaurant is, Pho Lien Hoa is just to the west of that place.

The store always seems pretty busy. Of the 30 or so available tables, most were packed.

A word of advice: they do not accept any credit cards.

The atmosphere is pleasant: there is a fish tank and many pieces of artwork; the tables are oddly futuristic-looking; I especially enjoyed the cow diagram showing, in Vietnamese, the names of various meat cuts.

As the title of this post would suggest, I went because I had heard they served udon. Udon is a thick wheat noodle of Japanese origin, and one of my favorites (Udon wo daisuki desu yo!). Besides the udon, egg and glass noodled soups are available with an intriguing array of additives. Each soup only comes in one size and costs around $6.50 apiece.
I ordered the shrimp & pig leg udon soup. I could not ask for a nicer vegi plate: jalapeño, very sweet limes, bean sprouts, saw-toothed herb, and thai basil.

The soup itself, though containing a higher meat:fat ratio than I could have expected, was only okay. The broth was okay. The meat was okay. There were a lot of onions- green and bulbs. The udon noodles were very bad: they had been long overcooked and then chopped into fragments of between 1 and 3 inches.

Overall, I suppose they rate "1 & a half Silver Doughnuts" (out of a possible 5).

I'm sure that many people love this place, but for the way they treated those poor udon noodles, I will not be returning.

I always have Phởn...

Have you ever wondered where to find a really good bowl of Phở in Oklahoma City?

There are quite a few places that serve the soup, and many of them quite good, but I generally go to Mr. Phở. Located in the Super Cao Nguyen Center (the large glass and brick building attached to the Super Cao Nguyen Supermarket) at 1133 NW 25th St, this shop is always busy at lunchtime.


Two entrances: inside & outside the Super Cao Nguyen Center

As the name would suggest, they serve Phở. They also serve Hủ tiếu (rice noodles), Mì (egg noodles), and various rice dishes. For those who do not come for the Phở, they also serve a range of specials that include choice of rice, etc. I go for the soups:

On the left, delicious phở; on the right scrumptious mì.

Prices here are very reasonable, and most of the soups are available in three sizes (the pictures above show the large, which tends to be enough for my lunch). In the background of both images, you see the plate of herbs... sometimes they give you saw-tooth herb (Eryngium foetidum). ^.^

The menus are bilingual Vietnamese & English (well translated), the staff is very friendly, their front window opens on the giant teapot fountain, and the food is great. They open at 10 am.

There! You've no excuses not to visit!

Many appologies if my computer refuses to use the correct characters. And again, I have no affiliation with this shop (besides the fact that I eat here quite often indeed).

Dim Sum in Oklahoma City

If you like traditional Chinese cooking, Grand House is the restaurant for you! Located at 2701 North Classen Blvd, in Okc, it has been a good food standard for years. Every weekend from 9 am to 3 pm, Grand House serves an amazing array of Dim Sum to their adoring fans.

Standard Fare

Ahhh, Grand House, let me count the ways: 1 squid curry; 2 steamed pork buns; 3 delicious dumplings; 4 roast duck; 5....

In reality, it's hard to find something about Grand House I don't like... No, wait, I don't like their chicken feet. I think they're steamed, then batter deep-fried, then stewed...? If it weren't for the bones, I'd be hard pressed to identify them as chicken feet at all. Not at all like Duk Hing's chicken feet (more on them in a later post).  2010 CORRECTION: I had not tried the chicken feet at Grand House for several years, having disliked this dish the last time I tried it. On January the 3rd, 2010, I tried it again, and was surprised to find that it was different from my memory.  Thought still unlike Duk Hing's fare, Grand House's chicken feet are no longer battered and stewed, but rather simmered in a mixture of garlic and broths; it was quite unexpected and fairly tasty.
...I can now say in all honesty that Grand House serves nothing I don't like.  (PS: Try their congee!)

If you decide to sample of Grand House's wares, try to aim for before noon, as around that time the mob begins to form and you can expect some wait. You can make a reservation too. Lots of birthday balloons do not seem to be a problem either.

Did I mention the desserts? Sure there's the Dessert Cart (I highly recommend the flan), but there's also the desserts you can buy at any time:

Just inside the door, on the left.

Drop in and buy a chocolate mouse for that special someone in your life, or cheesecake and tiramisù for those that do not like mice.

Find them online at http://www.grandhouseokc.com/index.php

I am in no way affiliated with Grand House, I just love eating here.