Into the New

I was feeling adventurous on Thursday so I decided to try a new Phờ and a new FroYo place.

Little Saigon

Just opened on Eastern and 215. Because it is so new they didn't even have an ATM/Debit machine at the register so I had to trek around to find the nearest ATM machine to pull out cash. I know right? Cash! Anyway, the place is one of those Vietnamese/Chinese restaurants, probably since Vietnamese food isn't as prevalent around here so offering Chinese gives more options for people who aren't very adventurous. They had a pretty extensive menu ranging from soups, rice dishes, fried noodle, fried rice, and various meat dishes. Not particularly feeling like soup in the face of 103 degree Vegas heat, I decided to stick with a rice dish off the Vietnamese side of the menu.

I played it safe by ordering the Combination Vegetable and Seafood with Rice. It's basically a sitry fry that includes Baby Chinese Greens, Celery, Broccoli, Carrots, Green Peppers, Cabbage, Squid, Shrimp, and Fish Balls in a savory sauce. I am not quite sure what is in this sauce but it's like crack to me. I've gotten this same basic thing at most other Phờ places that offer it, starting with the old TK Noodle on Tully Road in San Jose, CA. This dish did not disappoint. The flavors were spot on. The sauce wasn't too thick or runny and it complimented the rice. I'm not a huge fan of fish balls so I could have taken them or left them. The surprise of the dish was the squid. It was soft and only slighty chewy which was a really good texture and consistency. Overall, a really good dish.

The restaurant itself is really nice for a Phờ place. There are the traditional paintings on the walls, though they don't all have the same type or even color frame so it was a little distracting. I was impressed by how big the space actually was as I am accustomer to smaller, hole-in-the-wall type places. Of course, since it had just opened, there really wasn't a wait to be seated, nor was there a problem with the service as there were 3 servers on duty. The only true issue, which I have been assured will be rectified soon, was the aforementioned absent ATM/Debit machine.

Yogels

After having such a savory dinner, I really needed something sweet to offset the saltiness. I decided to try out Yogels rather than go one block the other way to Yogurtland.

Yogels is a very inviting place. It's small but the layout maximizes the space well with a topping island in the middle and the yogurt dispensers about against the wall with tables on the opposite wall. When looking at the toppings and yogurt, you notice little signs that show the nutritional information by recommended serving size. I also noticed that the cups weren't nearly as big as those found at Yogurtland or uSwirl which is good for those trying to control their caloric intake. Rounding out the good stuff was the price. The yogurt is already $0.30 an ounce. If you go for Happy Hour from 3pm to 6pm (since when is an hour 3 hours?) then you also get an additional 30% off your purchase. As a result of this, my entire cup only cost $2.50. Not bad for what I got.

Of course, not all is picture perfect at Yogels. The quality of the Yogurt itself was fairly poor. It was too much like the the type of soft serve you would get at a buffet, that is it say that it wasn't smooth at all. I picked my traditional toppings of a drizzle of fudge, strawberries, and almonds. The strawberries weren't fresh, instead opting for what looked like canned and extremely sweet strawberries cut in slivers. A personal dislike of mine are almonds cut in slivers which is what was on offer. Completely disappointed in the toppings.

So yes, I got the yogurt for really cheap but it wasn't really worth the price. I really should have ended the afternoon on a high note after Little Saigon and just gone to Yogurtland, even if they do have slivered almonds. At least the yogurt itself is good and the berries are fresh.