GREAT EATS HAWAII: GOLDEN RIVER RESTAURANT

GOLDEN RIVER RESTAURANT

PHO KIM HA

HONOLULU, HAWAII

My favorite Vietnamese restaurant was closed so we walked a few doors down and found Golden River Restaurant. There were several empty tables so we went in for a quick lunch. I ordered my standard Rare Steak and Brisket Pho plus some Spring Rolls. Since there were three of us, we decided to try the Vietnamese sandwich too. Our waitress quickly brought us a plate of fresh bean sprouts, basil, jalapenos and another leafy vegetable that I don't know the name of. These all go into your bowl of Pho. Pho is a Vietnamese soup that consists of noodles, onion, vegetables and whatever protein you choose. The key to a good Pho is the broth. Every restaurant has a different recipe and preparation style. You can add several different hot sauces, lemon and other condiments to kick up the heat or customize the flavor to your liking. I went for the Rare Steak and Brisket Pho. They actually give you a good portion of meat in this soup. There was plenty to fill me up. This Pho was good. Really good. Probably one of the best I have ever tasted. The entire table agreed. Really good Pho here. The Spring Rolls were disappointing. I wrapped them in lettuce, added a slice of cucumber and then added hot sauce and the dipping sauce. Wrapped it up like a burrito and took a bite. Yuck. Could not eat the thing. Terrible fried taste that I did not enjoy. The Vietnamese Sandwich was good. Filled with pork, sliced carrot, daikon, jalapeno and cilantro. Served on a delicious french roll. Only complaint was that they put on a ton of mayonnaise. The mayo oozed out all over the place. This is a great place to enjoy a bowl of Pho for $6 to $8. They offer small, medium and large bowls.