GREAT EATS HAWAII: PHO 27 VIETNAMESE CUISINE / FAIRWOOD INN

PHO 27

VIETNAMESE CUISINE

HONOLULU, HAWAII

The Fairwood Drive Inn and Pho 27 just opened in Kaimuki. The restaurants are located next to Longs Drugs and across from Sacred Hearts Academy. Both restaurants are in the same space with the Fairfield Drive Inn up front and Pho 27 in back. While the Fairwood portion is bright and clean it is the Pho 27 space that is awesome. It is difficult to understand that there are two restaurants in the space. The menu on the door only shows the Fairwood Inn items which are pretty run of the mill Hawaiian style Drive Inn types; hamburgers, teri-burger, katsu, plate lunch type things. We were about to walk away but I looked through the window and saw the Pho 27 space in the back. The large white balls hanging from the ceiling and modern look caught my eye. We walked in and right past Fairwood Inn. We were happily greeted by young employees who seated near a window overlooking Chamanade University. Beautiful green hills. I loved the look of Pho 27. Someone with some design talent went to work on this place. They transformed an old beat up space with a 2'x4' tile ceiling into a piece of artwork. The round oval lights on the roof contrast with the bright white puffs of light and yellow circles along the walls. This is cool for a Vietnamese place I thought. Someone really went off on design and spent some money making it just like they visioned. We would normally order Pho which is a Vietnamese soup with noodles and various meats. I opted to try a Vietnamese Sandwich. They offer them with Chicken, Pork or Beef. I went with the Chicken Sandwich ($5.75) and upgraded to the meal that includes soup and salad for an additional ($3). Keli went with a noodle dish topped with Spring Rolls and BBQ Pork. My sandwich was beautiful on the plate with thinly sliced carrots, cucumber and green onion flowing out. I added some Sirachi Hot Sauce and took a bite. The bread was fresh....super fresh....like something you dream about. It had a light crunch and then just melted in your mouth. Where did they get this bread I thought. It was the best. The chicken had flavor and was good. Just wish there would have been more of the pickled Daikon and Carrot on the sandwich. The salad was basic with a fresh and light dressing. The soup had no taste and was left on the table. Keli devoured her Spring Rolls that topped her noodle dish. She ate about 1/4 of the noodles and just a little bit of the BBQ Pork. She either was not too hungry or just didn't like the dish. Looked good and came with a cup of fish base sauce. I will go to Pho 27 again soon. Many other menu items I would like to try and I like the feeling and service here. Young, energetic kids wanting to do a good job.