Le Kitchen Pho & Rice

Needing to grab some lunch after a morning at California Adventure, we weren't planning on going very far.  Hence we looked for something on W Katella Ave.  To narrow down the search some more, we decided on something much lighter than what we had for dinner the night before.  So off we went to Le Kitchen Pho & Rice located in what appeared to be a former location of Pizza Hut.  We thought it was great since the dining space was large and spacious.

Absolutely loved the owner-lady as she was welcoming and super nice.  That alone was worth the price of admission.  However, I'm here to talk about the food, so we started with the Salad Rolls which was modernly plated.  Portion size was not as big as some spots, but the rolls were prepared well.  The lettuce was fresh and crisp, vermicelli noodles were soft with a chew while the shrimp were meaty.

We also had the Spring Rolls and to our delight, they were prepared with legit rice wrappers.  Some places are lazy and use wheat wrappers which totally changes the texture.  By using rice wrappers, the crunch from the exterior was more firm and it didn't shatter like wheat wrappers.  Rather, it had a slight chew (just how we like it).  The pork filling was moist and well-seasoned.  Loved how they served it with herbs and lettuce, so we could wrap the spring rolls.

For Viv she had the Pho with rare steak and meatballs.  Broth was clean and fairly light with only the mild meatiness and hints of daikon and anise.  This was good though as it wasn't overloaded with salt or MSG.  Furthermore, they skimmed the oil enough so the broth wasn't overly fatty either.  Noodles were decently portioned and still al dente.  There was enough meat which was tender.

For my daughter, she went for her usual in the Pho Ga.  Naturally, the flavor profile of the soup was remarkably different than the beef.  It was sweeter and lighter as well as having a noticeable chicken essence.  Again, it wasn't overly salty.  Once again, the noodles were not overdone nor clumpy.  The ample slices of chicken were relatively tender given that it was white meat.

For my son, he also stuck with his favorite being the Lemongrass Chicken with rice and fried egg.  Nicely charred, the bone-in chicken thighs were marinated well.  As a result, the meat was juicy and well-seasoned.  Lots of aromatics and smokiness that went well with the white rice and perfectly fried egg.  Since it was bone in, it was a bit more difficult to eat, but well worth it for the extra meaty flavor.

For myself, I had the Banh Mi Chao (Bo Ne) featuring cubed filet mignon, fried eggs, pate sauce, cheese wedge, meatball, and sausage with French baguette and salad.  I've had this before and I can say this was pretty good with a creamy and meaty sauce that I soaked up with the crusty baguette.  Beef was medium-rare and super tender.  Well-priced for $12.00.  In fact, this was an inexpensive meal that was tasty and well-portioned.  A good escape from the heavy stuff at Disneyland and surrounding restaurants.

The Good:

- Super nice people

- Good eats

- Well-priced

The Bad:

- Not much ambiance, but you aren't paying for that