I have a few “safety” cards for those days I just don’t feel like making a reservation or finding a place to get fat at. I decided to use one of those safety cards tonight at a place called Phorage. This restaurant replaced Roy Choi’s Chego location in Palms and features Vietnamese food sourced with high-quality locally grown produce.
This is #22 of 52 of my 2014 LA food expedition.
Note for 2022 migration: this is an old post from my other defunct blog. I am not surprised that this is still open. This place had very acceptable pho, albeit a little hipster. The broth is decently flavorful, and I frequented this a lot when I was in LA and had trouble figuring out what to eat.
Ambiance
Parking could be a pain here as the parking lot is very small. Fortunately, I went here late after work, so there were enough spots opened. When you walk in, there’s a cashier next to the door. You simply order here, and they will give you a stand with a number that you place at your seat of your choosing.
Food
Imperial Roll with shrimp, pork, and roasted nuts. This was fairly decent. Everything tasted like what you would find and expect at a typical Vietnamese restaurant. They also serve vermicelli on the side which is something I don’t commonly see. The batter for the roll was pretty good. However for $7, it is a bit on the pricey side.
Washugyu Beef with rare washugyu steak and beef brisket. For pho, this was decent, but not great. The soup base is milder than other pho restaurants. The rare beef steak actually is pretty tender, and they are fairly generous with the portions. The noodles themselves were super soft though and a bit mushy which I wasn’t too crazy about. All in all, I generally like the special combos where they throw in tripe and other miscellaneous parts. Unfortunately at this restaurant, the menu is a bit more accessible, so there was none of that.
Final Verdict
In the end if price was a non issue, I would say Phorage is a decent alternative for a modern Vietnamese restaurant. However, it is a bit pricey for what you get, and the flavor itself is not particularly bold enough for me compared to other Vietnamese restaurants in Southern California.
Revisions
- Nov 19, 2022 - Migrated post from other blog.
- Jun 5, 2014 - Initial revision.