Hale Vietnam Restaurant - Kaimuki

Today I felt like some Vietnamese food for lunch. After reading my favorite food blog 'Ono Kine Grindz, I decided I would try Bac Nam, located on S. King Street. Well after driving up and down S. King, and not having the actual address (I just knew it was on S. King between Ward and Pensacola) I gave up and drove to a Vietnamese restaurant my mom had taken me to the year before.

Hale Vietnam is located in Kaimuki, on 12th Ave. and is pretty well hidden, unless you know where to look. Parking is located in the back at Kaimuki's Municipal Parking Lot, but to my surprise parking is no longer coin-fed meters, but now they are equipped with attendant booths and gates at the entrace and exits. Parking is about $0.75 per hour, for the first two hours, and no, Hale Vietnam does not validate.

I parked, and with the boys in tow, headed for the restaurant. I was seated immediately, even though it was around 12:30 p.m. The restaurant was fairly full, but I was served quickly. I ordered a medium Beef Pho (Pho Tai) and some fresh spring rolls (Goi Cuon). The goi cuon came first, with a very interesting dipping sauce I've never had before. It was pretty bland, so I asked for a side of fish sauce (Nuoc Cham) and added some hot sauce (Sriracha) to it.

Their Nuoc Cham was a bit strong, more on the fishy side, but still did the trick. My pho tai arrived quickly thereafter and it was steaming. They had added the rare beef to the soup before it got to my table, (I'm used to having the rare beef served on the side) and there was not a lot of beef given with the soup. The sides (jalapeno, bean sprouts, basil, lemon) arrived earlier and I added those to my soup. Funny though, the only condiments on the table were Sriricha and Hoisin sauce.

While it smelled pretty good, I was surprised to find that it tasted pretty bland. The soup base didn't have enough of a beef flavor - although on the plus side, the soup base wasn't overwhelmed with anise.

All in all, it was okay, but not terrific. And I want to find a terrific place. I have tried the Pho To-Chau down on River Street in Chinatown; the one that ALWAYS HAS A LINE OUT THE DOOR, but that was just okay too. And I think they use thick rice noodles instead of thin ones. It was good, but I don't think I'll wait an hour to get in there again. They have a limited menu as well.

So now I'm going to try and go to Pho 97 on Maunakea St. I'll let you know how it goes!

Hale Vietnam
1140 12th Ave.
Honolulu, HI