Authentic Vietnamese comes to Tomball

Between all the fried goodies, southern comfort food and Tex-Mex dishes, it can be easy for people who eat out in Houston to come to the conclusion that tasty food cannot be healthy. However, a trip to the Pho Tomball Noodle House will quickly clear up those misconceptions. The Vietnamese restaurant, which opened in January 2012, specializes in freshly prepared cuisine that is flavorful while also being light on grease and fats.

"I thought this would be a good way to expose people in Tomball to Vietnamese food," said Rachel Tran, the Tomball resident who runs the eatery. "People appreciate that they don't have to drive all the way to [FM]1960 or I-45 to get good Vietnamese food."

Pho is the Vietnamese dish consisting of broth, rice noodles, herbs and meat. Unlike other restaurants that may offer Americanized versions of Asian cuisine, Pho Tomball maintains an authentic Vietnamese menu.

"Everything is homemade and based on traditional recipes," Tran said. "We hand-cut the vegetables and meats and we wrap each of the egg rolls. We even grind the peanuts that we use to make the peanut sauce."

Tran said her philosophy in designing the menu was to focus on the three basic dishes in Vietnamese cuisine—soup, rice and noodles—and emphasizes quality over quantity. Most dishes are made with a combination of noodles, vegetables, rice and meat.

"We don't need a big menu with hundreds of items," she said. "We pick a few main things and make sure that we can make them really well."

Pho Tomball offers a relaxing sit-down atmosphere for both lunch and dinner. The dining area is separated into a larger room and a smaller room, which can be reserved. The larger room is decorated with Asian plants, paintings and statues of meditating figurines.

Tran said she is pleased with how things have gone through the first year of running her restaurant, and she hopes she can continue to draw in customers.

"We have many repeat customers and we get new customers through word-of-mouth," she said. "I just want to offer something good to the community and our customers appreciate that."

Customer comments

"The food is always good and it's guilt-free. We keep coming back because it's good for you." -Stan

"The food is great and a nice change of pace. The service is excellent too."-Jeanne

"The owner and the chefs really know what they're doing in the kitchen. I'm glad they opened a place like this in Tomball."-Adam

Owner recommendations

• Bun Thit Nurong & Cha Gio—Rice Vermicelli with grilled pork or chicken, lettuce, shredded carrots and peanuts and egg roll ($6.99)
• Com Thit Nurong & Dac Biet—Steamed rice with grilled pork, one egg roll and one shrimp roll ($7.99)
• Pho Tom—Pho soup with vegetables, noodles and shrimp ($8.50)
• Pho Tai, Chin—Pho soup made with rare eye round steak and well-done brisket ($6.75)
• Bun Tofu—Vegetarian dish of rice Vermicelli, lettuce and fried tofu ($6.50)

Pho Tomball, 28145 Business 249, Ste. 2, Tomball, 281-255-5526, www.photomball.com

Hours:

• Mon.–Sat. 10 a.m.–8 p.m.
• Closed Sunday