I popped in to check out Pho & Roll, which recently replaced Pho Curry Ford (and whose name, as Faiyaz of the Orlando Weekly pointed out, was a bit dirty sounding if you pronounced pho correctly).
The menu for Pho & Roll says that it is “Vietnamese food with a modern twist.” Don’t know what that twist might be, except to offer fewer options than the older, more traditional Vietnamese restaurants in the area. And I don’t count that as a negative.
There are decidedly few appetizer options and, not surprisingly from the name of the place, rolls are dominant. I selected a pork meatball roll because it sounded different. It was a nice change from the usual shrimp or even the grilled pork usually found in summer rolls, and it was tasty. But other than being fully packed with noodles and a large basil leaf it was unremarkable.
From the list of pho I selected the one with “rare” eye round steak, brisket, tendon and tripe. The soup was scorchingly hot, which immediately un-rared the steak. Once it had cooled enough to sip, the soup had a nice structure and wonderful aromatics.
Half of it was filling enough, so I requested the remainder to be put in a container to go. The server brought one to the table and poured the soup into it. Or tried to, anyway. A disappointing amount spilled onto the table, along with a couple of pieces of tripe, which were scarce enough in the soup already. Oh well.
He apologized, of course, and all the rest of the staff were welcoming and attentive. It’s not as if they had anything else to do — I was the only guest in the restaurant.
Pho & Roll is at 3334 Curry Ford Road, Orlando. It is open for lunch and dinner daily. The phone number is 407-930-6267.