Pho Bowl Keeps it Simple

For those who love to take their time poring over a lengthy, option-filled menu, the menu at Pho Bowl (1605 Benton Road, Bossier City, LA) may come as a bit of a shock. The entire menu consists of two items: the Vietnamese noodle soup pho ($8) and homemade egg rolls ($1.50). The small, quiet restaurant, located in a shopping center just north of the intersection of Benton Road and Texas Street, is adorned with a large vinyl banner that simply reads “Noodles & Egg Rolls.” Varieties of pho include beef, chicken, Vietnamese meatballs, tendons, tripe, shrimp, crab meat and tofu. Stick with one meat or create your own combo – the price stays the same. Egg roll options are shrimp or pork.

While the main attraction is obviously the pho, I’ll be returning to Pho Bowl for the egg rolls. These homemade behemoths measure about seven inches in length and are stuffed with what may be more recognizable to Cajun foodies as a sort-of “dressing” than as “shrimp” or “pork.” In fact, the stuffing inside these egg rolls isn’t that far removed from what you might find inside a Natchitoches Meat Pie, as far as consistency goes. I’ve eaten more than my share of egg rolls, but I’ve never had one quite like the Pho Bowl egg roll; The thin, crispy phyllo dough wrapper is a far cry from the thicker, Chinese take-out kind, and the filling tastes of garlic and black pepper. They’re good.

The pho came out enormous and fragrant, served with Thai basil, bean sprouts, lime and jalapeño pepper slices. Throw these all into your bowl – you won’t regret it.

Pho Bowl is only open for lunch, Monday through Saturday. Delivery is available for orders over $20 (a $2 delivery fee is added). They can be reached by calling (318) 747-2035.