385 Aviation Boulevard #B, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
(707) 527-8882
Parking: in shopping center
Last Visited: October 23, 2004
Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $ to $$
This establishment has by far been the cleanest Vietnamese restaurant I have visited in Sonoma County. In a new building next to the Airport Cinemas, it has a fresh coat of paint, clean carpet, and new everything – from tables, to chairs, to dishware. It’s a refreshing change from the dingy dusty pho places in the county. The walls are bright, the windows bring in a lot of light, and it’s competition is Quizno’s subs, right next door (totally different sector of the market). Prices here are a little higher than the other places, but My Ha’s menu is clean – limited selection, but good choices and quality food. They even had a lunch buffet which looked appetizing – I just couldn’t eat that much for lunch. My Ha is going for a more upscale look. They still use paper napkins, but there were four servers for a lunch hour on a weekday which is pretty impressive.
- Pho – Well Done Beef Brisket, Eye Round Steak - This dish came in a big bowl. Did that come across clearly? The bowl is big. Unlike other pho restaurants, their pho was one size fits all. Each person received their own accompaniments – lime, jalapenos, bean sprouts, and thai basil. I would have liked more noodles and one of my dining companions felt the meat wasn’t lean enough. Her eye round steak was very rare; mine was well done. The soup is hot, but could be just a touch hotter in temperature. Also, although they give you a lot of jalapenos, I dropped most of them in my soup and didn’t taste their presence at all. They didn’t look dried out, but they were missing their fire. Overall, it was still good. $5.75
- Bun Cha Gio,Thit Nuong – Imperial Rolls and barbecued pork – A large bowl is layered with a salad (made of shredded lettuce, beansprouts, cilantro, mint leaves, and shredded cucumber) and topped with room temperature rice vermicelli. An imperial roll is cut into pieces and placed on top of the vermicelli. Thin slices of barbecued pork are seasoned with lemongrass are also placed on top of the vermicelli. Crushed peanuts garnish the dish. Dressing with a fish sauce base is served on the side and poured on top of the noodle mixture. The barbecued pork is very nicely done, not overcooked. The salad mixture gives the dish a light crunch, and the dressing accompanies all of the ingredients well. The thing I liked most about My Ha’s bun is that the vermicelli is room temperature. At many places, you’ll find that the vermicelli is cold like it just came out of the refrigerator. Although this is refreshing in summer, in the winter, it is less pleasant. Very good. $6.50
- Coconut Juice - More ice than juice, but still refreshing with fresh pieces of coconut meat $2
- Banh Kem Flan – The flan is served on a dish and topped with a maraschino cherry. The top of the flan is golden brown and slightly bitter. The bitterness doesn’t make the dish taste bad, but rather adds complexity to the flavorings. The texture is smooth and a bit more solid than other flan I have tried, but still good. $2.25
The nice thing about getting the Pho is that you get your own dish of thai basil, bean sprouts, and lime. They aren’t stingy about giving you these ‘condiments’ for your Pho. Unlike other places, each of us at the table received our own plate. As for what could be done better, if they were going for the truly high class crowd, the bean sprouts would no longer have the bean or the thread at the bottom of the sprout.
On my second and third visits, I had another version of pho with meatballs. One thing My Ha is excellent at is explaining what the dish is made with. For example, they’ll let you know the meatballs are made with pork or that the seafood noodles will have two kinds of noodles. If you’re hesitant about trying Vietnamese food, this place is perfect for you since they’re patient enough to answer any questions and they anticipate the concerns one has. My previous conclusion remains the same - Definitely worth another trip back to My Ha.
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