I worked on BERF a lot today – a little of this:
And a lot of that – posts are now listed by topic for easy browsing when it’s your turn to go through pregnancy and you want to re-read : )
It’s a dark and stormy night over here and Matt and I headed out for dinner at one of CVille’s newest restaurants
Moto Pho Co. – Cville’s first pho restaurant!
The space is absolutely stunning. Love its simplicity and modern feel! And the row of sriracha is my fav!
I’ve had pho a few times in my life, but not in recent years. Once in England actually! I know it’s pronounced “fuh” but gosh I hate saying it aloud!
The menu at Moto is quite short – just 2 drinks – coffee or salted lemonade. We decided to try out the lemonade, and it tasted like…salt water lemonade. I will say that I liked it more WITH the food though, but not sure I’d get it again. I might have liked it better as a tart lemonade with a salt rim a la margarita?
By far my favorite part of our meal was the veggie rolls with grilled tofu, rice vermicelli, lettuce, mint, carrot, and a hoisin-peanut sauce
The peanut sauce was out-of-this-world good!!!!!!!!!!!! Sweet like a Resee’s cup!
And the tofu rolls were amazing.
Matt and I each got a different pho dish to share: Top Round Beef and Grilled Tofu
The beef was good – loved it with lime juice on top. It reminded us of Christmas a little – perhaps one of the spices they used?
We doctored it up with fish sauce, sriracha and hoisin
But let me take a moment to RAVE about the tofu dish!!!!! The grilled tofu was incredible – it reminded me of a roasted marshmallow, and the broth had SO much more flavor than the beef dish. Go veggies!? Loved the mushrooms. I will definitely get this again next time.
Classic pho condiments on the side – surprisingly neither of us went for the jalapenos, but we did add a good amount of bean sprouts to the dishes.
To end our meal, we gave the black-eyed pea sweet rice pudding a try. Loved the coconut milk “frosting” but could really do without the black-eyed peas. Not a combination I liked together. But I suppose they were good for more protein : )
Overall, we had a great experience. For the price, this place was awesome. Everything we got was under $30 with tip – a lot of healthy food! I’d go back for more veggie rolls and tofu pho soon. And the hot brothy bowls will be even better when the weather gets chilly.
West Main St. is really hoppin’ these days – we discovered another restaurant opening soon! And we are hoping to take our family to Bella’s Italian when they visit after the baby is born.
We’re back at home now with wet feet drying in thick cozy socks. NOW I am going to read!!
Jen says
Matt looks so young in that pic! Nice that you have lots of pics of yourselves to show your little one what his mom and dad looked like as young’uns 🙂
KathEats says
He says thanks, bread and beer keep him youthful
Jen says
I agree! 🙂
Jeri says
I do love pho. I wish I had someone to go with me. My kids won’t go. They don’t want to try new things like I do.
KathEats says
Haha boo kids! We ate next to some kids that were slurping it up! Maybe you could call it something else like noodle soup?
Kelly says
I love Pho! I would have loved to try the tofu, totally jeally! Sounds like a nice dinner. PS. Loved the last pic of Matt, usually his pics are silly. Enjoy the night guys!
Emily @LivingLongfellow says
Gosh I love pho. I was dreaming about getting some all day and instead we got Chinese takeout-wishing we woulda stuck with pho.
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats says
oh my goodness, that looks amazing! I don’t think I’ve ever had pho that I can think of!
lindsay says
Love pho! That tofu one looks awesome. The best place here only has beef and chicken. I’ve never had the salted lemonade. I love getting the Vietnamese iced coffee though!
Lisa says
My sister and I have this on-going debate about the pronunciation of “pho”. She says, “fuh” but I asked the waitress at our local pho place and she insisted it is pronounced “foh”.
Hmmmmm……
j3nn says
Everything looks great! I have rice paper wrappers on standby waiting to be filled. Now I’m totally inspired to actually go through with it, lol.
Amie says
I went to Moto Pho Co. a few weeks ago and had the salted lemonade and I completely agree… it tasted like lemonade made out of ocean water! Not what I was expecting 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the restaurant though, it’s great!
Kim says
so i didn’t know tofu pho was a ‘thing’ and now i want that! i’ve never had pho because i’ve only seen it with meat. looks delicious!!
Averie @ Averie Cooks says
those spring rolls look PERFECT! the hoisin-peanut is always amazing and that there was some mint in the rolls, mmmm, so good!
Katie says
What are you reading? Looks like a very enjoyable pre-baby evening. Bella’s Italian looks like a fun family place. I’m guessing your little guy will be a pretty adventurous eater, but I guess you never know.
Mom says
Love the umbrella shot of Matt.
Kat says
Matt’s probably reminded you of christmas because of the star anise and cinnamon (or cassia) spices used in the broth.
KathEats says
Ahhh that makes sense!
Carly @ Snack Therapy says
What an interesting dining experience! The dinner looks light, healthy, and fabulous. The dessert? I could do without :).
Katie @ Talk Less, Say More says
YUM! I’ve never tried Pho, maybe I should give it a shot?!
Cosmos says
I love pho! I go out for pho every week or two, today I had pho ga. I’ve made it at home, but I prefer going out for pho.
Heather says
So let me get this straight.. It’s pronounced “fuh,” and the restaurant follows that with “Co”? Hmm…
KathEats says
Say the restaurant name out loud with “fuh” and “cuh” as the slang for Co.
Kelsie says
There’s one in my hometown called Pho King… 🙂
Heather says
Haha oh goodness.
The Clean Eating Mama says
I love pho! We have several places called What the Pho! lol
Kelly Michele says
oh my goodness! i love pho and haven’t had it in so long! 🙂
Jayme says
How ironic – my hubby and I ate at Moto Pho Co for the first time tonight, too! We also loved it. I imagine we were there much later than you, as I definitely would have introduced myself if I’d seen you there. (Fellow preggo Cville lady, here!)
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
KathEats says
Oh fun! (I mean “pho-un!!) sorry we missed each other!
Christina @ The Beautiful Balance says
I LOVE Pho. It is so easy to make at home.
Kim Weigand says
Give us the recipe!!
Jessica says
Hi kath! I chance upon your blog and find you really inspiring in terms of healthy diet! I’m a food science and nutrition student here in singapore and i feel so relatable to your blog;) one more thing, IT’S SO GOOD TO BE YOU! Haha
Mai says
I love pho, but I never see vegetarian pho in restaurants so we always have to make it at home. If I ever make it to CVille, I definitely need to stop by Moto!
Michelle (Peachy Palate) says
As a massive tofu lover that really does look incredible! Looks like my perfect sort of meal; I might have to attempt to create something similar as I’m not going to be able to find something comparable anytime soon over this side of the world!
Vidya says
Kath love your bracelet. It’s so beautiful! You guys (both you and Matt) have great smiles. Very warm and pretty.
KathEats says
Thanks but it’s just a hair tie!! 🙂
Sandra says
I thought it was a bangle too and was going to comment how nice it was as well!
Emily @ Life on Food says
I so enjoy Pho restaurants. They seem to be few and far between around me. Always a good meal, and always a good deal.
Lindsay says
YUM, I love Pho…after living for a year an a half in Asia, I guess that makes sense:) It was either like it or don’t eat at all!! But the salted lemonade sounds gross! I loved the grilled tofu, and the dessert~ the black eyed peas ARE strange, but here in S. Korea we eat something called “Pat Bing-Sue” which is yogurt topped with red beans…it is actually quite good! Sweet AND savory;)
Kimberly says
Looks like a super fun evening! I have never tried pho, but now I really want to!
Amanda @flecksofgreen says
You are so lucky to have new restaurants popping up all the time! I wish I lived where that happened regularly! The food looks delicious!
Karen says
Be still my heart…TOFU! Funny, I just sauteed a crispy batch myself to toss into salads this week!
alexandra @ sweet betweens [blog] says
Man oh man, that pho looks wonderful! Nashville has some great very local + authentic spots but I’m hankering for one where I can walk in and know I’ve got a simple menu with can’t-go-wrong options.
Rhapsody says
Thanks for reorging BERF!!! My future self thanks you A LOT. 😀
Angel7 says
I have never been to a pho restaurant, but would definitely give it a try.
The veggie rolls look great!
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
Clare says
Yum. I like the Sriracha decor (my desert island condiment).
Alicia says
I grew up in Atlanta, where we have a HUGE Vietnamese culture, and have been eating pho for years! We generally use the hoisin and sriracha on the side and dip the beef, chicken, or whatever type of soup you get in to it. I have never seen tofu pho before though.
We just got a pho restaurant here in Columbus (Indiana) and I have really enjoyed taking my friends there for a new experience! In Atlanta the pho houses served dandelion tea, the new restaurant here serves pineapple leaf tea, which I LOVED! The salted lemonade is definitely something I would try, but I don’t know that I would like it.
L @ Trying Not to be Fat says
Pho is my absolute MOST FAVOURITE FOOD EVER! I eat it at least twice a week. I crave it. Amazing. Plus it’s extremely cheap here. $6 for a giant bowl! Yes please!
Susie says
Kath I hope that you get the chance to come by One Meatball Place before (and many times after!) the baby comes–I will be working there! MotoPho seems to be doing really well, and we have BIG plans for OMP 😀 And the chef is a man named Valentino, who used to be exec chef at Keswick!
Everything will be made in house, from grinding the meat, to cutting the fries, to soaking the dried chickpeas for the falafels. Also, we will have a full bar and an adventurous wine list. If you stop by, please ask if Susie is working, or look for a petite blonde acting like she is RUNNING this town, haha. I would love to put you in touch with the owners/managers and have you come over for a taste once we get the early kinks ironed out–I don’t want you to think we have no clue what we are doing while we fix the bugs!
Glad to hear that you are still feeling well and getting what sleep you can. I always see Matt at the Market on Saturdays but I never want to bother him while he’s working….
KathEats says
Oh how fun!! We can’t wait to check it out – the space looks really cool!! Keep me in the loop : )
Matt says
Please say hello!
Michael Tavallaei says
the veggie rolls look great!