We have been excited about the opening of Pho Lang Thang since we started seeing them at events and Asian Cultural/Food festivals almost a year ago – and apparently everyone else has too. We’ve tried to pay Pho Lang Thang a visit three or so times within the past couple of weeks and every single time there was a two hour wait. While this may annoy some, it just tells me that the food must be darn good and well worth the wait.

And it was.

We went on a Sunday as to avoid the crowds, and even then, it was busy! Just not overly so. Upon entering the staff was friendly and told us they’d seat us soon – it only took a minute or two. Enough for me to sneak and snap a picture or two of the interior. As we were sat down our server explained that we were actually being sat in a section that didn’t belong to them, but that they used when they were busy.

To start, we got the Cha Gio – two fried spring rolls filled with pork, mushrooms carrots and glass noodles and a dipping sauce called Nuoc Mam Pha. They were nice and crispy and the ingredients were mixed well inside them. They were crunchy, porky and very savory. The sauce was sweet and really complimented the Cha Gio really well.

Gelato really is in a class of its own when it comes to mixed frozen cream deliciousness. Dojo Gelato is one of the very few local places that offers gelato and as such it’s definitely worth checking out.

The day we happened to stop by they had a few “normal” flavors as well as a few unique ones. I tried a sample of the pistachio (Shh… I hate pistachios) gelato and found it to be absolutely amazing. It was sweet and had a hint of pistachio flavor – it almost makes me question my pistachio hate.

Lot’s of people don’t know what an authentic Belgian waffle is, or how it tastes. I’ve met people who thought it was no different than an Eggo waffle (shudder), and then there are the Brussels waffles that, thanks to language, have become “Belgian” waffles. But, the real kind are from the city of Liège in eastern Belgium (often appropriately referred to as “Liège-style waffles”).

In particular, my niece and nephew have never tried them before; they, like many, had thought that a Belgian waffle was simply a pancake with a checkered pattern imprinted in them. So I made it my goal to get them out of that rock they were under and to show them a real Liège waffle; the only place I know to get those around here is at Taste of Belgium in Findlay Market or at North Market in Columbus. Since Cincinnati is much closer to us than Columbus, off to Findlay Market we went.

I’d also like to make a side note: I really love Findlay Market – it’s the home of Dojo Gelato, Herbs & Spice, the soon-to-be Pho Lang Thang and several other great vendors. Some may dislike the openness of Findlay Market – but I love it. It’s worth a trip to Cincinnati every once in a while and, if you’ve never been and if you’re within 30-40 minutes of Cincinnati it’s worth checking out at least once. Thanks to cars, going anywhere between Newport and Columbus is pretty much a non-issue with me.