There is a lot to like about Wife’s Ramen & Pho. 

One of the first things you notice about the place, which is tucked into a nice strip mall in a relatively newly developed area of Perrysburg Township, is how inviting it is.

The interior is small but the lighting is a very pleasing and warm yellow and on the walls are several cute pictures of cats and other animals. It makes you want to come in and sit down, and sit down I did. 

On my first visit I ordered a Pho Tai ($14.95). The soup of Vietnamese origin was served with thin but rare slices of beef and some green onions in a lemon and miso tinged broth. It was good but to be honest I expected a little more. The beef was tender but overall I found the dish lacking in flavor. It was served alongside a plate that contained siracha, black garlic paste, and bean sprouts and it sorely needed all of those things in addition to a chili / sesame oil that was on the table. 

Bill of Fare

PizzaPapalis hits Detroit style pie out of the park

Perhaps it could have used more greens in it as well, as it was very noodle heavy.  

With the soup, I ordered an ube flavored milk tea with tapioca bubbles ($6.50). I found this to be pretty good. Ube is a Japanese purple yam and the tea came a brilliant purple color in a pretty large glass, marked by nice flavors of vanilla with a little starch-y sweet potato flavor to it. 

My second visit went a little better. My dining companion ordered the black garlic ramen ($15.95), which she said was outstanding. I tried a little bit as well and the notes of garlic in the broth blew me away especially when blended with the chili / sesame oil that was on the table. It was a flavor explosion. 

My companion described the kick of garlic as intense but needed in the overall profile of the meal.  

The ramen was also packed with fix-ins, which was an improvement on the pho, including a hard boiled egg, fish cake, bamboo shoots, and dried seaweed. It included a fat slice of pork as well which was perfectly cooked.  

My main course was the yaki udon with shrimp ($13.95), a kind of stir-fried noodle. It was fine. The thick udon noodles were flavored with a kind of sesame, and came with carrot and bok choy alongside the shrimp. The shrimp was well cooked but I liked the shrimp better in the summer rolls ($8.99) that we ordered, which were excellent.  

There, served cold in a kind of wrap alongside basil, mango, carrots, and rice noodles, I was refreshed and struck by how fresh the whole thing tasted. 

Bill of Fare

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We also ordered the pork gyoza ($5.99), a kind of dumpling, which came nice and crisp and were exactly what we were looking for in a dumpling.  

Nothing spectacular but they were just right.  

To wash that down, I ordered a mango yogurt soda ($6.50), which was something I had never had before, though I know it to be an Eastern delicacy.  

I found it to be a very interesting combination of smooth and fizzy, fittingly like a clear combination of soda with a little dairy mixed in. Little pieces of mango at the bottom of the glass added to the fruitiness very well. 

My dining companion ordered a kumquat and lemon green tea ($6.50) which she said was lemonade-y and refreshing. It too had little pieces of fruit at the bottom and a slice of lime in the drink which was a nice touch. 

This drink came from the “fruit tea” tab on the menu and I was personally interested by the fact that it was not a bubble tea, like the milk teas that are in the next category over on the menu. Still for what it was, I was told it was very good. 

Overall, Wife’s Ramen & Pho is very much worth trying, and especially worth sitting down and having a relaxing meal in. However, many dishes on the menu are flavorful and interesting but others are disappointing.   

First Published March 14, 2024, 1:00 p.m.