Henderson has been blessed by the Buddha.\n\nAfter hearing heaping praise from Shirley, Nate, and other Yelpers, I quickly elevated Buddha Belly Deli to the top of my to-try list. I convinced a friend to join me for some fun at lunch today. I found it in the exact location of the dearly departed East Coast Eats, a sandwich shop that wasn't all that impressive. Upon walking in, I saw that they had redone the walls in red and adorned the tables with Lucky Buddha beer bottles, now containing lucky bamboo with water.\n\nPerhaps it was destined that I should run into Shirley herself, who broke news of this new establishment merely weeks ago. We had separate meals, but she offered me a sample of the chicken katsu from her salad afterward. The katsu has a crunchy and surprisingly thin breading around tender, seasoned chicken meat. I will definitely give a chicken katsu item a try, although I'd probably lean toward the Chicken Katsu Club instead of the salad.\n\nMy first actual order was the soup of the day ($3.50), which is still the Thai Clam Chowder. The chef described it as a mixture of clam chowder and tom kha, a Thai coconut soup, and that explanation was right on the money. It was a perfect marriage of potatoes and plenty of clam with the herbs and spices and coconut milk broth of tom kha. The large, flat crouton was a solid accompaniment. It was a little bit spicy, but nothing even my heat-sensitive taste buds couldn't tolerate\n\nFor an entree, I chose the Pho Dip sandwich ($9.00), which comes with a side of Kimchee pickles and a side. I chose the House Made Chips instead of the Asian Slaw. The chips are thin, light, crispy, and not too greasy. Perhaps they're just a bit light on salt, but better to err on the safe side. The pickle slices are actually not very sour at all, but more sweet. They don't exactly fit in the pho flavor profile though.\n\nThe Pho Dip itself was almost surprisingly impressive. I took a bite first of only the sandwich. It had tender rare beef with the very recognizable flavor profile of pho spice and all the usual greens. The pho \"au jus\" is pretty much a solid pho broth, also flavored as you would expect, and it definitely completes the pho experience when you dip the sandwich in it. The bread managed to stay out of the way of the important flavors. It would have been wonderful to have more of the traditional pho sides (especially the basil), but I think this sandwich is a well-executed and novel concept.\n\nI also had part of an Asian BBQ Flatbread ($10.00). It was char siu pork and Chinese lap cheong sausage in a sea of mozzarella above a charred-not-burnt thin crust (still disappointed in you, Settebello). I was surprised that they use a hoisin BBQ sauce, but they balanced it well. Unfortunately, the sauce and sausage combined to drown out the char siu pork. I thought the jalapeno and cilantro adornments were fine, although my friend would have liked to see green onion instead. The pickles and chips both actually pair better with this flatbread than with my sandwich, the chips especially playing well against the overall sweet tone of the flatbread. Overall, this is a solid dish that you might consider if you're a fan of BBQ chicken pizza, and it's shareable if you wanna go that route.\n\nI decided that my meal would not be complete without a dessert, and I had my eye on the much-loved Pumpkin Crunch ($2.00). It reminds me of a coffee cake, but with pumpkin flavor, a chocolate drizzle, and chopped walnuts. I think that there's actually three layers to this treat: a pumpkin pie-esque bottom, a cake in the middle, and a crumbly top. It was a very happy conclusion to the meal, and it just tipped the balance in favor of an immediate five-star review.\n\nI thought that the price points were mostly solid, although the soup bowl seems a little small for its price. My friend was utterly disappointed at first to see that her Thai tea was stuffed to the gills with ice, but we later learned that they offer free refills on this drink. Speaking of which, it felt like all of the owners stopped by at one point to ask if we were enjoying the meal, which is quite nice for an order-then-sit place.\n\nI am very happy that we now have this great Asian fusion deli to add to the growing collection of Henderson food spots. I will certainly be back here soon to explore more of the menu. I won't be ready to make comparisons to other places until then (and this spot is rather unique anyway), but I think it's certainly worth a try if you enjoy any food at all.