Hello TL! This is a thread for all lovers of the vietnamese noodle soup dish, Pho! (pronounced fuh)
For those of you that aren't very accostemed to Asian foods, check out a quick introduction to Pho from Anthony Bourbain of travel channel
Now, the hardest part about eating Pho is finding a good place to eat at. The three things that i classify my Pho's are Service Quality Price.
i go to Pho Cow Cali in San Diego. It has pretty reasonable service, food comes in about 3-4 minutes, and the waiters usually do what you ask It has amazing tasting eggrolls, crunchy and fresh tasting. The sauce is your good ol' peanut sauce that tastes great. The Pho is amazing, big sizes and you can peek in the kitchen window and see all the authentic ingredients in their huge boiling pot. Their broken rice and rice veremecelli dishes are great too! As usual, their Pho is served with the condiments of basil, pepper, beansprouts, and lime chunks. Standard Price, 5.75 for a small and 6.35 for a large. The large, once again, is really big.
So now my question to all of you, is which Pho do you eat at? That way, in case we stop by your city, we can find a good pho I always find yelp to be not the best at grading Pho, as many times i have tried yelp and visited a "4 star" restaurant for it to be dismal in my standards.
There are any number of Vietnamese cafe/bars on Swanston street in Melbourne's CBD. If I feel like pho, any of them is fine, they pretty much all make it the same way.
Mekong might be one of the better places; it proudly advertises how BILL CLINTON ate TWO BOWLS and challenges you to do better! But the waiters don't even talk to you, they just stand over you and stare until you order...
Man, ever since I first saw Bourdain basically orgasm over pho, I wanted to have REAL, good pho here in NYC. They have these Korean-run "Pho" places in Flushing, but I'm sure there are more authentic, better places to eat them.
i live in philly right now but unfortunately the pho here isn't that great. i've had pho in NYC and it wasn't that great either. pho just sucks in the east coast imo. The best pho i've had was in the Pacific NW--Portland or Seattle
In Georgia, there's a small chain called Saigon Cafe. A friend of mine's family owns it, so I get discounts every now and then. I would go there even without the friend loyalty as the Pho is extremely good there. Small is pretty cheap, I think 3-4 dollars maybe (I might be mistaken). Large is a bit more expensive but it is huge, as with Pho tradition.
The Pho comes in a variety of combinations. But like most, it does come with the basil, beansprout, lime, sliced onion, etc group. I don't really know where all of the Saigon Cafes are located, but they're all over GA. They have a website: http://atlsaigongroup.com/saigoncafe/. Definitely stop by if you need some pho and are in the area. Also the owner's son (my friend) play sc2 so if you run into him you'd have something to talk about, I suppose.
I eat it at a place called Pho Country in Carson City, NV. They make spectacular pho, they have some other nice dishes too. I've been addicted to the stuff ever since my mom gave me some when I was 6.
On June 06 2011 09:26 Tracil wrote: There are any number of Vietnamese cafe/bars on Swanston street in Melbourne's CBD. If I feel like pho, any of them is fine, they pretty much all make it the same way.
Mekong might be one of the better places; it proudly advertises how BILL CLINTON ate TWO BOWLS and challenges you to do better! But the waiters don't even talk to you, they just stand over you and stare until you order...
yeah i hate that, usually waiters at asian restaurants aren't very friendly, but when they are they are always bubbly and hilarious and hook you up good hahaha
I "pho"king love PHO! living in NYC is really awesome since there are lots of restaurants
On June 06 2011 09:28 jpak wrote: Man, ever since I first saw Bourdain basically orgasm over pho, I wanted to have REAL, good pho here in NYC. They have these Korean-run "Pho" places in Flushing, but I'm sure there are more authentic, better places to eat them.
Go to Mekong near the 160~st northern hanahreum
EDIT: GO to phobang near the flushing library. It's amazing
I live in Calgary and my mom makes the best Pho I have ever tasted, nothing in my city compares to it, little Saigon in orange county doesn't compare and even the pho in Vietnam doesn't compare to her recipe either. Only one who makes Pho better than my mom is my grandma who taught her the recipe =). I run on this stuff, Pho is my fuel.
On June 06 2011 09:28 jpak wrote: Man, ever since I first saw Bourdain basically orgasm over pho, I wanted to have REAL, good pho here in NYC. They have these Korean-run "Pho" places in Flushing, but I'm sure there are more authentic, better places to eat them.
Go to Mekong near the 160~st northern hanahreum
I'll remember that the next time I go to Flushing for an event.
Can anyone also talk about the different sauces you can put into pho?
On June 06 2011 09:43 Itzeddiieee wrote: I "pho"king love PHO! living in NYC is really awesome since there are lots of restaurants
On June 06 2011 09:28 jpak wrote: Man, ever since I first saw Bourdain basically orgasm over pho, I wanted to have REAL, good pho here in NYC. They have these Korean-run "Pho" places in Flushing, but I'm sure there are more authentic, better places to eat them.
Go to Mekong near the 160~st northern hanahreum
I'll remember that the next time I go to Flushing for an event.
Can anyone also talk about the different sauces you can put into pho?
You probably find Sriracha hot chili sauce (self-explanatory) and Hoisin sauce (sweet and hot) at every pho place. Sriracha is all you need imo!
All of you guys here should go to Hanoi to eat the best original Pho I've tried some in Germany but none of them was half of the quality in Hanoi (origin of Pho).
On June 06 2011 09:32 intoyourrainbOW wrote: i live in philly right now but unfortunately the pho here isn't that great. i've had pho in NYC and it wasn't that great either. pho just sucks in the east coast imo. The best pho i've had was in the Pacific NW--Portland or Seattle
You ever hear of Pho 75? It's a chain of pho restaurants in philly and dc. There's a plaza on Adams Ave right off Roosevelt boulevard. It's pretty good pho, if you're unsatisfied there's a cafe right next to it that makes great avocado shake.
On June 06 2011 09:44 zoLo wrote: For anyone living in the Sunnyvale, San Jose, Cupertino, etc area, make sure to check out:
- House of Pho - Pho Mai - Pho Little Saigon - Pho Thanh Long - Pho Nam
Also don't forget Pho Y #1 - not my personal favorite, but almost all my friends prefer it. The broth is too....fragrant? It tastes like they put in a lot of herbs and fragrant components into the broth. The meat also tends to come out a little overcooked - the only way to get it cooked the way you want is to ask for it to come out raw on a plate, which only works for the eye round steak, unfortunately.
I love Beef Noodle #1, which is right across the street from Pho Y, but that's probably because I grew up eating there every other week or so. Don't expect amazing service at either of these places, btw.
Pho Kim Long is good for Pho Ga (Chicken Pho) which may seem odd to everyone who eats Pho Bo, but is tasty and delicious in its own way.
I think the South Bay, as well as the OC (from what I hear), are two of the best regions to find amazing Vietnamese food due to the giant Vietnamese populations. In addition, don't go to Vietnam expecting pho along the same lines as the kind you get here in the USA. Quality of ingredients + any sort of control over food prep is, as expected, a bit lower. That and obviously the pho will differ from region to region in Vietnam, as each area has their own preferences and ways to prepare pho.
Please avoid Lee Noodle House and Pho Hoa - two of the worst pho places I've eaten at. Lee Noodle House is good if you're drunk and have a designated driver to get you there at 2AM for some munchies, but that's about the only reason that would make me eat there.
Fun fact: there's a late night pho delivery around the Berkeley campus area called Pho Me Now - not amazing, but good for eating at your all night study sessions / after-party-munchies.
Im with Avtonikovs, I go to Saigon Cafe. Its a chain down here in Georgia that my friend's dad owns. Its not too expensive has good pho (with different varieties of meat choices) and other dishes. A medium bowl (which is really filling) is about 6.5 dollars. Large is only an extra dollar.
As for sauces, Sriracha chili sauce is all you need, baby.
in montreal, theres an amazing place called pho hao at cote-des-neiges right next to the jean-coutu.. and in vietnam, theres pho restaurants everywhere and basically you can eat it during breakfast (i love eating pho for breakfast).
On June 06 2011 09:57 minhchi1211 wrote: All of you guys here should go to Hanoi to eat the best original Pho I've tried some in Germany but none of them was half of the quality in Hanoi (origin of Pho).
Btw, I'm vietnamese living in germany lol
Wow you're vietnamese and living in Germany =O? That's pretty awesome haha.
I'm viet too and I've had the pleasure to visit my family in Vietnam and the food there is seriously 10x better than Viet food in the states. But of course its a hit or miss, sometimes you end up with really crappy food that will give you a stomach virus (don't eat eggs, I blacked out from em)...
Tourist areas in Vietnam tend to have really crappy food since they expect foreigners to be unable to tell the difference between good and bad pho. Asking a local in the area what a good spot is your best bet.
In my experience, everywhere I've had Pho was pretty mediocre except for the ones in Westminster.
Little Saigon is pretty much Vietnam 2.0, except without the poorer living conditions, so better ingredients are more common. Even my parents agree that pho in CA generally tastes better than pho in Vietnam.
On June 06 2011 09:57 minhchi1211 wrote: All of you guys here should go to Hanoi to eat the best original Pho I've tried some in Germany but none of them was half of the quality in Hanoi (origin of Pho).
Btw, I'm vietnamese living in germany lol
To a degree it's true, but the living conditions and cleanliness turns off a lot of Vietnamese living out of the motherland. I've known a ton of Vietnamese born who say that Pho made out of the country taste way better.
Oh, places like Pho Hoa are nasty tbh... It's like saying Pho Hoa is the McDonald's for Vietnamese people.
On June 06 2011 09:57 minhchi1211 wrote: All of you guys here should go to Hanoi to eat the best original Pho I've tried some in Germany but none of them was half of the quality in Hanoi (origin of Pho).
Btw, I'm vietnamese living in germany lol
To a degree it's true, but the living conditions and cleanliness turns off a lot of Vietnamese living out of the motherland. I've known a ton of Vietnamese born who say that Pho made out of the country taste way better.
Oh, places like Pho Hoa are nasty tbh... It's like saying Pho Hoa is the McDonald's for Vietnamese people.
i agree that the cleanliness turns off a lot of the vietnamese people, since i know a few friends who wont go visit their homeland because of it.
but, if youre lucky, you discover some places where the pho is incredible and waaayyy better than those made out of the country.
On June 06 2011 10:16 DJ Roomba wrote: Now, the hardest part about eating Pho is finding a good place to eat at. The three things that i classify my Pho's are Service Quality Price.
all the good pho spots have horrible service though
Probably because the good pho attracts so many people that they cannot service enough people enough =)
On June 06 2011 09:57 minhchi1211 wrote: All of you guys here should go to Hanoi to eat the best original Pho I've tried some in Germany but none of them was half of the quality in Hanoi (origin of Pho).
Btw, I'm vietnamese living in germany lol
To a degree it's true, but the living conditions and cleanliness turns off a lot of Vietnamese living out of the motherland. I've known a ton of Vietnamese born who say that Pho made out of the country taste way better.
Oh, places like Pho Hoa are nasty tbh... It's like saying Pho Hoa is the McDonald's for Vietnamese people.
i agree that the cleanliness turns off a lot of the vietnamese people, since i know a few friends who wont go visit their homeland because of it.
but, if youre lucky, you discover some places where the pho is incredible and waaayyy better than those made out of the country.
basically, in vietnam theyre hit and miss.
Omfg their parents must be so goddamn lenient on drilling their cultural values in viets who won't go to Native Vietnamese restaurants because it is unclean =_=. I'd eat a bowl of pho with a bloody dead fish on my lap after going fishing and a dog underneath my table chewing on the bones I throw on the ground.
... Well now that I think about it... I did black out after eating 2 eggs for breakfast... so I guess you guys have point
as a vietnamese, i ate Pho almost everyday b4 i go to school when i was in elementary / middle school xD....
Traditional Pho are the best, you guys should visit Vietname if you want to try out the real thing. Noticed there are 2 different branches of Pho: North and South. What you find out side of the country are mostly South while the North version is disappearing or getting more expensive.
On June 06 2011 10:19 xHassassin wrote: Anyone know a good spot in the boston area?
Pho Pasteur in downtown Chinatown! There's some more nearby but that one is the best (it's right near the two strip joints)
Others are: Les in Brighton and Brookline. Same original founders as Pho but abit more expensive.
I can vouch for that. I goto school around the area. Pho Hoa has been around for a long time but you can tell that they produce their broth with very cheap and old ingredients. That's why there's a bit of "emptiness" when you eat it.
On June 06 2011 09:57 minhchi1211 wrote: All of you guys here should go to Hanoi to eat the best original Pho I've tried some in Germany but none of them was half of the quality in Hanoi (origin of Pho).
Btw, I'm vietnamese living in germany lol
To a degree it's true, but the living conditions and cleanliness turns off a lot of Vietnamese living out of the motherland. I've known a ton of Vietnamese born who say that Pho made out of the country taste way better.
Oh, places like Pho Hoa are nasty tbh... It's like saying Pho Hoa is the McDonald's for Vietnamese people.
i agree that the cleanliness turns off a lot of the vietnamese people, since i know a few friends who wont go visit their homeland because of it.
but, if youre lucky, you discover some places where the pho is incredible and waaayyy better than those made out of the country.
basically, in vietnam theyre hit and miss.
Omfg their parents must be so goddamn lenient on drilling their cultural values in viets who won't go to Native Vietnamese restaurants because it is unclean =_=. I'd eat a bowl of pho with a bloody dead fish on my lap after going fishing and a dog underneath my table chewing on the bones I throw on the ground.
... Well now that I think about it... I did black out after eating 2 eggs for breakfast... so I guess you guys have point
the only problem i have with going to vietnam is the diarrhea i always seem to get whenever i go there.
On June 06 2011 10:23 NB wrote: as a vietnamese, i ate Pho almost everyday b4 i go to school when i was in elementary / middle school xD....
Traditional Pho are the best, you guys should visit Vietname if you want to try out the real thing. Noticed there are 2 different branches of Pho: North and South. What you find out side of the country are mostly South while the North version is disappearing or getting more expensive.
On June 06 2011 10:23 NB wrote: as a vietnamese, i ate Pho almost everyday b4 i go to school when i was in elementary / middle school xD....
Traditional Pho are the best, you guys should visit Vietname if you want to try out the real thing. Noticed there are 2 different branches of Pho: North and South. What you find out side of the country are mostly South while the North version is disappearing or getting more expensive.
HF
whats the difference?
north vietnams pho is usually simpler and has less ingredients and i think theres less cuts of meat. theres no bean sprouts or herbs at all as far as i know.
while the souths pho is more complex, you typically eat it with bean sprouts, basil and differents herbs.
Ok I am not the most adventurous type and really don't want to ruin my experience when going there because i will never go back. Can anyone suggest some mild dishes that american food eaters would like or stuff that is not very off the deep end with a description of the dish. That would be awesome! What exactly is a bowl of pho anyways
On June 06 2011 10:23 NB wrote: as a vietnamese, i ate Pho almost everyday b4 i go to school when i was in elementary / middle school xD....
Traditional Pho are the best, you guys should visit Vietname if you want to try out the real thing. Noticed there are 2 different branches of Pho: North and South. What you find out side of the country are mostly South while the North version is disappearing or getting more expensive.
HF
whats the difference?
ingredients and the way they cook. Can't really tell, it just tastes totally differently, but I can say the herbs are the most distinguished stuff
On June 06 2011 10:30 lightrise wrote: Ok I am not the most adventurous type and really don't want to ruin my experience when going there because i will never go back. Can anyone suggest some mild dishes that american food eaters would like or stuff that is not very off the deep end with a description of the dish. That would be awesome! What exactly is a bowl of pho anyways
On June 06 2011 10:30 lightrise wrote: Ok I am not the most adventurous type and really don't want to ruin my experience when going there because i will never go back. Can anyone suggest some mild dishes that american food eaters would like or stuff that is not very off the deep end with a description of the dish. That would be awesome! What exactly is a bowl of pho anyways
heres a picture of a bowl of pho for you
That looks pretty good but what is in it? Also people seem to be ordering pad thai? do they serve that there as well as other dishes
On June 06 2011 10:23 NB wrote: as a vietnamese, i ate Pho almost everyday b4 i go to school when i was in elementary / middle school xD....
Traditional Pho are the best, you guys should visit Vietname if you want to try out the real thing. Noticed there are 2 different branches of Pho: North and South. What you find out side of the country are mostly South while the North version is disappearing or getting more expensive.
HF
whats the difference?
north vietnams pho is usually simpler and has less ingredients and i think theres less cuts of meat. theres no bean sprouts or herbs at all as far as i know.
while the souths pho is more complex, you typically eat it with bean sprouts, basil and differents herbs.
not 100% sure of this tho.
That's pretty much right. The South is much more likely to add bean sprouts to your bowl, other herbs vary depending on where you go . Meat in your bowl all around seems to be very sparse for obvious reasons in both regions unless you go to a higher end spot.
I think the reason why the North has less ingredients is due to the difference in tourists they would have in the South
On June 06 2011 10:30 lightrise wrote: Ok I am not the most adventurous type and really don't want to ruin my experience when going there because i will never go back. Can anyone suggest some mild dishes that american food eaters would like or stuff that is not very off the deep end with a description of the dish. That would be awesome! What exactly is a bowl of pho anyways
heres a picture of a bowl of pho for you
That looks pretty good but what is in it? Also people seem to be ordering pad thai? do they serve that there as well as other dishes
Lol what? Pho is Vietnamese. Pad thai is THAI food.
On June 06 2011 10:26 HeavOnEarth wrote: are there bad pho places..? lol
There certainly are.
Where I live, there are Vietnamese-Vietnamese restaurants, and there are Americanized Vietnamese restaurants (they tend to cater more towards non-Vietnamese customers, so their food/service is slightly different and more expensive). The Americanized Viet restaurants just pale in comparison, when it comes to taste, in my opinion.
On June 06 2011 10:19 xHassassin wrote: Anyone know a good spot in the boston area?
I'm with you here. I used to live in Oklahoma City, and they had the most amazing pho place (Pho Hoa it was called).
The only decent pho I've been able to find is at Oriental Pearl on Washington St. in Brookline. It's right up Washington off of Route 9.The flavor is pretty good. The greens and sprouts are kind of skimp, and they don't get the soup hot enough every time, but it's actually pretty good.
Where do you go for Pho?
*edit* ahhh Pho Pasteur. I've heard good things about that place, will have to check it out.
Living in Vancouver, there's pho EVERYWHERE. I'm not vietnamese but I'd say more than half the places I've have been to are pretty decent/good price wise and food wise.
On June 06 2011 10:30 lightrise wrote: Ok I am not the most adventurous type and really don't want to ruin my experience when going there because i will never go back. Can anyone suggest some mild dishes that american food eaters would like or stuff that is not very off the deep end with a description of the dish. That would be awesome! What exactly is a bowl of pho anyways
That looks pretty good but what is in it? Also people seem to be ordering pad thai? do they serve that there as well as other dishes
usually they only serve vietnamese dishes and pad thai is thai, so probably not unless the place youre going to serve dishes from different cultures.
and pho is basically a bowl of white rice noodles, meat (depends on what type of pho you order, goes from beef to even chicken. you can even have chicken hearts, livers and beef tripe and tendons), and clear beef broth for the soup. thats the base of the pho, and usually they add in different types of garnishes, from basil to lime to bean sprouts.
On June 06 2011 09:47 sinfinite wrote: The best pho is from the bay area, CA. I moved down to SoCal from there and none of the places here are even close to the ones up north.
Same situation. Anyone know any good ones near downtown LA?
I usually go to Nam Son in Chinatown NYC, its pretty close to where my wife works, so it's convenient for us. If anyone has any other recommend in NYC I'll probably try them out. I love pho, though i'm not very adventurous when it comes to tendons and stuff. I just can't escape my American roots.
Edit: And if anyone knows of a place with good Pho and Vietnamese sandwiches that would be awesome, nothing warms my heart like a big bowl of Pho and a nice Banh Mi or whatever the various other sandwiches are called.
I live in the bay area, CA and most pho is basically the same. Pho is pretty easy to make and you can't really fail badly at it. Many home cooks (moms, etc) can make it to decent quality. If you don't like the soup, just add some sauce/hot sauce until it's to your liking. This essentially makes all the pho places become the same. Also get a little plate and mix the sauce/hotsauce in it and dip the meat into it before you eat with the noodle.
Pho Cow Cali in San Diego is one of the most bomb restaurants I've ever eaten at. It just makes you fall into a food coma after stuffing yourself with it.
On June 06 2011 10:48 vnlegend wrote: I live in the bay area, CA and most pho is basically the same. Pho is pretty easy to make and you can't really fail badly at it. Many home cooks (moms, etc) can make it to decent quality. If you don't like the soup, just add some sauce/hot sauce until it's to your liking. This essentially makes all the pho places become the same. Also get a little plate and mix the sauce/hotsauce in it and dip the meat into it before you eat with the noodle.
You sir, are a genius. I don't know why it never occurred to me to mix sauces and then dip my meats in them, but I'm definitely gonna try it this week.
I live in North Florida and I eat at Pho-King Noodles. Pronounced "Fucking Noodles."
EDIT : not the one I eat at but same name.
This place is about as average as it gets, but pho is rare in North Florida, so I take what I can get. They have good Viet specialty beverages like taro, boba, coconut drinks, sweet bean drinks, etc.
On June 06 2011 09:46 Kaoriyu wrote: I live in Calgary and my mom makes the best Pho I have ever tasted, nothing in my city compares to it, little Saigon in orange county doesn't compare and even the pho in Vietnam doesn't compare to her recipe either. Only one who makes Pho better than my mom is my grandma who taught her the recipe =). I run on this stuff, Pho is my fuel.
Next Calgary meetup we're going to this guy's house for Pho
You guys will NEVER know what authentic quality Pho is until you've eaten the ones my mother made... TRUST ME! Oh and to the OP.. Sorry buddy, but Pho Cow in San Diego is kind of terrible.. =D
I think we can all agree that homemade Pho is always the best tasting pho you will ever have (granted that your mother isn't cheap). The more meat and free veggies you invest into it, the better!
I love the Pho is getting =) but really, a lot more people are trying a lot of new foods nowadays. Eating the same thing over n over is bleh. There are tons of quality food out there to try no matter where it's from, you just have to find it.
On June 06 2011 09:26 Tracil wrote: There are any number of Vietnamese cafe/bars on Swanston street in Melbourne's CBD. If I feel like pho, any of them is fine, they pretty much all make it the same way.
Mekong might be one of the better places; it proudly advertises how BILL CLINTON ate TWO BOWLS and challenges you to do better! But the waiters don't even talk to you, they just stand over you and stare until you order...
Mekong is fkn horrible. I asked for ice tea once and they gave me regular tea(leaves and all) wit some ice cubes. Got to go, richmond, footscray or preston for good pho.
On June 06 2011 11:53 TDN wrote: I know there's one in east bay called "What the Pho".
Is that in Bellvue, Washington?
I advice you to not eat there if it is, REALLY REALLY SHITTY TASTING BROTH. But somehow I'm not surprised by the bunch of American that eats there......
On June 06 2011 11:53 TDN wrote: I know there's one in east bay called "What the Pho".
Is that in Bellvue, Washington?
I advice you to not eat there if it is, REALLY REALLY SHITTY TASTING BROTH. But somehow I'm not surprised by the bunch of American that eats there......
I go to pho cao dao in Mira Mesa. Normally i go with One Man Army the OP. ^.^ Pho Buddies!
Pho cal Caly is good too, imo better food. but the service isnt as good as in cao dao. When you ask for a balloon in cao dao, they give you one no questions asked, even if you are 18 years old.
Pho dac biet in most OC area is very good. If you are in California, DO NOT EAT AT PHO HANA. Overprice pho thats not quite authenic. Thai lai, pho consume, pho 4ever, and pho so #1 are all good places for pho in socal.
On June 06 2011 12:20 DocM wrote: I go to pho cao dao in Mira Mesa. Normally i go with One Man Army the OP. ^.^ Pho Buddies!
Pho cal Caly is good too, imo better food. but the service isnt as good as in cao dao. When you ask for a balloon in cao dao, they give you one no questions asked, even if you are 18 years old.
:D :D :D :D well i care more about my pho then the balloons XD
On June 06 2011 10:49 yrba1 wrote: Pho Cow Cali in San Diego is one of the most bomb restaurants I've ever eaten at. It just makes you fall into a food coma after stuffing yourself with it.
On June 06 2011 09:26 Tracil wrote: There are any number of Vietnamese cafe/bars on Swanston street in Melbourne's CBD. If I feel like pho, any of them is fine, they pretty much all make it the same way.
Mekong might be one of the better places; it proudly advertises how BILL CLINTON ate TWO BOWLS and challenges you to do better! But the waiters don't even talk to you, they just stand over you and stare until you order...
Mekong is fkn horrible. I asked for ice tea once and they gave me regular tea(leaves and all) wit some ice cubes. Got to go, richmond, footscray or preston for good pho.
yeh my brother raves about this place in footscray =/
I live like, basically IN wesminister CA (vietnam town basically) so i don't have one single place that i go to. i swear all my friends are vietnamese ><
On June 06 2011 09:26 Tracil wrote: There are any number of Vietnamese cafe/bars on Swanston street in Melbourne's CBD. If I feel like pho, any of them is fine, they pretty much all make it the same way.
Mekong might be one of the better places; it proudly advertises how BILL CLINTON ate TWO BOWLS and challenges you to do better! But the waiters don't even talk to you, they just stand over you and stare until you order...
Mekong is fkn horrible. I asked for ice tea once and they gave me regular tea(leaves and all) wit some ice cubes. Got to go, richmond, footscray or preston for good pho.
yeh my brother raves about this place in footscray =/
yea, i don't think any pho shop in the city is good at all. Especially after mekong changed owners.
Gotta go down Richmond and Footscray or even Springvale. I live 15 mins drive away from springvale, and there's a really good one on the outskirt. Fast Pho service (4-5 mins tops) and it's relatively cheap for Australian Pho.
Gotta echo the sentiment though, Pho made at home is the best. Me and some mates made a pot once, zomg so good. We used like Australian scotch fillet as the beef and it was just...amazing. I would gladly pay a premium to increase the meat quality now.
I'm lucky enough to live in a part of California that is somewhat heavily Asian (around Pasadena). I am lucky enough to have 4 Pho restaurants within 20 minutes of my house: Saigon Eden, Golden Deli, Vietnam House and Pho 79. All of them have very very good Pho (Saigon Eden and Golden Deli are the best) for a pretty decent price. At Saigon Eden for instance a large Pho is $5.50.
On June 06 2011 13:33 RJGooner wrote: I'm lucky enough to live in a part of California that is somewhat heavily Asian (around Pasadena). I am lucky enough to have 4 Pho restaurants within 20 minutes of my house: Saigon Eden, Golden Deli, Vietnam House and Pho 79. All of them have very very good Pho (Saigon Eden and Golden Deli are the best) for a pretty decent price. At Saigon Eden for instance a large Pho is $5.50.
dang dude... yeah i live in a suburban cracker carmel valley.... closest pho is around 15 minutes away
A lot of places in Toronto it's like, it's alright in a few criterias while as the other is kinda so so :\ never a place it's like "omfg best place ever"
We have this place called 88 Pho in Toronto. I always go there after a few hours at a net cafe with friends. It's not amazing, but it's still satisfying. I've never tasted real pho before, but I'm quite sure it has to be better than what they serve there.
If anyone ever craves Pho in Atlanta, I'd definitely go to this place called Pho Bac off Buford Highway. It's super legit. I never see the place not packed with Vietnamese people. I always take my friends there to eat Pho if we are craving for some good Vietnamese noodles. Anyways, the extra large bowl there is fairly cheap and they give you a good amount of meat. I'm hungry..
i go to a pho that is about 5 blocks away. fuckin good, run by vietnamese people as well. the broth is just so good. it's beefy, a got a kick and just makes you sweat and want more. you know it's good when you want to drink all the broth but if you drink another gulp you might puke.
only about like 7 bucks as well. i know a lot of chinese people that actually hate pho because of the texture of the rice noodles. meh my mom is like that.
I've only had it once from a chain place in Albany. Wasn't AMAZING but it was good. I'll have to hit the city for a good spot. Any good spots in Manhattan?
On June 06 2011 09:26 Tracil wrote: There are any number of Vietnamese cafe/bars on Swanston street in Melbourne's CBD. If I feel like pho, any of them is fine, they pretty much all make it the same way.
Mekong might be one of the better places; it proudly advertises how BILL CLINTON ate TWO BOWLS and challenges you to do better! But the waiters don't even talk to you, they just stand over you and stare until you order...
The ones on Swanston are all rubbish in terms of both quality and service. All the waiters at Mekong restaurant don't even speak Vietnamese and wouldn't be able to tell you how to have a bowl of pho in a proper Vietnamese way.
I personally find "Chu The" at 270 Victoria St to be the best (most authentic) one in Melbourne. But if you really trully love pho you must go to Vietnam to have it at early morning street restaurant!
Btw to OP, "pho" is pronounced more like "fur" (with no "r").
On June 06 2011 15:34 True_Spike wrote: I must say it looks absolutely disgusting, almost revolting.
Really? The looks don't bother me at all. Don't get turned off by the looks, it is one of the unique dishes that you will enjoy, but seeing how you're from Poland might be hard to even get decent pho over there.
On June 06 2011 15:34 True_Spike wrote: I must say it looks absolutely disgusting, almost revolting.
Really? The looks don't bother me at all. Don't get turned off by the looks, it is one of the unique dishes that you will enjoy, but seeing how you're from Poland might be hard to even get decent pho over there.
You'd be surprised how popular Vietnamese cuisine is over here.
Best place i've had pho in San Francisco is Pho Ha Tien right next to the 24hr fitness by the city college. They have some AMAZING roast chicken too.
I live in Edmonton now and I've been going to Pho Hoan Pasteur by the Edmonton Central Airport/NAIT. I haven't really explored the city though so if anyone can point a great pho place out, i'll definitely give it a shot.
I beat you all here on the scale of culinary finesse, for I ate the best pho in Ha Noi lolz.
There, finding the best and newest Pho restaurant is a culinary past time. New and age-old brands fight for the hearts, minds, and stomachs of customers, whose words of mouths are the final verdict (just like what we're doing in this thread, and with 100x enthusiasm ^^)
I am genuinely pleased to find that Pho in the U.S. is quite decent, albeit different. The huge size and the choice of meat are two obvious "innovations," but they do not turn me off at all. And I have not even tasted Pho in California, which I'm hopeful to be even better.
On June 06 2011 15:54 Kaoriyu wrote: Show nested quote +
Really? The looks don't bother me at all. Don't get turned off by the looks, it is one of the unique dishes that you will enjoy, but seeing how you're from Poland might be hard to even get decent pho over there.
You'd be surprised how popular Vietnamese cuisine is over here.
Lolz yeah, being a former fellow member of the Communist bloc, Poland has a huge population of Vietnamese. And they are Northern Vietnamese too--who make the original Pho, compared with the Saigon-style Pho in the States.
On June 06 2011 15:30 T3tra wrote: Does anyone have any experience with making Pho at home? I love Pho but there aren't any places around me since I've moved T_T
On June 06 2011 15:30 T3tra wrote: Does anyone have any experience with making Pho at home? I love Pho but there aren't any places around me since I've moved T_T
On June 06 2011 15:30 T3tra wrote: Does anyone have any experience with making Pho at home? I love Pho but there aren't any places around me since I've moved T_T
Hey man, do you want me to make a guide =)
A thousand times yes.
Pho is so cheap and easy to obtain at restaurants that it's almost pointless to make it at home.
A Vietnamese lady who used to cut my hair said that any viet restaurant that's worthwhile boils down bones for 24+ hours to make the broth. So unless you have a lot of spare time, and want to spend $15 bucks or more on raw ingredients, I'd just try to find some that's local.
Don't get me wrong, I'd still love to see some recipes!
Pho is the best! If anyone here lives in Long Beach (CA), there's this place that I go to all the time over on Willow and Magnolia called...well, Pho Long Beach. I always order the same thing - pho tai with the meat on the side so I can cook it in the broth myself, plus onion oil. Mmmm...
Grrr, now I'm really craving pho. THANKS A LOT, TEAM LIQUID.
I love pho, but haven't really found any great places where I live (Redmond, WA.) I'm sure Seattle has some decent joints, but as of now the best pho I've had is when my mom makes it, and that's not just nostalgia talking, she genuinely makes amazing pho.
But if you spend money on the raw ingredients and actually cook it at home, that ~$20 you spent can translate to at least a good 7 or 8 bowls. Also yes, the soup does take a lot of cooking and preparation, but it's so worth it. And yeah, the raw beef cooks very quickly in the hot broth. At some places you can ask for a separate small bowl of hot broth to cook the meat in, if you don't want all that gunk off of the meat in your soup.
The giant thick noodles for pho never appealed to me. Neither did drowning the broth in sriracha/hoisin sauce (the red and black sauce, respectively). I mean if it's good pho, you shouldn't have to do much to the broth. Oooh, but dipping the meat in the sauce is delicious....
Om nom nom nom pho....
Also Bun Bo Hue is delicious. Bun Bo Hue An Nam is really good, but kind of on the sour side for my taste. Ca Mau used to have amazing bun bo hue, unfortunately the broth has been pretty OD'ed on MSG in recent years... It's still pretty delicious though.
Here is a guide to make your Pho at home, brought to you buy a Viet student who is so stuck in upstate New York that he has to make his own Pho and feel less home sick ^^
I eat it at home I personally haven't seen a good restaurant in Germany, yet. If you're in Vietnam you need to go to some place in Hanoi; I do not know the exact name tho T_T
On June 06 2011 19:32 unkkz wrote: Anyone know where u can get some Pho in Oslo, Norway? Haven´t seen a single vietnamese restaurant since i moved here four years ago.
Lol I just traveled to Oslo a few days ago. I stayed at this Anker Hostel (a 10 minute walk from the Central Station), and there is a large Vietnamese community right nearby.
On June 06 2011 15:34 True_Spike wrote: I must say it looks absolutely disgusting, almost revolting.
I was thinking the same. One of them had a huge amount of raw meat in it. That is not only disgusting it's actually a health hazard. Bah, I will pass.
Beef is fine eaten rare (it cooks slightly in the broth). Other things like steaks and beef carpaccio are perfectly ok eaten rare/raw when it's from a good source and handled correctly. It's pork and chicken that you have to be really careful about eating when undercooked.
On June 06 2011 09:43 Itzeddiieee wrote: I "pho"king love PHO! living in NYC is really awesome since there are lots of restaurants
On June 06 2011 09:28 jpak wrote: Man, ever since I first saw Bourdain basically orgasm over pho, I wanted to have REAL, good pho here in NYC. They have these Korean-run "Pho" places in Flushing, but I'm sure there are more authentic, better places to eat them.
Go to Mekong near the 160~st northern hanahreum
I'll remember that the next time I go to Flushing for an event.
Can anyone also talk about the different sauces you can put into pho?
ooh, another good place. I'm not sure what it's called but it's a place near the flushing library. I'll try to locate on google maps
ok.. so there are two places but I have no idea which on it was it's either Phobang or Pho hong I think it's phobang
bahh im about to move to athens ga for college and from what i hear, there is only ONE viet place and the pho is terrible there. *sigh* imma miss you pho
On June 06 2011 15:34 True_Spike wrote: I must say it looks absolutely disgusting, almost revolting.
I was thinking the same. One of them had a huge amount of raw meat in it. That is not only disgusting it's actually a health hazard. Bah, I will pass.
Pho is usually served very hot, so the meat cooks almost instantly. I don't know anyone that actually eats it raw lol. I also don't see how it looks revolting, its just broth, noodles, and meat for the most part.
On June 06 2011 15:34 True_Spike wrote: I must say it looks absolutely disgusting, almost revolting.
I was thinking the same. One of them had a huge amount of raw meat in it. That is not only disgusting it's actually a health hazard. Bah, I will pass.
Pho is usually served very hot, so the meat cooks almost instantly. I don't know anyone that actually eats it raw lol. I also don't see how it looks revolting, its just broth, noodles, and meat for the most part.
Also, have people never eaten things like beef/steak tartae? There is a method of eating the Tai (raw thin sliced beef) without cooking it, it's just up to the users preference. Do you not eat your steaks medium rare? These reactions are just mindblowing. Love my Pho, and will always love my Pho. excellent thread.
On June 06 2011 15:34 True_Spike wrote: I must say it looks absolutely disgusting, almost revolting.
I was thinking the same. One of them had a huge amount of raw meat in it. That is not only disgusting it's actually a health hazard. Bah, I will pass.
To eat Pho properly, the boiling simmering broth will cook the "raw" meat to a perfect well-done. I usually move the meat under the noodles and take 2-3 spoonfuls of the broth, and by then the meat is cooked.
On June 06 2011 15:30 T3tra wrote: Does anyone have any experience with making Pho at home? I love Pho but there aren't any places around me since I've moved T_T
Hey man, do you want me to make a guide =)
A thousand times yes.
Pho is so cheap and easy to obtain at restaurants that it's almost pointless to make it at home.
A Vietnamese lady who used to cut my hair said that any viet restaurant that's worthwhile boils down bones for 24+ hours to make the broth. So unless you have a lot of spare time, and want to spend $15 bucks or more on raw ingredients, I'd just try to find some that's local.
Don't get me wrong, I'd still love to see some recipes!
Yes, it does take quite a bit, but the thing is you make at least a week's worth of broth for just yourself! You can merely heat up the broth anytime you want to eat it, and then you can eat it everyday for every meal! haha
phoenix area - "Unphogettable" is the best. I also love their fresh spring rolls! Also "Blue Moon" has good pho for about 4 bucks. (they are located close to unphogettable and have 1/2 off pho special almost every day).
On June 06 2011 15:34 True_Spike wrote: I must say it looks absolutely disgusting, almost revolting.
I was thinking the same. One of them had a huge amount of raw meat in it. That is not only disgusting it's actually a health hazard. Bah, I will pass.
The meat cooks in the broth and with it being slightly raw it also makes the meat more soft and tender as well. Eating a steak is probably more of a hazard than raw beef in Pho.
On June 06 2011 16:28 SoLaR[i.C] wrote: I'm been making subtle references to Pho in that lame Ramen thread for months. It's clearly the king of soups!
My favorite places are Tan My in Austin TX, BunBo Hue An Nam in San Jose CA, and a place in Las Vegas which I cannot remember the name of.
I get the Steak + Tripe at all three of these places.
word up man, haha but i prefer Brisket instead of Tripe XD
In Las Vegas, i went to this place called Pho So 1, it was really good
Las Vegas has a surprisingly good selection of places to get pho. They're a bit out of the way if you're staying on the strip, but it's still very convenient because I'm always super drunk or hungover while I'm there. Quick cab ride and you'll be eating like a king.
The joke has been made here about "pho-king" but in Shanghai (among other places) there is a location of this restaurant that is actually called "Pho King." Go figure.
In Olympia Washington there is a place that makes pho, apparently it is a chain, but they have a menu of some 80 combinations varying from rice, noodles, long noodles, short noodles, chicken, meatballs, beef, and vegetarian options, and they serve it with a big plate of vegetables on the side. I like getting beef pho and adding in plum sauce and cock sauce (sricha?) with serano peppers and lots of basil. Delicious.
has anyone tried pho sate? Regular pho is already awesome but pho sate is like on another level. It's just regular pho but with this extra chili sauce that once you put it in, it completely changes the broth for the better.
I live in SD and I go to Pho Ca Dao on Mira Mesa, Pho T Cali on Clairemont, and Phuong Trang on Convoy. From all of these, I prefer going to Pho Ca Dao. The service is awesome, pho tastes great, and the eggrolls own!
I must try this Pho Cow Cali place you all from SD are talking about haha.
i love pho.. well i'm vietnamese so my mom makes great pho too but..
i havent eaten it in so long because i've been trying to eat healthy foods lately and i can never find nutritional values from any place on their pho dishes.
in my own head, i think the sodium level in even a small bowl is pretty high and the noodles themselves are white just like italian pasta or white bread.
isn't white noodles, breads, pasta, etc really bad for you?
i wish there was some sort of whole wheat noodle pho with low sodium or something.
I've been absolutely watering at the mouth at the thought of having a bowl of Pho thanks to these two threads, I've never had it before but I really want to try and create an authentic dish or as close to it as I can. The ingredients aren't exactly abundant in my hometown but if I scrounge hard enough something will probably turn up. So I guess for now I will keep trying to imagine the taste, concistensy and tenderness of it all.
On June 08 2011 12:25 jjun212 wrote: i love pho.. well i'm vietnamese so my mom makes great pho too but..
i havent eaten it in so long because i've been trying to eat healthy foods lately and i can never find nutritional values from any place on their pho dishes.
in my own head, i think the sodium level in even a small bowl is pretty high and the noodles themselves are white just like italian pasta or white bread.
isn't white noodles, breads, pasta, etc really bad for you?
i wish there was some sort of whole wheat noodle pho with low sodium or something.
The noodles that are used in Pho are made with rice flour (which is gluten-free btw), hence the white color. Bread and pasta use wheat flour. So I don't think Pho noodles would be grouped with white bread and pasta. Though, in the end, they are all grains/carbs.
That being said, a bowl of Pho still contains a good amount of fat and salt (MSG), like you said. On top of that, you have the Hoisin, Sriracha, and Nuoc Mam that is usually added into the Pho.
So, while the noodles in a bowl of Pho probably aren't too terribly threatening, you still have the rest of the bowl of Pho to worry about, if you're trying to eat healthy.
On June 08 2011 12:25 jjun212 wrote: i love pho.. well i'm vietnamese so my mom makes great pho too but..
i havent eaten it in so long because i've been trying to eat healthy foods lately and i can never find nutritional values from any place on their pho dishes.
in my own head, i think the sodium level in even a small bowl is pretty high and the noodles themselves are white just like italian pasta or white bread.
isn't white noodles, breads, pasta, etc really bad for you?
i wish there was some sort of whole wheat noodle pho with low sodium or something.
The noodles that are used in Pho are made with rice flour (which is gluten-free btw), hence the white color. Bread and pasta use wheat flour. So I don't think Pho noodles would be grouped with white bread and pasta. Though, in the end, they are all grains/carbs.
That being said, a bowl of Pho still contains a good amount of fat and salt (MSG), like you said. On top of that, you have the Hoisin, Sriracha, and Nuoc Mam that is usually added into the Pho.
So, while the noodles in a bowl of Pho probably aren't too terribly threatening, you still have the rest of the bowl of Pho to worry about, if you're trying to eat healthy.
If you put it like that, everything that eatable is not healthy beside..vegetables O_O. Actually, one reason why Pho is so much more popular than other awesome Vietnamese noodle is because it contain very little fat.
One rule in making Pho is NO FAT allow in the making of broch. Pho is the least fat you can get from anything than related to noodle.
On June 08 2011 12:25 jjun212 wrote: i love pho.. well i'm vietnamese so my mom makes great pho too but..
i havent eaten it in so long because i've been trying to eat healthy foods lately and i can never find nutritional values from any place on their pho dishes.
in my own head, i think the sodium level in even a small bowl is pretty high and the noodles themselves are white just like italian pasta or white bread.
isn't white noodles, breads, pasta, etc really bad for you?
i wish there was some sort of whole wheat noodle pho with low sodium or something.
The noodles that are used in Pho are made with rice flour (which is gluten-free btw), hence the white color. Bread and pasta use wheat flour. So I don't think Pho noodles would be grouped with white bread and pasta. Though, in the end, they are all grains/carbs.
That being said, a bowl of Pho still contains a good amount of fat and salt (MSG), like you said. On top of that, you have the Hoisin, Sriracha, and Nuoc Mam that is usually added into the Pho.
So, while the noodles in a bowl of Pho probably aren't too terribly threatening, you still have the rest of the bowl of Pho to worry about, if you're trying to eat healthy.
If you put it like that, everything that eatable is not healthy beside..vegetables O_O. Actually, one reason why Pho is so much more popular than other awesome Vietnamese noodle is because it contain very little fat.
One rule in making Pho is NO FAT allow in the making of broch. Pho is the least fat you can get from anything than related to noodle.
Actually... You're right. My bad for putting out some wrong information. I forget that the broth is made almost entirely, if not exclusively, from bones (called a bone broth, or a gelatin broth).The glistening globules that appear on the surface of the broth come from the gelatin in the bone marrow, rather than fat.
On June 08 2011 16:00 DystopiaX wrote: ^maybe more authentic ones but the ones I've had here in the states have had a fair amount of oil/grease in the soup
I'm fairly sure it's not oil and grease. Like others said, the broth from pho comes from chicken bones or whatnot.
On June 08 2011 12:04 pinenamu wrote: I live in SD and I go to Pho Ca Dao on Mira Mesa, Pho T Cali on Clairemont, and Phuong Trang on Convoy. From all of these, I prefer going to Pho Ca Dao. The service is awesome, pho tastes great, and the eggrolls own!
I must try this Pho Cow Cali place you all from SD are talking about haha.
hahaha yeah man pho cow cali is mad good. Pho T Cali is excellent as well, they redesigned their place a few years ago and its really nice now. At Cadao, i feel they don't fill their bowls as well. Cow Cali tastes better and has a bigger size bowl. But the broken rice dishes at cadao are really good, they have the lemon-pork that probably isn't standard vietnamese cuisine but it's still really tasty
go Pho Pasteur, I don't remmeber the exact adress, but it's so popular that all the taxi driver will know what you're talking about.
Warning though, it's hell-a dirty (there are cleaner pho places). But the times i've been there at varying hours, it has always been packed (that's why it's so dirty). You know it's good cause you see quite a few Foreigners there too, toughing out the dirty'ness for their Pho.
Highly recommended, though maybe after you acclimatise yourself to Vietnam.
EDIT: forgot to say it's in Ho chi minh City.
EDIT3 : Forgot to mention I had 3 bowls before my flight out of there =[
On June 06 2011 10:46 Cauld wrote: I usually go to Nam Son in Chinatown NYC, its pretty close to where my wife works, so it's convenient for us. If anyone has any other recommend in NYC I'll probably try them out. I love pho, though i'm not very adventurous when it comes to tendons and stuff. I just can't escape my American roots.
Edit: And if anyone knows of a place with good Pho and Vietnamese sandwiches that would be awesome, nothing warms my heart like a big bowl of Pho and a nice Banh Mi or whatever the various other sandwiches are called.
hi5. In china town, there are like 2 really good sandwich shops. 1 is like really hard to find but the other is rather noticeable (has a lot of sandwich pictures on the mirror idr remember the prices though)
There's a pretty decent one in Oxnard called... Pho So on 1201 Savier's Rd. First pho I had ever had was there, and I love it, nothing else has come close yet, but I've only been two a couple other places.
In Toronto, two pho places that are allegedly the best in the city are both at Queen and Ossington: Golden Turtle and Pho Tien Thanh. I'm not much of a fan of pho but the vermicelli and other stuff like spring rolls at Pho Tien Thanh was good the two times I went there. It's cheaper than Golden Turtle, but I don't know if it's better. On a side note, I know a lot of people who pronounce(d) it "foe" even though it's more like "fuh" which I thought was funny.
I've been to about 15 different pho places in and around the Markham/Scarborough area, and about 4-5 in Mississauga Oakville area (in Canada if you were wondering). It's really difficult to find something that is consistently good. Sometimes the noodles are off, sometimes the noodle to soup ratio is tilted too far one way or the other, and sometimes the meat is just bad. Service I don't really care about, if I don't have to wait long then its fine. It is a Pho place afterall, not a 5 star restaurant.
There's a couple places that have had hits for me. The Pho 88 at Alton Towers McCowan and steeles is usually pretty good. Same thing with the place on Steeles across from pacific mall, but sometimes their noodles or meat aren't the best. My GF is also very picky about how the tripe is, and that is THE MOST inconsistent thing at a pho place. One week she'll say its the best and at the same place the next week it will suck hard.
In Mississauga/Oakville I've actually been pleasantly surprised. I would never guess Oakville to have good Pho but the place, I think its a Pho 88, on Dundas just east of 8th Line is always pretty good and surprisingly good service. The place off Hurontario just north of 403 is also solid, I forget what it is. And then there's Techno Pho (sp?) made the list because it has fed me and my starving art student friends at all hours of the night. A little shady, but 24 hours, and the pho was always delicious. It's at like hurontario and... I wanna say Brittania, but I could be wrong. Maybe Bristol? I really have no idea anymore : X
Edit: Maybe it was Pho Ba Ca..... But I don't think so...
On June 10 2011 14:40 fire_brand wrote: I've been to about 15 different pho places in and around the Markham/Scarborough area, and about 4-5 in Mississauga Oakville area (in Canada if you were wondering). It's really difficult to find something that is consistently good. Sometimes the noodles are off, sometimes the noodle to soup ratio is tilted too far one way or the other, and sometimes the meat is just bad. Service I don't really care about, if I don't have to wait long then its fine. It is a Pho place afterall, not a 5 star restaurant.
There's a couple places that have had hits for me. The Pho 88 at Alton Towers McCowan and steeles is usually pretty good. Same thing with the place on Steeles across from pacific mall, but sometimes their noodles or meat aren't the best. My GF is also very picky about how the tripe is, and that is THE MOST inconsistent thing at a pho place. One week she'll say its the best and at the same place the next week it will suck hard.
In Mississauga/Oakville I've actually been pleasantly surprised. I would never guess Oakville to have good Pho but the place, I think its a Pho 88, on Dundas just east of 8th Line is always pretty good and surprisingly good service. The place off Hurontario just north of 403 is also solid, I forget what it is. And then there's Techno Pho (sp?) made the list because it has fed me and my starving art student friends at all hours of the night. A little shady, but 24 hours, and the pho was always delicious. It's at like hurontario and... I wanna say Brittania, but I could be wrong. Maybe Bristol? I really have no idea anymore : X
Edit: Maybe it was Pho Ba Ca..... But I don't think so...
Theres 2 good places in Times Square at Leslie and Hwy 7. The best one is like 3 or 4 storefronts to the east of the lan we go to (PC Power). I would check it out. Also theres a place called Vic Hong at Bayview and Major Mack. Their satay beef brisket soup is amaaaaazing.
i LOVEEEE PHO. Everytime i go by 69th street near Center City Philadelphia, there's this great pho shot near the H-Mart that has THE BEST Pho EVER. A large bowl the easily quadrupled the size of my head for 5-6 dollars. amazing
On June 10 2011 14:40 fire_brand wrote: I've been to about 15 different pho places in and around the Markham/Scarborough area, and about 4-5 in Mississauga Oakville area (in Canada if you were wondering). It's really difficult to find something that is consistently good. Sometimes the noodles are off, sometimes the noodle to soup ratio is tilted too far one way or the other, and sometimes the meat is just bad. Service I don't really care about, if I don't have to wait long then its fine. It is a Pho place afterall, not a 5 star restaurant.
There's a couple places that have had hits for me. The Pho 88 at Alton Towers McCowan and steeles is usually pretty good. Same thing with the place on Steeles across from pacific mall, but sometimes their noodles or meat aren't the best. My GF is also very picky about how the tripe is, and that is THE MOST inconsistent thing at a pho place. One week she'll say its the best and at the same place the next week it will suck hard.
In Mississauga/Oakville I've actually been pleasantly surprised. I would never guess Oakville to have good Pho but the place, I think its a Pho 88, on Dundas just east of 8th Line is always pretty good and surprisingly good service. The place off Hurontario just north of 403 is also solid, I forget what it is. And then there's Techno Pho (sp?) made the list because it has fed me and my starving art student friends at all hours of the night. A little shady, but 24 hours, and the pho was always delicious. It's at like hurontario and... I wanna say Brittania, but I could be wrong. Maybe Bristol? I really have no idea anymore : X
Edit: Maybe it was Pho Ba Ca..... But I don't think so...
Theres 2 good places in Times Square at Leslie and Hwy 7. The best one is like 3 or 4 storefronts to the east of the lan we go to (PC Power). I would check it out. Also theres a place called Vic Hong at Bayview and Major Mack. Their satay beef brisket soup is amaaaaazing.
I didn't know there was pho at bayview and major mack, I stop by that area all the time >.<
There is a restaurant at Keele and Major mack called Viet Thai which is pretty good.
On June 10 2011 14:40 fire_brand wrote: I've been to about 15 different pho places in and around the Markham/Scarborough area, and about 4-5 in Mississauga Oakville area (in Canada if you were wondering). It's really difficult to find something that is consistently good. Sometimes the noodles are off, sometimes the noodle to soup ratio is tilted too far one way or the other, and sometimes the meat is just bad. Service I don't really care about, if I don't have to wait long then its fine. It is a Pho place afterall, not a 5 star restaurant.
There's a couple places that have had hits for me. The Pho 88 at Alton Towers McCowan and steeles is usually pretty good. Same thing with the place on Steeles across from pacific mall, but sometimes their noodles or meat aren't the best. My GF is also very picky about how the tripe is, and that is THE MOST inconsistent thing at a pho place. One week she'll say its the best and at the same place the next week it will suck hard.
In Mississauga/Oakville I've actually been pleasantly surprised. I would never guess Oakville to have good Pho but the place, I think its a Pho 88, on Dundas just east of 8th Line is always pretty good and surprisingly good service. The place off Hurontario just north of 403 is also solid, I forget what it is. And then there's Techno Pho (sp?) made the list because it has fed me and my starving art student friends at all hours of the night. A little shady, but 24 hours, and the pho was always delicious. It's at like hurontario and... I wanna say Brittania, but I could be wrong. Maybe Bristol? I really have no idea anymore : X
Edit: Maybe it was Pho Ba Ca..... But I don't think so...
Theres 2 good places in Times Square at Leslie and Hwy 7. The best one is like 3 or 4 storefronts to the east of the lan we go to (PC Power). I would check it out. Also theres a place called Vic Hong at Bayview and Major Mack. Their satay beef brisket soup is amaaaaazing.
I didn't know there was pho at bayview and major mack, I stop by that area all the time >.<
There is a restaurant at Keele and Major mack called Viet Thai which is pretty good.
You know any good pho restaurants in downtown?
Golden Turtle and Pho Hung are supposed to be the best, but I havent personally tried them yet. I live in Thornhill so I usually eat around the hwy 7 area.
On June 10 2011 14:40 fire_brand wrote: I've been to about 15 different pho places in and around the Markham/Scarborough area, and about 4-5 in Mississauga Oakville area (in Canada if you were wondering). It's really difficult to find something that is consistently good. Sometimes the noodles are off, sometimes the noodle to soup ratio is tilted too far one way or the other, and sometimes the meat is just bad. Service I don't really care about, if I don't have to wait long then its fine. It is a Pho place afterall, not a 5 star restaurant.
There's a couple places that have had hits for me. The Pho 88 at Alton Towers McCowan and steeles is usually pretty good. Same thing with the place on Steeles across from pacific mall, but sometimes their noodles or meat aren't the best. My GF is also very picky about how the tripe is, and that is THE MOST inconsistent thing at a pho place. One week she'll say its the best and at the same place the next week it will suck hard.
In Mississauga/Oakville I've actually been pleasantly surprised. I would never guess Oakville to have good Pho but the place, I think its a Pho 88, on Dundas just east of 8th Line is always pretty good and surprisingly good service. The place off Hurontario just north of 403 is also solid, I forget what it is. And then there's Techno Pho (sp?) made the list because it has fed me and my starving art student friends at all hours of the night. A little shady, but 24 hours, and the pho was always delicious. It's at like hurontario and... I wanna say Brittania, but I could be wrong. Maybe Bristol? I really have no idea anymore : X
Edit: Maybe it was Pho Ba Ca..... But I don't think so...
Theres 2 good places in Times Square at Leslie and Hwy 7. The best one is like 3 or 4 storefronts to the east of the lan we go to (PC Power). I would check it out. Also theres a place called Vic Hong at Bayview and Major Mack. Their satay beef brisket soup is amaaaaazing.
I didn't know there was pho at bayview and major mack, I stop by that area all the time >.<
There is a restaurant at Keele and Major mack called Viet Thai which is pretty good.
You know any good pho restaurants in downtown?
Golden Turtle and Pho Hung are supposed to be the best, but I havent personally tried them yet. I live in Thornhill so I usually eat around the hwy 7 area.
There's a great place at midland and finch if that's not too far south for some of you guys :D
On June 06 2011 09:47 sinfinite wrote: The best pho is from the bay area, CA. I moved down to SoCal from there and none of the places here are even close to the ones up north.
Straight up! I've had pho in socal, Texas, Hawaii, and even in Canada and I can safely say that nothing compares to norcal pho. It's just too good!
On June 06 2011 09:47 sinfinite wrote: The best pho is from the bay area, CA. I moved down to SoCal from there and none of the places here are even close to the ones up north.
Straight up! I've had pho in socal, Texas, Hawaii, and even in Canada and I can safely say that nothing compares to norcal pho. It's just too good!
On June 12 2011 15:08 Karmablah wrote: The best places in the Vancouver area are like Phnom Penh in chinatown, Thai Son in richmond (golden village), and Red Pagoda on commercial.
That better be a khmer place yo lol.
There is like a "Pho King" or something like that somewhere around here, best place cause you can demand your "PHO-KING" noodles.
On June 12 2011 15:08 Karmablah wrote: The best places in the Vancouver area are like Phnom Penh in chinatown, Thai Son in richmond (golden village), and Red Pagoda on commercial.
That better be a khmer place yo lol.
There is like a "Pho King" or something like that somewhere around here, best place cause you can demand your "PHO-KING" noodles.
One does exist :o
There's a Pho shop near my place and can I say its bomb :D
Being viet and not liking pho is a disgrace i say :o
On June 10 2011 14:40 fire_brand wrote: I've been to about 15 different pho places in and around the Markham/Scarborough area, and about 4-5 in Mississauga Oakville area (in Canada if you were wondering). It's really difficult to find something that is consistently good. Sometimes the noodles are off, sometimes the noodle to soup ratio is tilted too far one way or the other, and sometimes the meat is just bad. Service I don't really care about, if I don't have to wait long then its fine. It is a Pho place afterall, not a 5 star restaurant.
There's a couple places that have had hits for me. The Pho 88 at Alton Towers McCowan and steeles is usually pretty good. Same thing with the place on Steeles across from pacific mall, but sometimes their noodles or meat aren't the best. My GF is also very picky about how the tripe is, and that is THE MOST inconsistent thing at a pho place. One week she'll say its the best and at the same place the next week it will suck hard.
In Mississauga/Oakville I've actually been pleasantly surprised. I would never guess Oakville to have good Pho but the place, I think its a Pho 88, on Dundas just east of 8th Line is always pretty good and surprisingly good service. The place off Hurontario just north of 403 is also solid, I forget what it is. And then there's Techno Pho (sp?) made the list because it has fed me and my starving art student friends at all hours of the night. A little shady, but 24 hours, and the pho was always delicious. It's at like hurontario and... I wanna say Brittania, but I could be wrong. Maybe Bristol? I really have no idea anymore : X
Edit: Maybe it was Pho Ba Ca..... But I don't think so...
Theres 2 good places in Times Square at Leslie and Hwy 7. The best one is like 3 or 4 storefronts to the east of the lan we go to (PC Power). I would check it out. Also theres a place called Vic Hong at Bayview and Major Mack. Their satay beef brisket soup is amaaaaazing.
I didn't know there was pho at bayview and major mack, I stop by that area all the time >.<
There is a restaurant at Keele and Major mack called Viet Thai which is pretty good.
You know any good pho restaurants in downtown?
Golden Turtle and Pho Hung are supposed to be the best, but I havent personally tried them yet. I live in Thornhill so I usually eat around the hwy 7 area.
Hmm haven't heard of golden turtle or Pho hung. Do you know where they are?
Earlier today i randomly found this thread, read a bit and watched the Youtube video. Then i decided that this stuff seems to be pretty good :D. I just came back from a small vietnamese restaurant where i had my first Pho and it is indeed some of the best food i have ever had!
The past days i've been pretty depressed because of SC2, but now i have good mood!
Just had my first Pho experience entirely due to this thread. For the past couple weeks I've been thinking about getting some Pho and finally we went to this Vietnamese restaurant today and I happened upon it on the menu at the last second and ordered it.
Came out pretty good, especially with the Hoison sauce that it was served with. I know that its probably not traditional to eat Pho with Hoison but it really tasted great with the noodles. Can't honestly say I cared for the beef much though, just cooked in the broth it didn't really have any flavor and was a little tough. Over all pretty tasty though.
We have a restaurant here in Southern California called the Pho King. Please do not report me as I am serious, Google it if you want. It charges about $6 for a beef Pho bowl, nothing that special in it.
Best place I have found here in San Diego is "Saigon" on El Cajon blvd east of City Heights. My GF is Vegan so I usually have to have it at "Loving Hut" which actually has a good tasting "Mock Pho" I don't actually mind the place a little dirty, I think Pho can be, to an extent, TOO clean..
On June 19 2011 11:15 Pinkie wrote: Came out pretty good, especially with the Hoison sauce that it was served with. I know that its probably not traditional to eat Pho with Hoison but it really tasted great with the noodles.
That's totally fine. Typically, people add Hoisin sauce, Sriracha, fish sauce, black pepper, lime, and sometimes other condiments to the pho before eating it. Or is it just me that does that?
On June 19 2011 11:15 Pinkie wrote: Came out pretty good, especially with the Hoison sauce that it was served with. I know that its probably not traditional to eat Pho with Hoison but it really tasted great with the noodles.
That's totally fine. Typically, people add Hoisin sauce, Sriracha, fish sauce, black pepper, lime, and sometimes other condiments to the pho before eating it. Or is it just me that does that?
I see plenty of people doing that. Personally I'm a dipper rather than a mixer. Mixing just ruins the flavor of the broth. Fish sauce is completely unnecessary for pho too. Add in the stuff on the plate (basil, mint, bean sprouts, lime, jalapeno, etc) and then put some sriracha and hoisin in a small plate and dip your meat into it. Noodles and broth don't need to be ruined by adding sauces if it's good pho.
On June 19 2011 12:59 Musou wrote: I see plenty of people doing that. Personally I'm a dipper rather than a mixer. Mixing just ruins the flavor of the broth. Fish sauce is completely unnecessary for pho too. Add in the stuff on the plate (basil, mint, bean sprouts, lime, jalapeno, etc) and then put some sriracha and hoisin in a small plate and dip your meat into it. Noodles and broth don't need to be ruined by adding sauces if it's good pho.
I totally agree with you. Everytime I go to Pho Pasteur (best pho ever, btw) over in Arlington, I don't have to add anything to the broth, and it tastes absolutely phenomenal. Most of the time though, I'm not willing to make the drive there, so I gotta settle for places closer to home. I always feel like I have to add stuff though, because that's how I grew up eating pho.
On June 14 2011 02:04 DarKFoRcE wrote: Earlier today i randomly found this thread, read a bit and watched the Youtube video. Then i decided that this stuff seems to be pretty good :D. I just came back from a small vietnamese restaurant where i had my first Pho and it is indeed some of the best food i have ever had!
The past days i've been pretty depressed because of SC2, but now i have good mood!
lol Its good to hear you like Pho. Its the best soup/noddle and an awesome hangover food. Imagine, your head hurts like hell after getting so drunk. One bow of hot Pho will makes 70% of that go away.
On June 14 2011 02:04 DarKFoRcE wrote: Earlier today i randomly found this thread, read a bit and watched the Youtube video. Then i decided that this stuff seems to be pretty good :D. I just came back from a small vietnamese restaurant where i had my first Pho and it is indeed some of the best food i have ever had!
The past days i've been pretty depressed because of SC2, but now i have good mood!
lol Its good to hear you like Pho. Its the best soup/noddle and an awesome hangover food. Imagine, your head hurts like hell after getting so drunk. One bow of hot Pho will makes 70% of that go away.
i can vouch for this. Its pretty well known by all asians that pho is the go to food for hangovers. Nothing else can compare.
There isn't really any good Pho joints in New Jersey :[ When ever my mom goes to Philadelphia I go with her just to get some Pho at Nam Phoung Restaurant :D
First time having pho, just went to "Pho the Bowl" in southern california, was delicious and very filling. Got the crispy noodle beef and vegetable bowl and it was crazy good with some sriracha sauce / plum sauce.
mmmmmm.. very seldom do I walk away feeling good about what I ate when I'm realllly full.
On June 14 2011 02:04 DarKFoRcE wrote: Earlier today i randomly found this thread, read a bit and watched the Youtube video. Then i decided that this stuff seems to be pretty good :D. I just came back from a small vietnamese restaurant where i had my first Pho and it is indeed some of the best food i have ever had!
The past days i've been pretty depressed because of SC2, but now i have good mood!
OMG ITS DARKFORCEE <333 it's an honor to be the one that caused you to have your first bowl of the yummiest goodness in the world :D
Can't seem to find any vietnamese restaurants that doesn't have shit reviews in Stockholm, guess I'll head to some asian stores and see what I can find
EPT
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