Rendered at 19:11:03 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) with Cloudflare Workers.
alex_c 5 hours ago [-]
>How, the novice may ask, does one discover which version is the correct one for oneself?
>There is nothing else to it – you must eat a few hundred bowls of phở and find out. If this requires moving to Hanoi, so be it.
Not the worst life plan, to be honest!
A little bit sad that my own "death bed pho" - chicken pho from that one stall near the market in old quarter - gets just a passing mention as the only acceptable variation to traditional beef pho.
This also brings back memories of our "mystery pho man" - who had three tiny stools and one large pot outside his house every morning, looked like a character straight out of an 80's movie, and was usually sold out by 8am.
Vietnamese food has got significantly better in Toronto in the past 5-10 years - but still haven't found anything that comes even close to Hanoi chicken pho.
__mharrison__ 4 hours ago [-]
My wife, who doesn't eat beef, once asked for chicken pho, and got an extreme talking to. She was sad because she had good chicken pho in the past.
ksaj 1 hours ago [-]
My partner is Vietnamese, and also a chef. I've had every variation of pho one can think of. There is a group of snobs who think they authoritatively own the opinion and can only think of a single acceptable recipe (or chef, for that matter).
But let them be so limited on their own. This isn't a religion. It's a big world out there, and there are a gazillion awesome phos in it.
palidanx 2 hours ago [-]
In Orange County, CA there is another variant of pho ga kho, which literally translates to dried chicken pho. The rice noodles and chicken are stir fried, and served with a side of pho ga broth, and a sweet soy sauce.
Pho Dakao, 16171 Brookhurst St, Fountain Valley, CA 92708, United States
Also I got a recipe for pho ga from my aunt which is:
* 6 chicken legs, and 2 bone in breasts (or debone a whole chicken)
* Bring a pot of water to boil
* Parboil all pieces for 2 minutes, throw away the broth
* Char onion and ginger (in an air fryer or on a gas stove - air fryer is
easier)
* Toast coriander seeds and star anise
* Add all ingredients back, bring to boil, then drop to a low simmer, and salt
* After 30 minutes remove the pieces, let it cool and debone
* Add the chicken bones back, cook for additional 30 minutes, season with salt and msg
* Optionally serve with a side of nuoc cham, but this variation has no fish sauce in the stock
How well this turns out depends on the quality of the chicken you buy. At the Asian markets, there are different breeds of chicken which have less meat, but are more flavorful.
vogon_laureate 5 hours ago [-]
I've yet to visit Vietnam, but a phở my daughter and I had in Reykjavík was properly life-changing. I get the obsession.
sailorganymede 4 hours ago [-]
I believe I had the same one? I remember travelling Europe and going to the same place like 3 times while I was in Iceland!
mi_lk 5 hours ago [-]
restaurant name if you want to share?
ValentineC 6 hours ago [-]
Hanoi was where I had one of the best chicken pho ever — their menu allows one to select the parts of the chicken they wanted. I've never had the back meat of chicken in a pho before, and it was phenomenal.
And I found out about it from a random cafe barista. Sometimes it pays off just to ask someone where they'd eat nearby.
jandrewrogers 2 hours ago [-]
The phở in the US is from southern Viet Nam, not Hanoi. It is significantly different than traditional Hanoi-style phở. Even in Hanoi the southern style is common, most people seem to prefer it.
anonymouscaller 4 hours ago [-]
For us Americans who can’t make it out to Vietnam, I’ve found the best Pho in the US is in Orange County, CA and Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood!
Aboutplants 3 hours ago [-]
Philadelphia also has some incredible Pho shops, most in South Philly.
datlife 4 hours ago [-]
You are missing out on San Jose. It has the largest population Vietnamese diaspora.
neilfrndes 3 hours ago [-]
Could you please share a list of your favorites in San Jose/Bay Area?
In San Francisco I love having pho in Chinatown. Golden Star Vietnamese Restaurant, Sai's Vietnamese, and Golden Flower are the ones I like the most.
eitally 3 hours ago [-]
There are so many Vietnamese restaurants in San Jose it's really more similar to the Hanoi recommendation: you just have to experiment until you find the ones that resonate with your personal tastes. I recommend searching reddit for "best pho in San Jose" -- you'll find a number of threads, many of which feature similar sets of restaurants.
tonymet 3 hours ago [-]
For those that do visit Vietnam admit that it’s better in the USA, too.
canjobear 3 hours ago [-]
What are your OC recs?
FlyingSnake 4 hours ago [-]
I've traveled to Hanoi and absolutely loved the phở there. One perk of living in Berlin is the exceptional Phở we get here. Thanks to the large Vietnamese community we have great phở, Bahn mí (esp at the Dong Xuan center). The phở we get here is top tier too, as confirmed by my Vietnamese friends.
breakfastduck 3 hours ago [-]
There's a Bahn mí place in Manchester, UK that does my fav one ever
pretense9393 4 hours ago [-]
[flagged]
jrimbault 6 hours ago [-]
Cheekily, might not the "purist" want a "pot-au-feu" ? (i have a sincere dislike of purity talk, especially in cookery)
The article mentions it, but doesn't disprove it.
pazimzadeh 6 hours ago [-]
yeah purity seems overrated for almost anything except making drugs
doubletwoyou 5 hours ago [-]
And semiconductors and air quality perhaps
dhosek 4 hours ago [-]
Back when I lived in Orange County (and didn’t know how to pronounce phở), I used to joke about creating a restaurant that served phở made with Italian noodles and calling it Faux Phở.
dessimus 3 hours ago [-]
Could go Greek-Vietnamese fusion with lamb and call it: "φ Faux Phở"
pazimzadeh 6 hours ago [-]
I was just in Hanoi. I stool in line for pho at "michelin rated" shops and had it in tiny stalls manned by a grandma or old couple. always go for the grandma..the michelin ones seem more dilute and cost more. For example, Pho 10 Ly Quoc Su vs. the stall right next to it.
MisterTea 5 hours ago [-]
I have a friend who loves Vietnam and was just visiting. His advice is ALWAYS go out of the tourist areas. To paraphrase his words "The more the locals look at you funny, the more authentic it's going to be." And by funny, not in a bad way but more of "uh, you lost there buddy?"
throwup238 6 hours ago [-]
If you can, always ask a local where to go. Most locals don’t want to wait in line unless it’s a special occasion and they know the best underrated and mom and pop restaurants. The ones with lines are usually tourist or internet hype traps and their food gets enshittified quickly.
I learned this the hard way during Marti Gras.
pazimzadeh 5 hours ago [-]
Yeah. Some locals assume you’ll only like the touristy stuff though
CarVac 5 hours ago [-]
I've never been to Vietnam but there's a Hanoi-style pho place by me and it is head and shoulders better than any other pho I've ever had in the US.
Apparently most pho in the US is southern Vietnamese style?
windward 4 hours ago [-]
Because most Vietnamese people in the US are southern Vietnamese. People who fled during what we'd call the Vietnam War*, and their descendants.
*Not the most recent war in Vietnam
reducesuffering 3 hours ago [-]
Agree, I happened upon one in SF and was amused at the insistence there will be none of the bean sprouts, basil, etc. in South Vietnamese style. Although I do love those toppings, I agree this was the best I've had.
l5870uoo9y 4 hours ago [-]
Pho is delicious, but Thai boat noodles soup (guay tiew ruea) is godly; dark, robust, and full of diverse flavors and nuances.
__patchbit__ 5 hours ago [-]
Is consomme the reference precursor implementation?
e40 2 days ago [-]
Disappointing that there was not a single picture in the post. And, wow, it’s long!
theoriginaldave 6 hours ago [-]
He did speak a little distainfully of taking pictures of your pho or having your phone handy while eating.
I think the lack of pictures emphasizes focusing in the moment and enjoying the experience and then remembering it fondly later.
kakacik 6 hours ago [-]
.. or skipping reading the article if you look at it during some short break
jihadjihad 6 hours ago [-]
The purest phở is the one that exists only in your imagination.
>There is nothing else to it – you must eat a few hundred bowls of phở and find out. If this requires moving to Hanoi, so be it.
Not the worst life plan, to be honest!
A little bit sad that my own "death bed pho" - chicken pho from that one stall near the market in old quarter - gets just a passing mention as the only acceptable variation to traditional beef pho.
This also brings back memories of our "mystery pho man" - who had three tiny stools and one large pot outside his house every morning, looked like a character straight out of an 80's movie, and was usually sold out by 8am.
Vietnamese food has got significantly better in Toronto in the past 5-10 years - but still haven't found anything that comes even close to Hanoi chicken pho.
But let them be so limited on their own. This isn't a religion. It's a big world out there, and there are a gazillion awesome phos in it.
Pho Dakao, 16171 Brookhurst St, Fountain Valley, CA 92708, United States
Also I got a recipe for pho ga from my aunt which is:
* 6 chicken legs, and 2 bone in breasts (or debone a whole chicken)
* Bring a pot of water to boil
* Parboil all pieces for 2 minutes, throw away the broth
* Char onion and ginger (in an air fryer or on a gas stove - air fryer is easier)
* Toast coriander seeds and star anise
* Add all ingredients back, bring to boil, then drop to a low simmer, and salt
* After 30 minutes remove the pieces, let it cool and debone
* Add the chicken bones back, cook for additional 30 minutes, season with salt and msg
* Optionally serve with a side of nuoc cham, but this variation has no fish sauce in the stock
How well this turns out depends on the quality of the chicken you buy. At the Asian markets, there are different breeds of chicken which have less meat, but are more flavorful.
And I found out about it from a random cafe barista. Sometimes it pays off just to ask someone where they'd eat nearby.
In San Francisco I love having pho in Chinatown. Golden Star Vietnamese Restaurant, Sai's Vietnamese, and Golden Flower are the ones I like the most.
The article mentions it, but doesn't disprove it.
I learned this the hard way during Marti Gras.
Apparently most pho in the US is southern Vietnamese style?
*Not the most recent war in Vietnam
I think the lack of pictures emphasizes focusing in the moment and enjoying the experience and then remembering it fondly later.