After 18 hours of a plane, a train, and an automobile, I found this place within walking distance…read moreof my hotel. Located at one end of a mall, this Vietnamese restaurant is small but vibrant. Several waitresses were quite attentive and cheerful.
To me, soup is comfort food and nothing beats a bowl of beef pho after a tiring, cold day.
The small-ish bowl of dac biet pho had a great beef flavor all the way around. Broth was not too rich and perfect balance of spices (hints of cinnamon, clove, and star anise). The meatballs tasted like beef (not the tasteless, spongy meat mass offered in some US pho restaurants), the brisket pieces were tender, tripe tasted "clean", and the raw beef was sliced thinly enough to give it a nice texture. Only slightly negative thing worth mentioning is that the pho was €20 ($22) for what we would consider a small bowl in the US ... but hey, this is Amsterdam, one of the world's great cities.
Several appetizers in the menu. I tried the beef rice paper spring rolls. The rice crepe wrapper was a little too chewy, so next time, I will go with another small dish.
Bottom line, this place offers a very very good bowl of comforting beef pho for the next time you are near (~ 0.5 miles) the Station Zuid area of Amsterdam.