I've always had a tradition to try out a local Pho Restaurant every city I visit and naturally I would search for the best. This place came up on several different sites and had to give it a shot! It was tucked away in a little area that wasn't that hard to find, but definitely somewhere you have to walk to.
Food: 5/5 Amazing. Very authentic. Coming from a vietnamese family myself, this food felt like a home cooked meal. We order the Pho (or Pho Tai, rare beef) and the Spring rolls (cha goi). Both were perfectly cooked and prepared and the presentation was excellent.
Service: 5/5. Being Canadian, naturally we speak English, and they catered to that the best they could. I actually found that the owner, who comes to talk to you during the meal to have the best english. Thankfully I speak French and enough Vietnamese to order exactly what I wanted and how I wanted it. The owner was extremely nice and takes time to explain her recipe and soup. You can truly feel that she stands proudly behind her cooking and is confident in the results to justify the price.
Price: 4.5/5 To be quite honest, its fair for where you are in the world. Don't forget that we are in Paris, where simple Cheese Burgers can cost 15 euros.. and back at home, a burger and pho roughly cost the same. With this logic, its pretty 'norma' to justify that the pho is 15-16 euro. Although it is almost three times the price at home, its Paris, and things are expensive, so its important to understand this before making the rating.
Presentation: 4.5/5 Overall I loved the atmosphere, decor, and presentation of the plates/food/utensils etc. The small things I would change is to bring that 'Vietnamese" feeling back to this place. I would: put the Sweet Hoisin sauce and Hot sauce out for people that have the pho; Put the mint, onion and lemon toppings on a seperate plate and DO NOT serve it with the pho (some people, like my finacee, don't like as much of it and would rather savor the taste of the soup and not have as much onions and mint mixed into her soup, this would allow her to add the amount she wants); beansprouts? wo gai? (some traditional veggies were absent and can enhance the flavors of an otherwise perfect soup. Side comment: Having sat beside someone from the UK as well, it may benefit to have a french and english menu. Highly valuable!
Overall: 5/5. This place felt like I was back in a fancy 70s/80s high end restaurant in Saigon! There are only a few things I would change and the first would be to put the Vietnamese names of the food on the menu! French people can easily read the language as it was derived from French, but it teaches locals to learn what the actual dishes are called and the explanations and names can be in french! Pho Tai, is Pho Tai to every Vietnamese person, anywhere around the world, it would be amazing to spread this knowledge to the people that WILL LOVE THIS PLACE BECAUSE ITS THAT GOOD!
I would say this is a must try, but expect to pay around 20-25 euro a person to fill up. The bowl of pho alone is quite small (compared to any Pho I've had around the world, including US, Canada, HK, Thailand, Vietnam and certain areas of asia), so you'll need to get a starter and I would recommend the spring rolls or split another dish with a friend/partner. read more