We visited Miss Pho after seeing the pictures of giant beef ribs sitting in large bowls of pho, which made it seem intriguing enough to warrant a visit for a cold and rainy weekend lunch. I had read reviews about how packed this place gets and I can attest to the accuracy after arriving. While we were able to get seated immediately when we arrived a little after after opening, starting at around 11:45, Miss Pho really got packed, with several parties waiting outside for seats. Do get here early for best results.
Miss Pho Special ($26) - The special includes a very beef forward tasting broth, enhanced with the addition of a myriad of flavorful herbs and spices, braised in the broth to bring out the deeply mellow and savory flavors. Quite fresh tasting with a beefy, sour tang towards the end of each sip. After trying the dish, I found that the beef rib is kind of a gimmick. It's difficult to eat in pho, since the periosteum, that cartilaginous sheath that covers the bone, glues the meat onto the bone so that it's very difficult to remove with just a soup spoon and chopsticks. Instead of eating cleanly, for the most part, you have to chew the meat off the bone. It's flavorful and somewhat tender, but takes much more work to eat than the rest of the dish. And let me tell you, the rest of the dish is great. Beef balls, cut up into wedges, enhancing the beefiness and also adding a bouncier texture. Thin pho rice noodles cooked with just a tiny bit of firmness, not overcooked or mushy. There's tendon, stewed until tender and gelatinous, with no tough portions at all. A couple of slices of beef tripe, crunchy in texture, carrying the flavor of the broth well. Several thin slices of tender beef brisket complete the meat portion of the dish. The dish is garnished with scallions and sliced onion - and also, for some reason, a raw egg yolk. I'm not sure if it's supposed to be mixed into the broth or eaten as is. It adds protein and richness, at any rate. The beef rib is a little too extra, but doesn't diminish how delicious this pho is, nor my rating. (5/5)
Pho Sa Te Sai Gon, Level 2/5 Spicy ($19) - This dish is similarly fantastic. The broth is thick, rich with the taste of lemongrass, peanut, fish sauce, shallots, and other herbs and seasonings. At a spice level of 2/5, I could feel sweat dripping down my face, with a spice that didn't necessarily hurt the mouth, but instead burned the throat with every sip. Still, the spice level still allowed me to taste all the myriad other flavors in the dish, without being too overwhelming. The mouthfeel, filled with particulate matter, most likely crushed peanuts, almost reminds me of laksa. In fact, I'd say this dish almost tastes like laksa mixed with satay, sans the seafood flavor and a bit of sweetness. The dish comes with tender, thin slices of ribeye, that exhibit a lemongrass-like taste, almost as if they've been marinated for hours. There's brisket, meatballs, and the perfectly cooked pho, as with the other dish. Three slices of cucumber and three wedges of tomato inhabit the side of the bowl. Are these traditionally included in this dish? I don't know, but they do add some additional freshness. (5/5)
Both dishes are, of course, served with the requisite bean sprouts, thai basil, and jalapenos.
Overall, I left very impressed with what I ate at Miss Pho. The pricing is a bit on the high end ($60 after tax and tip for two bowls of pho is kind of ridiculous), but the uniqueness and quality make up somewhat for the price increase. The portion sizes are also substantial, with both of us leaving with bloated bellies and still having about half a bowl of food leftover. Miss Pho is not a place I would go to for an every day bowl of pho, but it's certainly a restaurant worth visiting for a special treat.
Bathrooms - Two individual rooms, one for each gender. read more