I was so giddy to see so many Vietnamese food options in Zurich. After 2 weeks in Europe I craved my mom's food and this was the next best thing.
After seeing bun rieu (crab noodle soup) on the menu, I was excited as it's one of my favorite noodle soups!
Being in the middle of Europe, I went in with low expectations. The toppings and accompanied veggies and herbs were lacking, but I'd expected it. What I was not expecting was how authentic the flavors were! The broth had that crab and shrimp paste flavors and they even had the authentic soft and creamy crab paste which not too many restaurants get it right.
My husband had the bun bo hue, the same dish he had at the other restaurant, Saigon, from 2 nights earlier. He preferred the other restaurant's BBH over at SG. I liked the flavor of the broth at Pho Mai better, but the toppings were better at SG's. Instead of beef shank, Pho Mai used rare beef steak (typically used for rare stead pho).
Overall the flavors for both dishes were well done. If they'd just put a little more effort in putting in more toppings (especially for the BBH as it always come with multiple proteins aside from beef slices) it would take this restaurant to another level. But I can understand why they'd cut corners as their menu is quite extensive with many dishes and it seems they're also short-staffed. read more