What can I say of my growing love affair with Pho Viet? I've been three times in a week. That's a pretty good sign.
I'm a big fan of the lemongrass beef salad - which comes with rice noodles, grated carrot, cucumber, lettuce and a small amount of thin soup. It's got a spice to it already, but I made the inevitable mistake I always make of adding extra chili. BEWARE! The chili on the bench is birdseye - the chili that gives peri peri its spice (no pun intended). Much like myself, these little things are spicy (pun intended)! I figured they were just good old red chilies and heaped them on, leading to a burning mouth later.
I've also had the roast pork roll - or "banh my" as they've called it. It is a good approximation of banh mi with a really lovely crunchy baguette and yummy fresh chopped carrots and pork. The pork could be more crunchy, buts its still pretty good. Be prepared to be covered in crunchy baguette crumbs after you eat this - not a meal to order on a delicate lunch date. As an aside, the "banh my" comes in six different flavours including a pressed pork round, chicken and others.
But you cant go to a place called "pho viet" without trying the pho. I got the chicken pho and it is just beautiful. Really lovely sweet stock, fresh vegetables and chili as well as delicious chicken. Topped off with a flat rice noodle. I - you're sensing the pattern here right - again added extra birds eye chili (because I never learn) and spent the next fifteen minutes happily slurping up soup in between taking huge gulps of coconut juice to cool the burn.
They have pretty good prices and you can easily get lunch there for under $12. They also make a nice fresh coconut juice, although its among the more expensive drinks at $4.50.
You will see me there again... probably eating all the chili. read more