Pho & Cafe: Viet Huong (1110 Washington Avenue)

Viet Huong is located in South Philly next to Nam Phuong. Both have been staples of Vietnamese cuisine in the area for many years. Viet Huong is a nice spot that is spacious and the waiters were very friendly.

It should be mentioned that my pho came out much later than a friend's Bun Thit Nuong. Weird right? I don't know if they needed to make more stock or not but I definitely got my food much later. As you can see from the picture above, the pho was very light in color. The smell of spices was light and fragrant. It wasn't one of those broths that instantly hit your nose as soon as they put down your bowl. There was a nice sheen of fat/oil on it that was not overwhelming but definitely added tons of flavor when slurping up the noodles. They gave you a good amount of noodles and they were cooked perfectly. The broth was average at best. I don't know if they needed to make more stock or not but it seemed a little watered down.

The veggies were your standards that you get. Thai Basil, jalapenos, lime, and bean sprouts. All of which were incredibly fresh looking and vibrant. I didn't get a picture of the basil leaves sizes but... they were humongous; not that I care I love thai basil.  Only one lime wedge, which was good but again, I like the option of having 2 lime wedges just in case.

HOORAY!!! THEY GAVE ME ALL THE MEATS!!!! Steak, Brisket, Flank, Tripe, Tendon, and beef Meatball! Hallelujah!! All of the meats were top quality. Sometimes tendon isn't cooked correctly and it has a weird flavor, but this one was cooked perfectly and the flavor was intense of pho broth spices. The tripe was great; they didn't give you a lot but what they did give you was clean tasting and just fine. The meatballs (2 of them) were very good too. I don't know if they were made in house but they were definitely tasty. The flank had a little fat on it but was cut thinly and it was delicious. My only gripe about the meat here is that the Brisket and the steak were cut a little too thick. I absolutely love when brisket and steak are cut thin. It made it a little hard to chew both.

They do not allow you to choose a size. It was one size and it was about 8.25 or so. They have other Vietnamese cuisine that is probably better to try over their pho. There is a pho 75 in the same complex and Nam Phuong; which one definitely has better pho.

Ratings:
Broth - 3/5 (watered down aromatic)
Meat: 5/5 (All da meats!!!)
Vegetables: 4/5 (big ass thai basil leaves and one more lime would've been nice)
Presentation: 3/5 (It wasn't very pretty)
Affordability: 3/5 (no large)
Return: 3/5 (definitely to try their other foods)
Recommend: 3/5 (definitely better places to eat)

Overall Rating: C+ 

 Pho Viet (Whitaker Ave, Ben City Supermarket Area)

Pho Viet has been around for the last three years and over the course of time has gone under new management. I have eaten here before but never for the blog so I decided it was time. Pho Viet is a small place that has been incredibly busy compared to what it used to be. Years before the place would be half full at best, but recently, including today it was packed. Was it within reason? Keep reading you'll find out. :-)

As you can see from the picture above the broth had a nice deep color with a nice sheen of oil/fat on the top. If you are someone who is a pho connoisseur, you know that oil/fat = flavor when it comes to pho. The broth was aromatic and you could definitely smell the star anise, cloves, and cinnamon floating through the air. The taste was pretty much your standard pho broth. It wasn't anything that I would do back flips for but it wasn't awful either. It was your mid range tasting pho broth with the hints of spices. When I looked at this pho it didn't excite me. It wasn't like OMGGG yasssss my pho is heeeere!!! As you can see it just kinda looks.... blah.

The noodles were cooked perfectly they weren't over or under done. My one gripe about this is that they didn't give you enough noodles. That's bullshit. I want Pho so gimme NOODLES. There was just enough noodles maybe for you to have about 5 full slurps. The noodles did carry the broth very well but there just needed to be more of it in there instead of ghost noodles.

They give you plenty of basil and jalapenos which was great. I love both! You can't really tell from the picture but some of the bean sprouts were old and did not look appetizing. The basil was nice and dry and fresh. None of the leaves looked like they were wilting or eaten by bugs. As you can see they only gave one lime as well. Let me at least have 2 lime wedges! It didn't make or break anything but I like having that option.

As usual I got the Pho Dac Biet and HOORAY, it came with ALL the meats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Steak, tripe, tendon, flank, brisket, and meatballs! As you can see there wasn't much tendon in there. The steak was cute thin and cooked perfectly within the broth. The flank was incredibly fatty and I had to discard most of the fat from each peace. The brisket was somewhat fatty but cut very thinly which I like. The tripe (my least favorite thing in pho) was cut incredibly thin and small which was AMAZING. When it is cut thin and small you're able to disguise it as noodles and slurp it up! The meatballs were delicious, they seemed to be homemade and not frozen prepackaged. They also gave you plenty of meat (even though not enough noodle). There were 3 meatballs. Yassssssss!

It was very affordable. They only have one size and it costs 7.50 for the Pho Dac Biet. They have plenty of other Vietnamese cuisine there as well. This place is worth coming to eat the pho or if some of the other pho places are closed like Pho 75. But it was definitely tasty and adds another place to have pho if you get tired of eating any of the better places.


Ratings:
Broth - 4/5 (aromatic and fat/oil yumminess)
Meat: 5/5 (All the meats and more!)
Vegetables: 3/5 (bean sprouts were old and one more lime would've been nice)
Presentation: 3/5 (blah factor)
Affordability: 3/5 (no large, not enough noodles for the price)
Return: 4/5 (maybe for the pho, but definitely to try their other foods)
Recommend: 4/5 (better pho spots, but sure why not?)

Overall Rating: B-

Pho Tuong Lai (Bustleton and Longshore, NE Philly)

Pho Tuong Lai is a new small Vietnamese joint in NE Philly. It used to be a Chinese restaurant that served dim sum and other items. I am not joking when I say this place is small... it fits at max maybe 30 people. This place opened up about 4 weeks ago and I finally had the opportunity to give the Pho a try. It's quaint, small, the service is good, and the waiters are very nice. I went on a Friday night at 8:15pm. They close at 9pm.

The menu claimed that they used lemon grass and ginger in their broth and if they do it's minimal at best. This is not to say that the broth wasn't good. It definitely was good but it lacked the intensity of flavor that I was hoping for. It was a solid broth, slight hints of spices, very slight lemon grass and ginger. The broth had a nice sheen of oil but definitely was not oily. As you can see the broth is a nice deep dark color which is indication of the various spices and that more than likely it was cooked with beef bones.  As you can see though it looks beautiful. They cut the cilantro up very small which is how I like it! I like to get a bit of cilantro and green onion in every bite. The flavor of the broth did get lost especially next to the noodles.

They give you a ton of Pho noodles, which can be good and a bad thing. It seemed as though they didn't rinse the pho noodles off as well as they could've to allow some of the starchiness to come off it, which unlike spaghetti doesn't allow the thin broth to adhere to the noodle. As I stated earlier this noodle flavor did overtake the flavor of the broth. I like to have the flavor of the broth sticking to the noodles and when I slurp you get all the flavors, but this is just nitpicking at this point! They give you a shit load of noodles and if you're a noodleholic you'll love it.

 

As you can see the vegetables were somewhat fresh, again I came towards the end of the night. The basil was good, lime was fresh, and the jalapeno was cut nicely to provide heat and also a little crunch. The bean sprouts were not as fresh as they could be and by looking at it you could tell. Otherwise the vegetables were basically the same as you would get any other pho place.

I ordered the Pho Dac Biet, and by now you if you read my blog you know that it is the house special pho which should include all the meats. This sadly did not have all the meats. It had steak, flank, brisket, tendon, and tripe. As you can see in the picture the one thing that was missing was the bo vien (meatball) which is definitely one of my favorites to eat with Pho. Other than that the quality of the meat was very good. The steak was cut thinly and cooked easily with the broth. The brisket was not at all fatty and had a nice depth of flavor. The flank was the same, and sliced thinly. The tripe was clean tasting and cut thinly as well. The tendon was cooked perfectly that it also melted in your mouth while you ate it. No meatballs is a no no for my Pho blog!

It is incredibly affordable and definitely tasty. The pho dac biet was about 6.50. They only have one size but trust me it's basically a large that you're getting with all the noodles and slices of meat. If you don't want to come down to Pho 75 or Pho & More 2, than this is a very good place for you to get your Pho fix. They had other items on the menu like Banh Mi, which I'll have to try another time! I would recommend going here if you live closer to this area and don't feel like traveling far.


Ratings:
Broth - 4/5 (intensity of flavor wasn't all there)
Meat: 4/5 (not all the meats! where da meatballs?!)
Vegetables: 4/5 (bean sprouts too dark and old looking)
Presentation: 3/5 (blah looking)
Affordability: 3/5 (kinda expensive for not being able to have a large or more noodles!)
Return: 4/5 (maybe for the pho, but definitely to try their other foods)
Recommend: 4/5 (better pho spots, but worth it if you're lazy! :-) )

Overall Rating: B-

 

Place: Huong Tram (Washington Ave, South Philly)

Huong Tram is located in the shopping complex in South Philly right off of 16th and Washington Ave. It's a nice sized location and the interior is very neat and clean. The servers are attentive but that might also be because that it was almost empty when we arrived at around 7:00pm.

The broth was flavorful and tasty.  You could immediately smell the spices, clove, star anise, cinnamon, etc. . It wasn't very salty but there seemed to be a good amount of MSG which ends up making you incredibly thirsty after about an hour. Although they make plenty of other Vietnamese cuisine, it really seems as though they spent time to make sure that they have a quality broth.

The meat quality was good. I got the Pho Dac Biet which included flank, brisket, steak, tendon, meatball, and tripe. All of the meats were cut very thinly except the tripe... which was husky for no apparent reason. The flank was fatty and so was the brisket. The meatball had a spongy like consistency but overall it was good.

The vegetables were fresh they gave you a great assortment of basil, lime, bean sprouts, and jalapeno. One thing that stands out from other places is that the basil was dry instead of slightly wet. I prefer it that way. The noodles were stuck together and slightly overdone but they gave you plenty of noodles.

The Pho looked beautiful. One of the things that I like in a bowl of Pho is a slight sheen of oil (typically from the beef/brisket/flank cooked within the broth with other beef bones) that shines. However, the sheen of oil on here was more like an oil slick. There was so much oil that it was a big much to handle. The more you ate, the more oil coated your lips. As I type this, I still feel as though the oil is there. You can see what I mean by looking at the picture of the spoons below... see how the oil is just coated the spoon?

It was very affordable the Dac Biet was 8.50, they only have one size.

I have come here to eat some of their other food, which I would definitely recommend, but if the Pho is oily like this all the time. I would not recommend coming here just for that.

Ratings:
Broth - 3/5 (too much msg and too oily)
Meat: 4/5 (all the meats but lots of them fatty)
Vegetables: 5/5
Presentation: 5/5
Affordability: 5/5
Return: 3/5
Recommend: 3/5

Overall Rating: B-

Place: Pho Ta,Whitaker Ave (next to Ben City Supermarket)

Pho Ta is right by Ben City Supermarket and the original location is located in South Philly. This is their second location and it's small but has a wide array of Pho you can eat. I went on a Saturday afternoon with my parents.

The broth was very flavorful. The seasonings and spices were fragrant. Although you could tell there was an overabundance of MSG/Salt but it was still very good. You could tell that they have a stock pot full of broth and it has been simmering all day. Simmering all day = deliciousness remember that!

The meat quality was very good. I tried my best to get a Pho Dac Biet but it wasn't on the menu so I opted for the brisket, steak, meatball, and tripe. The brisket and steak were cut very thinly and as you can see from the picture the broth is bold and dark but clear enough to see everything else presented in the bowl.

The vegetables were fresh they gave you a great assortment of basil, lime, bean sprouts, and culantro. Not many places use culantro so kudos to you Pho Ta!

The noodles were overdone but they gave you plenty to eat.

The Pho looked gorgeous. The sheen of oil to the green onion, thinly sliced onion, and cilantro made it beautiful. The clearness of the broth is wonderful!

It was very affordable the Dac Biet was about 8.50 for a large.

I would definitely recommend this place based on their pho. If you don't want pho they have tons of other food and family meals. Definitely worth going just for the pho though! And its much closer than the South Philly location!

Ratings:
Broth - 4/5 (too much msg!)
Meat: 4/5 (need all the meats!)
Vegetables: 5/5
Presentation: 5/5
Affordability: 4/5
Return: 5/5
Recommend: 5/5

Overall Raiting: A-

 

Place: Vietnam Palace, 11th Street, Chinatown

I went here on a Thursday evening. This was the last place in Chinatown that I needed to visit. Vietnam House has Pho as well but only Pho Tai, and since I started with Pho Dac Biet... that is what I will eat at every restaurant! A short side anecdote.... I haven't been to Vietnam Palace since I was about 10 years old. This place has completely changed from what I remembered it looking like before.... it kinda reminded me of a Spanish restaurant with the color scheme but on to the Pho!

The broth was pretty good. You could smell the layers of spices, seasonings, and see a little sheen of oil on the top. The broth stayed flavorful throughout each sip and definitely enhanced the flavor of the meat. As I type this, I can still taste the pho.

The meat quality was fair. This was a Pho Dac Biet but in reality definitely wasn't the deluxe Pho. It had the mainstay of tripe, steak, and brisket..... and that's it. Tripe was tripe there isn't really anyway of putting it, but the nice thing about their tripe is that it didn't taste like anything. The steak was sliced thin but there were maybe only three slices without the entire bowl. The brisket, tasted like it was cooked in an entirely different stock. I couldn't put my finger on it. Also the brisket was cut WAY too thick. Look how thick that is..... just..... why?

The vegetables were fresh. It was some of the best bean sprouts I have seen out of all the restaurants. There was not any left over bean sprout casings which was nice. The basil wasn't brown at all and they gave you plenty of jalapeno!

The noodles were strange. They were thicker than normal but not by too much. They also had a different taste that made me think of past phos that I have had.... then it hit me like nostalgia only can.... the noodles weren't fresh. The taste was reconstituted dry pho noodles like this pictured below. The texture of the noodles were softer than usual too not because of over cooking but because it wasn't fresh. I might be a snob when it comes to the noodles but I much prefer fresh noodles over dry ones.

 The pho looked appetizing. It had a nice light tan clear broth. The way they garnished it was very appealing with the green onions cut in that way.

This was not worth the asking price of 8.95. If I'm going to pay that much at least give me an option of a small or large........... AND more meat.

Although the Pho is good. I don't know if I would highly recommend Vietnam Palace strictly for their Pho. They do have other traditional Vietnamese dishes like rice vermicelli, porkchop and broken rice, soups, etc. Perhaps their other food is better. But if you're going to go to Chinatown, your best bet for a good bowl of Pho is Pho 20!

Ratings:
Broth - 4/5
Meat: 2/5 (need all the meats! and all the meats do not need to be cut thick as hell!)
Vegetables: 5/5
Presentation: 5/5
Affordability: 3/5
Return: 3/5
Recommend: 3/5

Overall Raiting: B-

**side note the Goi Cuon (Summer Rolls) they were cut in half already.... Um don't do that shit. It needs to be whole. Cutting them in half doesn't make them fancy. It makes it a mess when you eat it. All my insides are falling out because of that. Let me bite into it to make it messy. Don't do it for me. Sheesh."

Place: Pho Quyen,Whitaker Ave (next to Ben City Supermarket)

Pho Quyen right by Ben City Supermarket and originally was just a take out place but they have expanded into a full fledged sit down restaurant. The service was great. I went on a Friday afternoon around 12:30 PM.

The broth was very tasty. It had layers of spices, seasonings, fat, and fish sauce! (Kudos to you for taking it old school.) The flavor of the broth did not dull with every sip. You could tell that this broth is simmering in the back and is their own recipe.

The meat quality was good. Although this is a Pho Dac Biet, it only had 4 meats in it. It has tripe, which is never good or bad. Steak which was paper thin and cooked with the broth. Brisket which was somewhat fatty, thin, and very long pieces, but definitely good. Finally bo vien, which tasted like they make these in house, which I prefer.

The vegetables were very fresh. From the color to the taste of each item, basil, bean sprouts, lime and this is the only place so far that gives you an additional veggie, culantro!

The noodles were slightly overdone but they gave you plenty of it.

The Pho looked very appetizing. The sheen of oil to the green onion, thinly sliced onion, and cilantro made it beautiful.

It was very affordable the Dac Biet was about 7.95.

I would definitely recommend this place based on their pho. I didn't try any of their other food but the quality of the pho as very good. Also this is the only place so far that has listed OX TAIL PHO!!!!! Will have to try that soon!

Ratings:
Broth - 4/5
Meat: 3/5 (need all the meats!)
Vegetables: 4/5
Presentation: 5/5
Affordability: 4/5
Return: 5/5
Recommend: 5/5

Overall Raiting: B+

Place: Pho & More 2, Adams Ave.

Pho & More 2 is conveniently located where Pho Hoa used to be. The service is great and I went on at Lunch on a Sunday.

The broth was tasty. It definitely had layers of seasonings, spices, and a nice coating of fat. (You'll notice that I mention fat as one of my criteria... let's face it... fat makes things taste better and if you have a bowl of Pho without it and then one with it... trust me the Pho wit, will taste better)  You can smell the Pho floating through the air as soon as you walk into the restaurant. The flavor isn't overwhelming but it's certainly not the best pho I've ever had. You could taste the spices throughout each sip. They definitely have carefully worked on their recipe and it tastes like it.

The meat quality was very good. The steak was very thin and cooked with the broth. The tripe was tripe. The tendon was soft and gelatinous... which is good! The brisket had very little fat on it and was paper thin. It also had fat brisket which was equally delicious but definitely fatty (i tend to trim the fat off and just eat the meat. The meatballs were delicious. Of all the places so far that serve Pho Dac Biet, this is the ONLY one that is true to that name. It gives you ALL the meats.

The vegetables were light and fresh and plentiful. Jalapenos, limes, basil, and bean sprouts were there and looked good.

The noodles were cooked perfectly and they give you plenty.

The Pho looked delicious. It had the perfect amount of sheen of fat and veggies throughout.

It was affordable the Dac Biet was about 8.95 which is a lil bit more pricey than the other places BUT you get ALL DA MEATS!

I would definitely recommend this place based on their pho. Proximity-wise this is very close to my house and if you want all the meats then this is the place for you (so far!)

Ratings:
Broth - 4/5
Meat: 5/5
Vegetables: 4/5
Presentation: 5/5
Affordability: 4/5
Return: 4/5
Recommend: 4/5

Overall Raiting: B+

Place: Crabby Cafe, Castor & Longshore

First and foremost.... Crabby Cafe is known for it's seafood not it's Pho. But.... the adventurous person in me needed to try it.

The broth was okay. It had a hint of spice and definitely had fat. It was aromatic and the flavor was bland but you could taste the fish sauce they used in it. Props for going traditional on this one! It wasn't the worst flavor but definitely not the best.

The meat quality was okay. The steak was thin and cooked with the broth. There was no tripe or tendon. The brisket was cut way too thick. Think BBQ brisket slices instead of paper thin pho style.The meatballs were your standard frozen bo vien. It wasn't fantastic but again it wasn't terrible.

The vegetables seemed fresh. They gave you enough of lime, jalapeno, basil and bean sprouts.

The noodles were cooked nicely and they gave you plenty of it. 

The Pho looked alright. You could tell automatically that there wasn't as many layers of meat or flavor just by looking at it.

It was very affordable the Dac Biet was about 8.00.

I would NOT recommend this place based on the Pho. But that's purely because of the PHO. If you want amazing seafood and crabby special wings (fried fish sauce wings) then you NEED to go here. That Crabby Sauce for the seafood is like crack.... you gotta try it.

Ratings:
Broth - 3/5
Meat: 2/5
Vegetables: 4/5
Presentation: 3/5
Affordability: 4/5
Return: 0/5
Recommend: 0/5

Overall Raiting: D

Place: Pho Cali, Chinatown 10th and Arch (right on the corner)

 I have heard of Pho Cali from other people that has said that the pho is some of the best that they have ever had. According to yelp, their pho is delicious and keeps people coming back for more. The service was great. I went on a Saturday afternoon for lunch.

First and foremost, those individuals that said to me that the pho was the best, and the yelp reviews that say it's so great, clearly have no taste buds or understanding of what real Pho taste like.

The broth was good at the FIRST sip. As time went on the broth began losing it's flavor; almost until the point where it only tasted like water. In the beginning you get hit with a HINT of spices, but other than that it loses me completely. As I dove deeper and deeper into the broth, I thought perhaps I should take a sip of my water to cleanse my palette... then I took a sip of the broth again... they both tasted exactly the same. The broth tasted like they used ONE of these packages (pictured below) for an entire stock pot full of water. Please step your game up people who have eaten here and find out what real Pho is because you are missing out.

The meat quality was adequate at best. The steak was thin and was completely cooked as soon as they brought it out. It was also shriveled up. For being a Pho Dac Biet, this was sad and deserved to be punished for how terrible it was. It only had steak, brisket, and tripe in it. Most Pho Dac Biet will give you, steak, meatball, brisket, fat brisket, tripe, and tendon. The brisket tasted old and was thick cut and dry. The tripe was tripe.

The vegetables were the best part of the meal. The basil was fresh and the beansprouts were as well. They give you 4 pieces of jalapeno and 2 pieces of limes.

The noodles were fine but they didn't give you very much.  Little did I know that I ordered a small when I could've gotten a large but NO where on the menu does it state that.

The Pho looked good, there wasn't a nice sheen of fat on it, and the onions were cut thick, instead of paper thin. No one wants to crunch on onions while eating Pho.

It was very expensive the Dac Biet was about 8.50 for a SMALL!

No recommendation for this place at all. I will not be coming back here and you should stop going there too if you believe it's the best pho you ever had.... check my blog for the better spots to eat and educate yourself!!! PHOvolution up in here!!

**Side note: The Goi Cuon... pathetic! It was ice burg lettuce and shrimp with rice vermicelli in a thick ass rice paper!**

Ratings:
Broth - 1/5
Meat: 2/5
Vegetables: 4/5
Presentation: 2/5
Affordability: 2/5
Return: 0/5
Recommend: 0/5

Overall Raiting: F