Time for Pho?

The Cheesecake Test

Pho is a bit like cheesecake. Not the taste, but the theoretical enjoyment. In order for me to get excited about cheesecake, it needs to taste like chocolate, peanut butter, and cookies. It needs to taste like a chocolate lava cake. Basically, it needs to NOT taste like cheesecake. The reality is, I don’t like cheesecake. If I have pho, it has to taste like sriracha or have overwhelming hints of thai curry broth. It has to NOT taste like pho.

Bucket Size Servings
What also gets me is the giant bowls that serve it in. There’s all this pressure to gulp down 4 cups of hot weird flavored broth and call it a meal. There’s the side plate of bean sprouts, basil and a few other plants that you can use to adorn the soup and, again, pretend it’s maybe another dish.

I want to like it. I do. It’s trendy. It has bells and whistles. It’s an exploration of Vietnamese flavors to explore. It has all the potential to be a culinary conquest into uncharted territory. More than that, my husband likes it. I should get on board! But maybe it’s the time I ordered it with tripe. Maybe it’s the half of a hard-boilled egg that stares at me like a very demanding cyclops ordering me to provide some eye drops of soy sauce.

Beneath the Broth
Generally, the noodles in the soup are good. I might eat most of the noodles as long as the broth hasn’t seeped in too strange of a flavor. Mushrooms can be a gamble because there are so many kinds. Don't get me started on the button ones (that's more of a hot pot situation). Pho with chicken or pork can be a pretty safe bet. But there are other unfamiliar dishes I will explore. And if the same restaurant does Asian fusion with some Thai cuisine, it's going to be a great meal.

We also tried the crab rangoon, but there was no cream cheese in them which was a bit unexpected. We should've gone with samosas, summer rolls, or gyoza.