I'm not a Pho connoisseur. I really don't understand when people say this place or that is the best pho. I guess it depends on the broth and the meat but the subtle differences between locations is lost on me.
Regardless, we did end up at the reportedly "best" pho location in Saigon, Pho Hoa Pasteur. It has been around for years and is very well known in the city. The cruise ship tour guide told us that if we wanted the best pho, go here... Not to Pho 2000, the restaurant that Bill Clinton made famous by visiting by sucking back some noodles.
We didn't have the best timing, apparently some tours visit Pho Hoa also and one was just unloading at the same time. The Vietnamese staff shuffled the white people upstairs and they wanted us to follow. We had to explain we weren't with the tour so we were able to sit with the locals...
We sat down and we had no clue what was going on. All the tables had food: bean sprouts, a plate of fresh herbs, Chinese bread, bananas, pork paste wrapped in leave and a few other goodies. The herbs and bean sprouts were obvious, but we didn't touch the other goodies. I'm sure if we had grabbed some bread or a pork paste thingy we would have had it added to our bill. I wasn't feeling adventurous.
I ordered the raw beef and beef ball. It was delicious, I actually could have eaten another bowl.
Brad had well done beef and crunchy flank. The flank was very fatty and for him not appetizing at all. He did enjoy the noodles and broth.
So I can't claim it is the best, it could be, all I know is I really enjoyed it and the experience. Definitely worth checking out if you are looking for pho in Ho Chi Minh city.
This article is in the category: Travel.
