Pho Vietnam

I could dedicate many posts to this elixir called Pho. There are few places that do it right - I'm not talking about doing it authentically, I'm talking about creating an addict out of me. My favourite pho dealer deserves a post all to themselves, but another place, not far from home, creates such a wonderful broth, and really, if you have anything less than a great broth, your entire dish might as well be dishwater.

Pho Vietnam; 1280 Kennedy Road, Scarborough Ontario

Fried Rice
My husband likes fried rice. Growing up on the Guyanese version, I could do without it. But once in a while, it's nice to have a few bites, because it still is delicious.
Pho Vietnam's fried rice was steamy hot and flavourful. Unlike some places where the douse it in soy sauce, this is delicate, fluffy, and the peas are not rock hard half frozen pebbles. They're soft. Fresh. It was the first thing to come, so me and my hungry self had a few bites.





Pad Thai
I find Vietnamese restaurants offering more of this dish. The Vietnamese have a similar dish, which they call Saigon Noodles, but, eh, I can understand from a business perspective that most diners are not going to squeal "ooh! Saigon Noodles!" hence, we have Pad Thai on the menu. And that's what I ordered. I should have known better.
It wasn't horrible, but my pet peeve about bad pad Thai is that it tastes like rice noodles bathed in ketchup, with 'stuff' mingled throughout. Now, the 'stuff' - which comprised of shrimp, chicken, tofu, and the rest of the accoutrement, were cooked perfectly. Tender, firm, flavourful. Their ingredients were great. It was the execution where, maybe a heavy hand in the 'vinegary-sweet' department, made the dish pedestrian. Now, if they had Saigon noodles, I would be all over it (Saigon Noodles, from what I understand, are also not intended to be predominantly tangy).

And then, there's the pho.


Pho Ga
Look at that. Can you see that body behind the table? That's my husband. A Man. And he ain't no scrawny man either. That's a medium sized serving of Pho before him. Your mind cannot fathom the size of a large serving. I could swim in that bowl of absolutely comforting broth that is my saviour on a rainy day. You can't see it in the picture, but the bed of flat rice noodles, grilled chicken (beef, in true pho) are absolutely piled inside. There is a perfect ratio of solids to liquids. And the fish sauce, lime, thai basil, and sprouts are always on the side for me to add.

The thing about pho is that it does for me what chicken soup does for most. Anyone who loves pho will understand exactly what I'm saying. the feel of rice noodles slurped and the savoury spicy bone warming broth can wash away a month's worth of worries. And this bowl, when brought home, is the perfect way to end any cold or rainy day. Ask my husband. Bringing this home can wrap me up away from any troubles. Are you reading this, darling? :-)