My quest for the perfect pho in NYC continues...I had stumbled upon this place as I was meeting up with a friend for drinks on Grand Street and made a mental note to check this place out one day. I decided to check it out for lunch when I was working from home one day. It's your classic pho place in that it's run by a Vietnamese family and the decor is very simple - it's a step up from the run down places you'll find in Chinatown but very casual. You order at the counter, they give you a number and they bring you your food when it's ready. The menu has your line up of a variety of pho and bahn mi sandwiches - all under $10, which is great. I opted for the classic pho ($9) and for $1 extra you can get a thai ice tea - yes please! I had asked them if I could get the meat raw, which isn't an unusual request at most Vietnamese places, but this guy looked at me like I had 2 heads. He asked if I wanted raw meat on the side and while I didn't really (I wanted it put in broth at the very last minute), I said sure.
The food comes out fairly quickly like it does in most pho places. Everything looked good on the onset with a nice aroma from the both and a plate of fresh bean sprouts, basil and lime. There wasn't as much meat as I would have normally liked and there wasn't a ton of raw meat on my side plate (but it was nicely thinly sliced). I would have liked the broth to be a bit hotter as it seemed more on the lukewarm side but it was hot enough that when I put the raw meat in, it did start to cook. The key to any pho is the broth - it's got to knock you in the face with herbs and flavors like cinnamon, cardamon, onion, and ginger. This one was close but there was just something that was missing. I can't put my finger on it but it was lacking some kind of herb. The noodles were clumped together a bit which was annoying but that wasn't a deal breaker. I did finish the entire thing, broth and all, so obviously it wasn't that bad but I just know that I've had better pho before.
All in all, the pho wasn't anything close to my favorite place at home, Pho 75, but it is the only Vietnamese place I've noticed within walking distance to my apt, so I would come back in a pinch if I really had a craving. I might try to bahn mi this week since the prices here are very reasonable, but I'm not sure if I'm ready just yet to put this on any regular 'hood rotation. Total price: $12 with tax and tip
Photo credit: Yelp
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