There’s not yet a study to back it up, but I’m convinced there’s a strong correlation between cold, rainy weather and cravings for pho.
There’s just something about the traditional Vietnamese soup on a cold day — the nourishing, aromatic broth; the comfort of a warm noodle-soup; the reassuring familiarity of something simple yet incredibly satisfying. It’s a medically unproven cure for many ailments (including the common cold, hangovers and loneliness).
Pho (pronounced “fuh”) starts with a base of broth, made over several hours from bones of meat — typically beef, but sometimes chicken. It’s served with different cuts of meat, long, thin rice noodles and spices and herbs. Meat added after the soup typically includes steak, brisket, tripe, tendon, meatballs, oxtail and chicken as well as seafood. Some restaurants have vegetarian options.
The soup comes with toppings like sliced white onion, green onion and cilantro. Traditional pho garnishes, always served on the side for the diner to customize to his or her liking, include bean sprouts, sprigs of Thai basil, jalapeno slices and lime wedges. Garnishes wield the most flavor impact when ripped up and sprinkled throughout, rather than added in whole. Bowls can be jazzed up further with condiments like fish sauce, Siracha and hoisin, which can always be found at a Vietnamese restaurant table. Pho purists warn against over-saucing; instead, dip just your protein in a side dish of your preferred sauce, then mix in your mouth with noodles and both.
In Vietnam, pho is a staple meal at any time of the day — breakfast, lunch or dinner.
The Midpeninsula, located in the pho desert north of San Jose (home to the largest Vietnamese population in the nation), is admittedly not well known for pho. But a closer look at the Vietnamese restaurants in the area turns up some competitive options that make it well worth dining on the Peninsula.
Best in town: Hometown Noodle, Redwood City
Redwood City is best known for its taquerias, but it’s also home to a handful of Vietnamese restaurants. Top of your list should be Hometown Noodle, a hidden gem sandwiched between a beauty salon and shoe store on Middlefield Road in the North Fair Oaks neighborhood. It doesn’t look like much from the outside (ignore the bars on the windows and giant food photos), but its kitchen is turning out some of the best pho on the MidPeninsula. Owner Jenny Ha Nguyen said they cook their broth from beef bones over 10 hours with ginger and yellow onion, controlling the temperature carefully to ensure a consistent product. When it’s ready to be served, the cooks drain all the liquid and add to a separate bowl with the noodles and already cooked meat. The pho tai chin with flank steak and slices of brisket is aromatic and flavorful.
For an authentic Vietnamese experience, ask for a side order of soup fat — the leftovers from what is drained before serving. Nguyen said in more than a decade of business at Hometown, only Vietnamese customers have ever asked for it.
Other local restaurants’ pho ga (pronounced “yeah”), or chicken pho, pale in comparison to Hometown’s, which comes packed with juicy, shredded chicken breast. Maybe it’s so good because it’s still made with the same beef-bone broth; Nguyen said they ditched a chicken-only broth some years ago after customers started asking for the beef broth.
Bowls come in three sizes: small ($7.95), medium ($8.95) and large ($9.95). The small is enough for a satisfying lunch. Like most pho joints, service at Hometown is quick with no frills. There are numerous meat combinations, and while Nguyen said it’s not quite create-your-own-bowl, customers can always ask for whatever mix of proteins they prefer.
3151 Middlefield Road, Redwood City; hometownnoodle.com. Open daily, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Bargain meal: Pho to Chau, Mountain View
Get your pho fill at lunch for only $6.70 at Pho to Chau in downtown Mountain View. The restaurant, clean, quiet and friendly, is located on Villa Street, about a block removed from the weekday hubbub of Castro Street. Pho to Chau recently changed ownership and, diners say, its soup improved significantly. There are more than 20 meat combinations on the menu, from rare steak (served on the side and dropped into the hot soup at the table to cook) to brisket and meatballs. There are also seafood options (shrimp, tilapia, calamari and salmon). Pho to Chau’s pho ga comes with thin and pliant noodles and quality broth, but the sliced white chicken meat was not as moist and fresh as other restaurants.
If you’re feeling adventurous, opt for the tai gan, which comes with thick, flavorful chunks of beef tendon and paper-thin slices of brisket. Pro tip: Can’t stay for lunch? Pho to Chau’s bowls also travel well via takeout containers. Just make sure you have your own Siracha on hand at home. A small goes for $6.70 (and is plenty for a full meal, though not available for takeout), medium for $8.95 and large for $9.95. Each size has the same amount of meat, according to the menu.
853 Villa St., Mountain View; photochau.net. Open Monday-Thursday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to midnight.
Crowd favorite: Pho Vi Hoa, Los Altos
This longtime Vietnamese restaurant on El Camino Real attracts big crowds, and despite the massive dining room, there’s usually a line out the door for weekday lunch. Show up before noon to snag a spot if you don’t want to wait for a table. Pho Vi Hoa is one of several business at the Village Court shopping center in Los Altos; if there’s a wait, head into Teaspoon for a refreshing milk tea or peruse the meat options at Dittmer’s Gourmet Meat & Wurst-Haus.
The pho tai chin with an eye of round steak and lean brisket has rich, deep flavors; the pho ga doesn’t disappoint either, with heaping portions of al-dente noodles and shredded chicken. Pho Via Hoa also distinguished itself by serving the traditional garnish suitable for chicken pho: cilantro. Their soup, however, left me feeling dehydrated for several hours — like my veins were running with sodium rather than blood. My Vietnamese-American dining companion wondered whether the size of the restaurant, much larger than many others in the area, means compromised quality (and too much salt) when it comes to the broth. Pho Via Hoa offers two sizes of bowls, small ($9.50) and large ($10.50).
4546 El Camino Real, A12, Los Altos; phovihoa.com. Open daily, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Upscale bowl: Tamarine, Palo Alto
Those seeking a higher-end bowl of pho with a full-service dining experience could opt for Tamarine in downtown Palo Alto. Tamarine’s pho is made from a ginger-beef broth, served with noodles and slices of Kobe beef blanched with star anise and cinnamon ($15). For a less-traditional take, minus the broth, there’s also the wok-flashed rice noodles tossed with Chinese broccoli, flank steak, eggs and soy sauce ($17).
546 University Ave., Palo Alto; tamarinerestaurant.com. Open for lunch, Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and dinner, Monday-Thursday, 5:30-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday, 5-10 p.m. and Sunday, 5-9 p.m.
Staff Writer Elena Kadvany can be emailed at ekadvany@paweekly.com.
