How much do you like/dislike pho?

[EliKoehn]

Just had a big bowl of it for lunch, and only have had it twice before in my life. I have to say it was quite good, even if it won't be a go-to food for me. In particular and what I find unique about it, is an interesting blend of simultaneously tasting fresh and light, but also filling and hearty, if that makes any sense. The warm broth and pieces of meat are comforting, but rice noodles, herbs and raw vegetables, and the fact that it's a simple soup (not a stew or something thickened with a roux) keep it from feeling heavy.

On a somewhat related note, how would those of you who eat it often gauge the calorie count? I'm sure it's more than it looks like, since there was visible oil in the broth, and my pieces of meat were deliciously fat-laden: rare morsels beef, briskit slices, tripe and some gnarly/chewy meat that I honestly can't identify.

[TolerantLactose]

I like it enough to pronounce it correctly (not like it's spelled).

[paulinkansas]

Sounds like an album by Smash Mouth.

Pho Que Mang.

[desslok]

I like it, but most of the restaurants around me are somewhat questionable looking. I’ll keep an eye out for the health rating cards, if its missing I walk out.

[lsiberian]

Good Pho is amazing, but I normally find better things on the menu.

[paulinkansas]

I had no pho king idea what pho is. I've also been banned from the only Chinese restaurant in my town. After a Google search I would moderately to especially like it depending on the quality and quantity of meat. I'd need 50 grams of good tasting meat to especially like it. I could make an exception if my server looked like this.

[air2fakie]

It's a comfort food you don't crave daily, but thoroughly enjoy whenever you have it. Calories don't count when it's delivered in a clear broth. Thought you might relate to the sultry video below:

[Omni]

One of my favorite foods to be honest. The Portland area actually has a pretty good Vietnamese scene so there is pho all over. Pho Ga (chicken) is actually a relatively healthy dish if you add some steamed veggies, considering its pretty much rice in noodle form and chicken breast lol.

[ECGordyn]

I had no pho king idea what pho is. I've also been banned from the only Chinese restaurant in my town. After a Google search I would moderately to especially like it depending on the quality and quantity of meat. I'd need 50 grams of good tasting meat to especially like it. I could make an exception if my server looked like this.

She looks more Pacific Islander than Vietnamese. Viet girls have sharper features and gold-yellow skin.

Vietnamese restaurants here in Thailand have something very similar called Guay Diao Nam Jap. It's great for a change, but there are dozens of noodle varieties here. Korea seems to have a varied choice of noodles, mostly ramyun.

Viet food is good, and filling in the right quantities. Try NamNeung if you get the chance. Basically spring rolls with peanut sauce that you make yourself at the table.

[EliKoehn]

Interesting. Seems to be an almost universally popular choice among the locals here.

She looks more Pacific Islander than Vietnamese. Viet girls have sharper features and gold-yellow skin.

Vietnamese restaurants here in Thailand have something very similar called Guay Diao Nam Jap. It's great for a change, but there are dozens of noodle varieties here. Korea seems to have a varied choice of noodles, mostly ramyun.

Viet food is good, and filling in the right quantities. Try NamNeung if you get the chance. Basically spring rolls with peanut sauce that you make yourself at the table.

How do you make it at your table? Do they give you a mortar and pestle?

[Strawng]

Pho Que, Mang!! WoodSmashMouth

& pho is absolutely amazing if you’re in the mood for it, but it has to be from a real legit Viet place or it’s garbage. I love maximizing the spice in mine after a starter of some Viet spring rolls with peanut sauce. HNNNNNG!!!

[Strawng]

How do you make it at your table? Do they give you a mortar and pestle?

LMAO actually all the traditional Viet places give you a huge pile of ingredients and you basically assemble everything at the table.

[desslok]

LMAO actually all the traditional Viet places give you a huge pile of ingredients and you basically assemble everything at the table.

Yeah and if you don’t know what some are you can burn your tongue off. I also like the Mongolian bbq places that have the 15 different kinds of sauces.

[EliKoehn]

LMAO actually all the traditional Viet places give you a huge pile of ingredients and you basically assemble everything at the table.

Oklahoma incidentally has one of the largest Vietnamese populations in America, so I would guess (but wouldn't know for sure) that some of our pho dives are probably pretty authentic. They gave me a plate with bean sprouts, mint leaves and sliced jalapenos, then like a half-gallon bowl with the pho, plus a tray of sauces to mix in. I chose copious amounts of whatever their homemade hot sauce was, which added a lot of flavor but not as much heat as I was expecting.

It really was pretty fricking tasty. I can't vouch for authentic SE Asian cuisine, but can use enough good judgment to discern that at least it wasn't gimmicky or cheap.

[AdamWW]

Pho Que, Mang!! WoodSmashMouth

& pho is absolutely amazing if you’re in the mood for it, but it has to be from a real legit Viet place or it’s garbage. I love maximizing the spice in mine after a starter of some Viet spring rolls with peanut sauce. HNNNNNG!!!

An amazing winter food…

Especially with a side of fresh rolls

[ECGordyn]

How do you make it at your table? Do they give you a mortar and pestle?

It all starts when they bring out a live pig and a sharp knife...

Really, I meant you make the namnueng at the table. The relative pronoun "that" referred back to the object of the imperative verb "try" in the preceding sentence.

https://www.google.com/search?q=nam+...5Bqw9-XODEe8ZM

As Strawng said, it's a big pile of ingredients. The bowl in the center is rice paper squares softening in water. Other things are: fried sausage, chili peppers, garlic, cucumber, unripe banana, mango, lettuce, herb leaves, and peanut sauce. Asians usually eat in groups, and each person has his/her own preference, so they make the rolls themselves according to individual taste.

[azuki84]

as a kid i didn't enjoy it (more likely due to the cilantro/mung bean/basil toppings). But now I enjoy it a lot and will pile on the toppings with a heaping of siracha/hoisin sauce

[paulinkansas]

It all starts when they bring out a live pig and a sharp knife...

I experienced something similar in a Masai village in Kenya and a goat was involved.

It tasted like a goat from a Masai village in Kenya.

[desslok]

I experienced something similar in a Masai village in Kenya and a goat was involved.

It tasted like a goat from a Masai village in Kenya.

Come for the coffee, stay for the goat.

[EliKoehn]

Bumping this thread because I just had another bowl of delicious pho today, and because nobody really answered the question about a calorie estimate. "Google" (or rather, the popular sites it referenced) said something like 500-800 calories for a bowl, and I honestly can't tell how accurate that is. If it's even remotely close, this might be one of the best dishes for a deficit, because it truly is comforting and satisfying.

The big variable seems to be the amount of fat in the broth. 12 fluid oz. or so of rice noodles aren't going to be that many calories, nor are a moderately portioned assortment of meat morsels. The bean sprouts, cilantro, onions and stuff will be virtually nothing. I'm guessing a typical large restaurant bowl is probably something like 1,000 calories or so because how can it be that satisfying and good and fewer than that?

[JoeDelts]

I'm more curious about the sodium than the cals.

[DougyF7]

Everytime I've gone to a Vietnamese restaurant I get lemongrass chicken. I'm not really drawn to the soup looking food for a meal I suppose.

[Omni]

Everytime I've gone to a Vietnamese restaurant I get lemongrass chicken. I'm not really drawn to the soup looking food for a meal I suppose.

This has been my go-to lately as the wife loves pho. I'll usually order chicken vermicelli or a rice plate with chicken.

[DougyF7]

I need to try pho sometime soon...can't knock it til I try it (even though I already knocked it lol).

[Silencespeaks]

Disgusting I would never eat that.

[gbullock32]

I love it, used to have an authentic Pho place 5 minutes from me but they closed; I loved the sea food pho from them. Huge bowl for $9, worth every cent.

[faithbrah]

never tried it, but on another note i'm glad the phorums are back...

[paulinkansas]

I was in a big city over the weekend to watch an NFL game. We went to a Vietnamese restaurant and I ordered the Pho. It had various cuts of meat along with tripe. It smelled like dirty socks. When I sat on the throne the next morning, the bathroom smelled like digested dirty socks.

I'm going to try this place next.

[Omni]

I was in a big city over the weekend to watch an NFL game. We went to a Vietnamese restaurant and I ordered the Pho. It had various cuts of meat along with tripe. It smelled like dirty socks. When I sat on the throne the next morning, the bathroom smelled like digested dirty socks.

I'm going to try this place next.

We have this place near me that's a classic:

[EliKoehn]

I had it again from a new place today that was literally called Pho'Kim.

So is anyone going to take a stab at a ballpark calorie estimation?