Some dont understand the beauty of Pho. ‘Raw meat floating in hot water’ was one comment this week. But some of us take our Pho very seriously, and in times of crisis (like when Melbourne’s winter gets a little tiresome) and when you are doing all you can to avoid Chicken Flu/Pig Flu/Hamthrax, you need to take action. Involving chilli.
Matt Preston agrees with me! And so he should. Yesterday, C and I heeded his advice and travelled almost 50KM to Footscray (or as it’s often pronounced “Footescray” – thanks Franco Cozzo!) to visit this place. Hung Vuong.
As you can see, mine has been chilli-fied. This is necessary to annihalate any cold/flu bugs lurking in the upper respitory and digestive tracts. It also warms you up, cleans out the airways, and gives you that Pho Buzz. The spring rolls were BRILLIANT. Not a drop of grease. Crisp, crunchy, and delicious wrapped in lettuce leaves and dunked in some chilli sauce.
But you need to have some good chopsticks skills… I grew up in Hong Kong, and have mastered the art of transferring slippery rice noodles from bowl to plate. Some others struggle…
There are some important elements in good pho:
The broth. This has to be cooked for a long time, flavoursome, yet not overly salty.
The noodles. Good, fresh rice noodles, or egg if you prefer.
Thinly sliced beef of chicken. With this I am not overly-adventurous, but the beef is a safe bet every time.
The additions: this is according to taste. I submerge several Vietnamese mint leaves into the broth, followed by a healthy handful of beanshoots, and a squeeze of lemon. Then, a few droplets of the Death Chilli, and swish the lot around. The beanshoots stay crunchy in some physics-defying way, but it gives great flavour.
A bowl of pho is satisfying, healing, and really filling.
So my search for GOOD Melbourne Pho continues. If you have a fave, please leave me a comment! I know of a few in Springvale, but am on the lookout for one a little closer in Box Hill perhaps.
Oh and a few hours later, you may find yourself craving a little something… I highly recommend Trampoline gelati
C favours the coffee/choc, I am a fruity fan!
I am steering clear of Landscapes dyes while pregnant, even though I have some SERIOUSLY gorgeous 12ply I want to colour!
