Ah, Vietnamese Noodle Soup... The chewy rice noodles, the elegantly spiced beef broth, the savory green onions floating betwixt thin slices of flank steak, juicy red round, and honeycomb tripe... Is there anything finer? In my experience, not much compares to a hot, aromatic bowl of Phở Noodle Soup and if you ever eat with friends, you will notice everyone has their own "Phở rituals" regarding how they eat it. Phở is a cultural staple here in Portland and of the nearly 100 places to find it, Sandy Avenue's "Phở Vinh" tops our charts.
The last time I went to Phở Vinh, I got the unbelievable chance to take someone to eat their VERY FIRST BOWL of Phở. The experience was perfect for the blog, given that we all had a lot of taste-notes to share as we gobbled down the Northern Vietnamese treat. At first we laughed about each other's Phở rituals. Mine being the very specific placement of my tea, the half gram of sugar I take with it, the specific appetizers I prefer, where I place my veggies, how I lay the whole basil branch into the soup, and how I like my Phở pure, but with a side dish of Sriracha Hot Sauce for dipping the toppings. As the soup came out, it was interesting to watch a first timer IMMEDIATELY explore preference and have all the tools she needed to facilitate her particular tastes.
As most know, the Phở profile is a delicately nuanced, beef broth-centered experience made up of flavors like clove, star anise, cinnemon, cilantro, garlic, and ginger. The broth is 60% of the overall Phở experience, the remaining 40% relies on portion and freshness. Phở Vinh lands these criterion beautifully, offering an extraordinarily balanced broth as it's core quality. At first, I hang my head over my bowl of (P7) and just breathe in the beauty... The hard-earned bone broth carries the almost chai-tea-esque spice mixture upward like a bonfire, licking upward at my face. I see the plentiful, nearly raw round steak slowly changing color from ruby red to pale brown. My bowl is cooking before my senses. I lift some of the beef up to place my bean sprouts beneath it and see the noodles, balled up and cozy, ready for annihilation. This is Phởking awesome.
I look to my guest, who started the meal struggling with chopsticks, and she is full on DIVING INTO her bowl, no assistance needed. The Phở has spoken, she is hooked. I slurp the tender rice noodles in between spoonfulls of broth, a pick or two of beef, and a swirl of my additives (today being just a squeeze of lime and some Thai basil). I have been to MANY Phở places in my time. Some offer too little noodles, a skimpy portion of meat, or even wilted sprouts (which smell like complete ass btw)... Not Phở Vinh. Their quality never ceases to amaze me and their portions are the source of my after-soup "itis" for the walk home. They are small staffed and friendly, the woman who makes this delightful meal BRINGS YOU YOUR BOWL herself, the soup stands on it's own. It will be hard to compete with Phở Vinh for Noodle Time PDX's top slot...
Rating
Broth: 10/10
Noodles: 9/10
Meat: 10/10
Veggies: 10/10
The last time I went to Phở Vinh, I got the unbelievable chance to take someone to eat their VERY FIRST BOWL of Phở. The experience was perfect for the blog, given that we all had a lot of taste-notes to share as we gobbled down the Northern Vietnamese treat. At first we laughed about each other's Phở rituals. Mine being the very specific placement of my tea, the half gram of sugar I take with it, the specific appetizers I prefer, where I place my veggies, how I lay the whole basil branch into the soup, and how I like my Phở pure, but with a side dish of Sriracha Hot Sauce for dipping the toppings. As the soup came out, it was interesting to watch a first timer IMMEDIATELY explore preference and have all the tools she needed to facilitate her particular tastes.
As most know, the Phở profile is a delicately nuanced, beef broth-centered experience made up of flavors like clove, star anise, cinnemon, cilantro, garlic, and ginger. The broth is 60% of the overall Phở experience, the remaining 40% relies on portion and freshness. Phở Vinh lands these criterion beautifully, offering an extraordinarily balanced broth as it's core quality. At first, I hang my head over my bowl of (P7) and just breathe in the beauty... The hard-earned bone broth carries the almost chai-tea-esque spice mixture upward like a bonfire, licking upward at my face. I see the plentiful, nearly raw round steak slowly changing color from ruby red to pale brown. My bowl is cooking before my senses. I lift some of the beef up to place my bean sprouts beneath it and see the noodles, balled up and cozy, ready for annihilation. This is Phởking awesome.
I look to my guest, who started the meal struggling with chopsticks, and she is full on DIVING INTO her bowl, no assistance needed. The Phở has spoken, she is hooked. I slurp the tender rice noodles in between spoonfulls of broth, a pick or two of beef, and a swirl of my additives (today being just a squeeze of lime and some Thai basil). I have been to MANY Phở places in my time. Some offer too little noodles, a skimpy portion of meat, or even wilted sprouts (which smell like complete ass btw)... Not Phở Vinh. Their quality never ceases to amaze me and their portions are the source of my after-soup "itis" for the walk home. They are small staffed and friendly, the woman who makes this delightful meal BRINGS YOU YOUR BOWL herself, the soup stands on it's own. It will be hard to compete with Phở Vinh for Noodle Time PDX's top slot...
Rating
Broth: 10/10
Noodles: 9/10
Meat: 10/10
Veggies: 10/10
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