Yes Pho!

Nonnette C. Bennett
Asian food is amazing in its variety of flavors. But pho is a Vietnamese iconic food that is a flavor on its own. What makes this noodle soup dish different is the bone broth, sweet scent ofstar anise, cilantro, basil, and mint scents and flavors that blend into one delightful meal. Yes, please give me pho.
Broth is always the secret of soups. According to Internet sources, this bone broth is boiled for more than six hours to make it rich and savory. The special pho has all the sliced beef ingredients with meatballs as ingredients. The brisket and flank give the right size of fat to the meal and the tendon is a unique addition to this that is not found in other dishes. The regular bowl will be too much for one person, so it is best shared. The fresh herbs and vegetables put the crunch and zest when you chew them together. This has no greasy edges to it. Sriracha sauce and hoisin sauce add excitement to the gastro delight.
The second dish we tried was the cold noodle dish called bun thit nuong. I imagined it to be like stir-fried pancit when the description said it had dry vermicelli noodles but it bore no similarities to pancit at all. These are akin to fine chewy rice noodles. What was surprising was the sweet- sour taste with the fish sauce called nuoc mam sauce that gives a tangy twist to the dish. It was like eating a salad because of the fresh vegetables that accompany the fried egg rolls and shrimps. Of course, cilantro makes this dish Thai, a sprinkle of sesame seeds, crunchy fresh bean sprouts, pickled carrots, and crispy turnips made this dish naturally sweet.
Desserts include ice cream in a baguette sandwich, coco jelly or yogurt. But I am a coffee person so I was curious about the coconut milk with coffee called bac xui. This is coffee brewed through hot water pour over method and drip method. The ground coffee canister filters the thick bitter liquid into a glass cup that has sweetened condensed milk at the bottom. It takes some five minutes for the dripping to stop and you pour the coconut milk into it. I tried to scoop out the thick condensed milk from the bottom with the coffee and the coconut milk and tasted it before mixing it completely.
I was delighted to have a different kind of dessert with this mochaish syrup. I thought that coconut milk would taste different with coffee. I forgot that it is used without sugar in intermittent fasting as a drink between meals. This coffee drink is best sipped slowly and not gulped because of its sweetness.
There are many choices in the Yes Pho menu to explore. I have heard a lot about the French influenced baguette sandwiches called banh mi. They have grilled chicken, pork, tuna, pork meatballs, egg and shrimp sandwiches. There are salads too. I am curious about the pomelo and green mango salads which are seasonal. I have to try the fresh spring roll too that uses rice wrapper stuffed with noodles, vegetables, and a choice of meat.
This simply means that I must say Yes Pho another time soon.