Oh How I Love Pho
Pho isn’t just a normal ramen bowl that you may see. Pho consists of rich beef broth, with many herbs, meats, and rice noodles in one bowl made out of love. Out of every single meal I love, I always choose Pho. This classic and famous Vietnamese noodle dish soup has made a change to so many different people who love Pho. As a Korean-American, my tastebuds always have been catered towards Korean food, but when I was young, my parents introduced me to Pho, which was life changing. Pho makes your heart feel warm, and with all of these wide range of flavors bursting into your mouth, nothing else can beat the broth and noodles at all.
Pho has many types of meat varieties, from rare-beef, to well done beef, tripe, tendon, fatty brisket, and flank. Not only that, there are herbs included in Pho, such as cilantro, green onion, thai leaf basil, bean sprouts, jalapenos, and lime. The three sauces include garlic chilli sauce, sriracha, and hoisin sauce. All of these meats, herbs, and sauces all make an amazing flavor combination that no one else can compete with. From the meat cooking and simmering in the broth, and the aromas of the herbs blending in, everything just adds a perfect touch of vegetables, meats, and carbs.
A Pho Fanatic’s Ranking of the Best Bowls in Charlottesville
Traditionally, Pho includes all of the meats and herbs into one bowl. Nowadays, customers order customized meats into their noodle soup because of what they like and dislike. Not only that, customers may also not like green onions or cilantro which is why they either substitute it for something different or just ask the server to make it become removed. A lot of people have their likes and dislikes in Pho, which is totally normal. However, most Vietnamese traditions include wide varieties of meats and herbs to make the taste feel balanced and rich.
Personally, I love my combination Pho, which includes all the meats, all the herbs, and all of the vegetables. Typically, people would add sauces into their broth, but for me, I like to taste the clear broth of my soup and experience the amazing flavor profile it has when slurping the broth. As a Pho enthusiast, there are plenty of amazing Pho restaurants to visit in Northern Virginia,especially when Northern Virginia hosted the annual Pho bracket wars. Pho Cyclo by the Mosaic District won the war! I was impressed because back then it used to be Pho 75 in Falls Church. As I stepped inside the restaurant, it was way more modernized rather than being an authentic Pho shop. I was happy with my portion since I always get a large one, and I was satisfied with my soup cravings as well.
Not everyone may like Pho because the flavor made me a little too overloaded or bland. But everyone has their preferences and differences, and as a foodie lover, I recommend so many people to try Pho. I took out my Big from my Kappa Delta Sorority and when she tried Pho for the first time, she was really shocked by how much depth of flavor and versatility there was inside the noodle soup,which is why Pho is so amazing!