Aniseed

The hunt for pho in Shanghai continues. Considering all the horrendous pho I have been trying here, it is a wonder I could even remember what good pho tastes like, much less looks like. The disasters of Pho Sizzling, Pho 26, Pho Real, and Pho 1 on Taikang Lu (from what I hear) are reason to lose faith enough of pho in Shanghai.


Decided to head over to the Aniseed location in Xintiandi. The reviews on CityWeekend were quite promising. Then again, a lot of the reviews of pho in Shanghai come from people who admittedly say they have never tried the real thing.


The shrimp and mango spring rolls were 28RMB for a small roll cut into four pieces and accompanied by friend shavings of onions and a large lettuce leaf. The mango is not fresh and tastes like jarred mango instead of fresh cut. The condiment vinegar was light, almost too light that you could not even taste it.


Now for the main event - the pho. Out of the variety of pho including different combinations of beef, one chicken, and one mushroom options, I opted for the house pho at 48RMB. This is a little more expensive than the pho at Pho 26. Just like Pho 26, the bowl of rice sticks came with practically no condiments. Are you kidding??? Where is my bunch of basil and other fresh green goodies to throw in my soup? The plate that contained these items just had three leaves, a chopped up chili, and limp sprouts. The broth was a little dark and showed little trace of grease and fat pools on its surface. The flavor, however, did not match the depth of its colored. The pho was light. The rice noodles slightly overcooked, but still lovely. The soup only had 2 meatballs, some tendons, and a few pieces of beef.

All you ever really get in Shanghai is a fix for pho. I give up. I'll just go to Vietnam and remember what the real thing tastes like.

Aniseed. Unit 3, Bldg 1, Lane 181 Taicang Lu, Xintiandi太仓路181弄1号楼3单 Shanghai, China