Pho Deluxe at Pho 88

Yet another pho restaurant has hit the Shanghai scene. Still having hope for pho in Shanghai, I had to try it. The reviews on CityWeekend seemed promising, though have apparently been taken down due to review spamming when I checked the link whilst writing today. Anyway, I went to Pho 88 on a weekday during lunch. Pho 88 is located right above Tanya Mantabei in its former second floor space. Upon entering during peak lunch hours, the restaurant was completely empty and not one other patron came into the restaurant during my leisurely stay.

I went for the Pho Deluxe Course, suitable for one person, which is one bowl of pho dac biet and cha gio or one house special pho with rare steak, tripe, well-done flank, brisket, tendon, and beef meatballs plus one deep-fried spring roll for 48RMB. Or, for basically 10RMB more, you get a single fried spring roll, which came with a weak serving of greens to add to the pho. Off the menu, simpler versions of pho with a smaller meat variety go for 29RMB.

The first taste of the broth showed promise. The flavor was rich and not oily or salty, but something was missing. The broth could have benefitted from a few more hours of stewing or adding more or better quality bones to enhance the depth of its flavor. Too bad there were not more typical leafy greens to throw in the soup to try to compesate for its flavor short-comings. The noodles were not overcooked and were pentiful. There was also a good amount of meat in the large bowl, probably from all the variety it is supposed to have. Though, the quality of the meat was average, though the rare steak was the only decent piece in the bowl. The meatballs were flavorless and reminiscent of a frozen, store-bought variety.

Pho 88 should benefit better from putting more effort into its broth and quality of meat than marketing tactics reeking of review pumping.


Pho 88. 2nd Floor, 581 Fuxing Zhong Lu (by Ruijin Yi Lu), Shanghai, China

B Real Banh Mi

Still in its soft-opening stage (so the sign says on the window) since November 2010, B Real is the Vietnamese sandwich sister shop to Pho Real across the street. Pho Real has already disappointed not once, but twice, but perhaps will still tempt a visit later in the year. In any case, B Real promises authentic Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches in a stylish and casual shop. Banh mi is commonly made with pickled sliced carrots, cucumber, cilantro, hot peppers, mayonnaise, pate, and meat all placed in a crusty, French-style baguette.

The B Real location is small, brightly lit, and clean from the light-colored wood and white paint. The walls are lined with mini-polaroid photos, Vietnamese coffee, and cans of condensed milk. There are bars and stools to eat at, though B Real also does take away.

There banh mi options are limited to grilled pork, grilled chicken, or combination meat. With the soft opening discount, the combination option is 36RMB (at a 20% discount), which is well-priced for a sandwich, especially in the French Concession. The person at the counter continually asked if I wanted a drink to go with the meal each time I changed my order. This happened about four times and the answer was always, "no." From the drink refrigerator, it looked like the options extended further than Coca-Cola to sodas made with lychee or guava.


The sandwich came out accompanied by a salad with thinly sliced vegetables doused in a mayonnaise dressing. The pickled vegetables gave the salad a bite, but otherwise was not very interesting. Before consuming the banh mi, B Real offers three signature house-made sauces that may be added to the sandwich: B1) Vietnamese Lime Honey Mayonnaise, B2) Vietnamese Garlic Sriracha Mayo, and B3) Home-made Passion fruit Hoisin Sauce. Out of the three, B2 was selected. The sandwich was served with a garnishing of cilantro and chopped red chilis as well as heavily seasoned prawn crackers. From the looks of the sandwich, the "combination meat" was more grilled pork with a few slices of ham. There was also a thin layer of pate, mayonnaise, pickled vegetables, and lettuce. The baguette was warm, crusty, and not hard. It looked good, but was lacking balance in its flavors. The pork was marinated and brought a sweet touch to the sandwich, but was not balanced out by the saltiness of the pate (or lack thereof). The pickled vegetables brought a nice acidity and fresh crunch, though the sandwich could have used a little more. Even with the chilis, there could have been more heat. Basically, the banh mi was primarily meat and bread and could have done with a tad more vegetable.


After the soft-opening period, B Real could be visited again as it works out the quirks in its sandwiches. Now, if only the 20% discount was available after its soft opening would B Real be a hot lunch spot.

B Real. 185 Fumin Lu (by Changle Lu), 富民路185号(近长乐路), Shanghai, People's Republic of China.

Ibu Oka Babi Guling

Java chooses beef, but in Bali, pork reigns. Babi guling or suckling pig is the ultimate Balinese dish that made Warung Ibu Oka Babi Guling famous, now a site of foodie pilgrimage in Ubud (at least the Chowhounders or other tourists claim so and the push from Anthony Bourdain does not hurt either). The slow-cook spit-roasting process results in tender meat and crispy skin. This quest for babi guling was another solo mission backed by determination to taste luscious pork.

I sat down at a table with two other small parties finishing their meals. I opted for the Babi Guling Special plate at 30,000Rp and an iced tea with no sugar. The menu centers around all that can be created from the roasted pig, particularly the skins and meat. There was another set plate at 50,000Rp that came with soup and the babi guling came out on a heaping portion on a plate separate from the rice, but it looked too filling. The Babi Guling Special was served in one plate. The base is rice, fried pork skin, roasted pork skin, pork meat, a sort of chunky, spiced vegetable sauce or marinade on top of the meat, and a special salad with a sour and bitter hint. Basically, the plate had the best of everything that comes from the roasted suckling pork. For every bite, I tried to create the "perfect" bite by adding a little bit of each thing on the plate to my spoon. The pork was very tender and savory. The pork skins were also extremely crispy and carried a nice flavor from the roasting. The special salad that came with the dish balanced out the flavors and the iced tea finished each bite nicely.

At the time of visiting, there were two locations of Ibu Oka, but the one closest to the center of Ubud was closed, probably due to the royal wedding that was taking place across the street. This location was about 150 meters farther north and in a traditional compound setting. Passing the entrance, there was a truck with three pigs in the back ready for butchering in the open kitchen (with an open sink nearby for washing hands). Diners sat at tables around the compound with strangers and friends. The atmosphere was familial and communal, perfect for this Balinese dining experience.

Ibu Oka Babi Guling, Jalan Suweta (just north of the Jl Raya Ubud-Jl Suweta-Monkey Forest Rd crossroads). Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

Eggs Benedict at Osteria

After reading this article on eggs benedict on CityWeekend, I decided I must brunch at Osteria (another Vargas venture) to try their version of eggs benedict, available only during weekend brunch. It was also the cheaper option of the three. Since Greg Gilvison had me try his version of eggs benedict at Kabb, I have acquired a taste for those runny yolks.

For 58rmb, you can order the eggs benedict a la carte. The two poached eggs can come with either salmon, prosciutto (Osteria is Italian), or spinach (eggs florentine). The servers let you mix and match so I elected for the salmon and the spinach.


The plate came out looking impressive. Along with the eggs sitting on Italian bread, there was a small rocket salad with a few grape tomatoes and grilled potatoes. The eggs benedict were generously doused in a rich, creamy, deep yellow hollandaise sauce and sprinkled with freshly cracked black pepper and sea salt. The hollandaise sauce was just tangy enough from the lemon juice, but the citrus presence was not over-powering. The bread was already absorbing the bulk of the sauce. Peeking under the eggs, the salmon is cooked all the way through and still moist.

Cracking into the eggs, it was incredibly disappointing to find that the yolks were cooked all the way through and not gooey or oozing in anyway. Perhaps this was a good sign considering the bread was hitting its maximum absorption point from the hollandaise sauce and the slight fact that the eggs may not have been drained thoroughly enough. Otherwise, the bread would have turned into a semi-solid mushy mass. In any case, seeing that the yolks were cooked to a solid state decreased the excitement of the meal. The salmon not only did look moist, but indeed was and had a buttery smoked flavor. The spinach could have had a larger presence in the dish so each bite could be an even combination of egg, hollandaise sauce, bread and spinach. However, the portion of salmon was generous to go around. A few of the potatoes got hit by the hollandaise sauce, but were tough on the outside, which made each bite unsatisfyingly chewy.

Do classic eggs benedict have runny or solid egg yolks? My experience has seen more of the first than the latter. This should be confirmed...

I am not sure if I will go back to Osteria for their eggs benedict - though the hollandaise was nice - but I should try the oyster Tuesday special.

Osteria. 226 Jinxian Lu, near Shaanxi Nan Lu 进贤路226号, 近陕西南路. Shanghai, People's Republic of China

Trattoria La Scogliera

Traveling solo should not restrict your choices of having a nice meal in any destination. Eating alone does not mean you are lonely and certainly does not mean you should deprive yourself of an opportunity for good food.

Near the marina of Manarola, the main street is lined with little restaurants and bars to entice the hikers looking for a rest or a good meal when the small town is on the brink of shutting down completely. One of these is Tratorria La Scogliera Cucina Tipica, which was attractive because of the relatively larger number of people dining inside (estimated 6 people total) compared to the other trattorias and ristorantes. Not wanting anything big and staying mindful of a budget, at the advice of the server the linguine batti batti was ordered followed by tiramisu, a house specialty. The whole meal definitely did not break the bank.


Having no idea what "batti batti" meant, the pasta dish was more of a surprise upon its quick arrival. The plate revealed that "batti batti" is the slipper lobster local to the coasts of La Spezia. It is smaller and requires a bit of work more than a knife and fork to handle. This is a task for the hands, which hopefully no one found offensive in this fine establishment because fingers are the best way to get to all the meaty tidbits to mix into the rest of the linguine with a lightly herbed sauce made with fresh tomatoes. By this point, the trattoria started filling up with couples ordering antipasti, primero, segundo, and dolce courses. It was difficult to imagine all these couples trying to be romantic in the even more romantic Cinque Terre with all this food between them. The portions were quite large, so a couple consuming each course individually was daunting, especially for a European stomach. Maybe the portions were more suitable to an American stomach. Sharing would be a better option to avoid feeling like a beached whale. Anyway, the linguine dish tasted of the sea and the man and woman helping everyone seemed quite giddy about presenting their fare.


To conclude the meal that went from light to the verge of too filling, was the lovely sweet tiramisu to complement the savory of the linguine batti batti. The lady fingers were lightly drenched in strong espresso with incredibly light marscapone whipped to new heights. Each bite practically dissolved in your mouth. This was no dessert to weigh you down at the end of the night, even consuming the entire portion alone.

For a first experience at a fine establishment for a table of one, this was really good and quite positive. Local food with local ingredients make one tasty bite.

Trattoria La Scogliera - Cucina Tipica. Via Renato Birolli 168, 19017 Manarola, La Spezia, Italia.

Reason to Eat

A long morning of browsing the extensive shops and stalls at Camden Market calls for an immediate energy booster that will not weigh you down. What you need is Reason to Eat. Located a short walk down from the busier end of Camden High Street, the cafe offers a haven to collect your thoughts and review your purchases. It is basically a cafe offering the usual espresso selections and sandwiches, salads, soup and a few thoughtful baked goods.

The selection is simple, but incredibly fresh and made to order. The people working the counter were extremely helpful and eager to assist, offering an ease in the mindset of indecision. In addition to the specialty salads and sandwiches, you can also elect to design your own salad or sandwich for an incredibly cheap price (£3.75 and £2.75, respectively, at time of visit). The first visit called for the Classic Spinach Salad of baby spinach, wild mushrooms, chopped egg, bacon bits, tossed in mustard vinaigrette and accompanied by a big piece of fresh bread. The salad was prepared in a large tossing bowl right before your eyes scooping up generous portions from the protected case of salad fixings. It was tempting to order one of the cookies or bars, which would totally offset the purpose of ordering a delicious salad in the first place.


The dining area in the back was quiet with softly playing music, perfect to relax and enjoy the meal. The salad portion was quite large and extremely satisfying that the baguette that came with the salad was almost unnecessary. This place could easily turn into your daily lunch and breakfast spot with its cheap prices and healthy selection. Reason to Eat is a great offshoot to the increasingly growing trend toward health conscious eating in London.

Reason to Eat. 104 Candon High Street, London, NW1 OLU. www.reasontoeat.com