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.

Pho Season

Tis the season of pho. It is cold and rainy, suitable to encourage that winter cold to worsen. Another restaurants hits the poorly pho saturated market of Shanghai by the creators of Nova on the DVD street of Dagu Lu. As we sat down, the owner asked if we had been to Nova before (sorry, no). The decor has that nouveau Asian feel with bright green walls and wooden furniture. The upper part of the split-level restaurant has shelves lined with bags of noodles and cans of coconut juice or other exotic fruit.

There is no set menu or special on the opening night of Pho Season. Diners reading about its opening on Smart Shanghai arrive in a steady stream hoping for something remotely authentic including a couple other photographers for the first reviews. Fresh spring rolls with pork and shrimp are 32RMB for two and a standard bowl of pho is 48RMB. There are no variations on their one version of pho.


The spring rolls are actually really nice, tasting fresh and prettily wrapped to feature the three shrimp lined up along the roll. It is kind of disappointing there are only two rolls for how much we were paying for an appetizer. It is part of the experience.


Now for the actual pho. It was presented with two sauces and a small bowl containing half a lime wedge, shoots, basil, and mint (no chilis). The size of the accompaniments is somewhat larger than what is given at other pho establishments. The broth was a little dark and if you look closely at the broth on your spoon, you could see a couple little bits of meat that would theoretically come off bones steeping for hours for broth. The broth tasted somewhat meaty, but more salty than it should. As we think back to the cheap bowls in Saigon, in comparison the broth tastes less fresh and more salted. ::sigh:: However, this is a better bet than the other bowls of pho sampled in Shanghai. The meat was alright, a little tough. There were no meat balls or tendons.

This is still the opening. Whether or not Pho Season will improve or worsen with time is another question...Just like with the other establishments in Shanghai.

Pho Season. 427 Dagu Lu, near Shimen Yi Lu (大沽路427号, 近石门一路). Shanghai, People's Republic of China

Pho In Vietnam

Let us breathe out a sigh of relief as we are once again reminded what real pho tastes like. It is heavenly. Light, but flavorful. Fresh. Comforting. And cheap. Real cheap. That 48RMB pho is a fortune compared to the 20,000VND paid to a street vendor in Saigon.

Oh and that pot of stock was full of lovely bones. And the bits of meat and marrow that that came off the bones are floating delicately in the broth. Whilst sitting on one of those little plastic squat chairs, the woman was scooping out the bones from her giant stock pot. There were a lot of bones. Ladle after ladle came out all these bones. Which sort of bones these are is a mystery.

The rice sticks are already softened and set aside in a bowl, which portions are pulled from and put in a sieve and dipped into the broth. The same treatment is given to the meat. Chopped spring onions and parsley are sprinkled on top. With the bowl of pho, you are given a giant basket of basil, lemon grass, bean sprouts, a saucer of chilis, and a saucer of quartered limes (this is not as available in Hanoi as in Saigon). In Hanoi, sometimes sticks of fried dough are offered to accompany the pho. The differences between pho in the north and the south are yet to be further distinguished.

Definitely beats anything in Shanghai. Ruining the memory of amazing pho by continuing to attempt to find a version of it in Shanghai should be avoided. Just like all the bad Mexican food.

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

Pho Real Revisted

When stomachs craved something comforting, we decided to go back to Pho Real and check out the other options on the set lunch menu listed on the first visit. New and somewhat unpleasant surprises greeted us on a return lunch.

The set lunch menu prices changed from 38RMB to 48RMB and 58RMB for the “small” and “big” lunch sets, respectively. I can only imagine what changes were made to the dinner menu. There was not much difference between the cold ban with house specialty house chicken or pork with the third listing on the menu, which was basically the same without the option of choosing pork (just chicken) and lacking pickled vegetables. I checked out the dish from the guy sitting next to me and it looked quite plain, so I opted for the pho again. All this menu told me was that you were getting 10RMB more worth of rice noodles with the big lunch set.

Out come the fried spring rolls on a small bed of thin rice noodles atop a large lettuce leaf next to the bite-sized tofu bun and pho fixings. The spring rolls were less satisfying this time around. The wrapper was thicker and the filling had less carrots and more “filler.” It also was significantly oilier and you could see the oil drip onto your plate after the first bite.


The pho came out in small and big bowls, with the contents of the smaller bowl looking more impressive only because the meaty bits were not drowned by excess noodles. There was raw beef, but no tendons. The broth this time was oilier and more bland, lacking the much needed rich, but light depth found in a good broth.


I had great hope for Pho Real. At the opening, the restaurant had the potential to go in the direction toward a legit Vietnamese pho with its set lunch menu. However, the food has turned in the direction of Pho Sizzling, appealing towards the market palate instead of upholding its promise of authenticity.

Phở Real. No. 166 Fumin Lu, near Julu Lu 富民路166号，近巨鹿路 Shanghai, People's Republic of China.

Pho Real

The hunt for the ellusive phở in Shanghai continues past all mentions of other Vietnamese restaurants serving phở that ended up to be quite poor, bringing us to Phở Real. Online recommendations say that this place has good phở. Phở real?!?!?! (Apologies for the pun) Real phở? Maybe decent phở. ::sigh::

"There are several regional variants of phở in Vietnam, particularly divided between northern (Hanoi, called phở bắc or "northern phở"; or phở Hà Nội), central (Huế), and southern (Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon). One regional phở may be sweeter, and another variation may emphasize a bolder and spicier flavor . "Northern phở" tends to use somewhat wider noodles and green onions. On the other hand, southern Vietnamese generally use thinner noodles (approximately the width of pad Thai or linguine noodles), and add bean sprouts and a greater variety of fresh herbs to their phở instead." (Source) The noodles are called bánh phở, traditionally cut from wide sheets of fresh noodles, though rice sticks may also be used. Thinner rice noodles are better for soups. Quite a range to choose from.

The restaurant is open with its clean decor, ceiling covered in baskets, sky blue table tops, and emphasis on wood. The fresh environment could reflect the impression pho should have on its consumer. Running close to the end of the lunch hour, a quick call to ensure they expect our arrival proved fruitful. Yay! Here we go again. Hopefully, this experience will wash away the utter disappointment brought by Pho Sizzling.


The spring rolls came out with the soup accompaniments of fresh red chilis, Asian basil, bean sprouts, and lime. The spring rolls were fried and contained some meat and a lot of carrots to give it a nice crunch. Two dipping sauces also accompanied the dish: a rice vinegar and a sort of sweet fermented fish sauce. This appetizer was just filler until the main event. Where is that phở?


The bowl finally came out, decent sized and looked promising. The broth was aromatic and looked a tad dark, though indicating more flavor (by appearance) and smelling richer from the bones. Spring onion, cilantro, flank, and steak were also floating in the bowl. The meat was cut a hair too thick. Again, the noodles looked wrong being still wide. In any case, this was a big improvement from the noodle soup attempting to pass as "phở" consumed a few weeks ago. All the accompaniments were thrown in and ::ahh:: a wave of familiarity washed over me. I found my phở fix, the operative word being "fix" as in if-I-want-phở-and-cannot-find-the-real-thing-I-will-come-here. In the event that my stomach is unwell or I need a phở fix, I would definitely trek to Phở Real.


The lunch special is a set meal 38RMB per person and includes 2 spring rolls, a bowl of pho (or two other entrees which were of no interest at the time), and a soda or iced tea. It's not your beloved street or cheap as chips phở at 38RMB. Lunch lasts until about 2:00pm until they reopen for dinner. The set meal for dinner is the same as lunch, but they want to get about 88RMB from you. Ridiculous! Go for lunch and save your wallet.

Phở Real. No. 166 Fumin Lu, near Julu Lu 富民路166号，近巨鹿路 Shanghai, People's Republic of China.

Pho Sizzling

Being located so close to Vietnam, you would assume that a decent bowl of pho could be found on mainland China and even more so in the international capital of Shanghai. Assume must be the operative word here. Vietnam is so close. Why isn't there a place to get pho? It is so easy to find a killer place in Europe and the States!

A nauseated stomach calls for something comforting and the most comforting thing ever is a hot bowl of pho with its fresh bits of basil, light rice noodles, heat from fresh chilies, and thin slices of meat all floating in a savory broth. A good bowl of pho is a naturally medicinal cure. The psychology that goes along with it doesn't hurt either.

So we arrive at Pho Sizzling on Nanjing Xi Lu, right next to the metro stop. The restaurant is full of people, which is quite promising among the myths that no good pho exists in Shanghai. Lots of people is a good sign. Strangely, we were served by a laowai server. What is a laowai doing as a server? That is extremely rare to see. Perhaps he is the owner? Just a bowl of pho with beef, please.

While waiting, there were not many bowls nearby to peer at and see exactly what we were getting into. There were a couple flatscreen televisions with “instructions” on how to eat a bowl of pho. First, sprinkle the bowl soup with dried onions. Second, add the orange sauce to the soup. WHAT? The service was slow and it took longer than it should to receive the order. And I was nervous.

Oh…The disappointment. The server didn’t even bring us the standard fare of limes, basil, bean sprouts, and peppers. The noodles were wrong. Flat and thick and not thin. The broth was completely tasteless and it was as if the cook threw in lemon grass in an attempt to redeem any flavor from the broth. Even the meat lost its value. This pho was just wrong. It was not pho. It is even more tempting to blame the laowai for destroying the idea of pho. And what are all these people doing crowded in this restaurant full of pho gone terribly wrong? What a bust.

The search for a satisfying bowl of pho continues in Shanghai.

Pho Sizzling. 2/F, 200 Wujiang Lu. Shanghai, China. (Jing An, near Taixing Lu, Metro Line 2 Nanjing Xi Lu Exit 3)