Midtown Lunch

Today, Nick from My Inner Fatty is seeking pho in University City.

Now that we’re deeply entrenched in the Fall season, the weather’s getting less pleasant, and the temperatures are dipping. With the depressing nature of the upcoming months, sometimes it can feel like a chore to even bother trekking out to make that daily trip for lunch… unless waiting for you at the other end of that trip was something so deliciously heartwarming and uplifting. Pho does that. When it’s absolutely frigid outside, a hot bowl of sweet beef broth can solve even your greatest of problems. Now all I had to do was find it in University City…

I had heard about Pho Cafe Saigon when I asked a few friends about Vietnamese noodles a few weeks ago. Located on 43rd and Spruce, it’s a bit out of the way, requiring a dedicated trip, but having no other immediate options, I still wanted to try it out personally. The store itself is small and nondescript, with only a simple red awning reading ‘Vietnamese Restaurant,’ hinting at its potential for greatness. Their menu is long and diverse, but let’s be honest… you’d only go here for the main attraction. They list various types of Pho (differing in the cuts of meat used) all ranging in price from $7.25-8, from the relatively innocuous plain beef, to a tripe infested ‘deluxe’ incarnation for the more adventurous eaters in many of you. With virtually no wait time to speak of and excellent prices, this could truly be considered a hidden gem of noodling excellence.

I went with the beef tendon, beef combo. The broth used in all the noodles is exactly the same, rich in beef flavor, but with only a subtle hint of extraneous flavorings. They most likely use the same base stock and continuously add to it so the flavor profile stays consistent. The noodles themselves are extremely thin white rice noodles, slightly chewy, with a certain ‘bounciness’ to it. Difficult to explain, but the texture was excellent… cooked just far enough so that the broth wouldn’t ruin the characteristic qualities. As for the beef, mine came with a huge quantity of gelatinous melt in your mouth tendon, and very very rare beef flank steak, sliced so thin that it would cook in the latent heat of the soup. Both were phenomenal for different reasons. The taste of the flank steak took on the combination of flavors in the broth, whilst the tendon was just a nice contrast in terms of feel. And they should probably chill out on cilantro (and this is coming from someone who loves it).

Is this the best pho I’ve ever had? Probably not. In this area though… it’s the best I have on hand, and given their generosity when it comes to beef… I’ll overlook any shortcomings they might have.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• Great broth, tender cuts of meat, and generally excellent execution of Pho
• Massive quantity when it comes to the amount of meat given
• Divey feel, with no line or wait to deal with

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• Kind of out of the way, unless you’re already over in the area
• If you hate cilantro… steer clear
• Raw meat in soup is unappetizing

Pho Cafe Saigon, 4248 Spruce St (@ 43rd St), 215-222-6800