Pho 21

★★★★★ on the 9^th of February, 2008

Guide Review - Pho 21 Vietnamese Restaurant in 2443 Bay Area Blvd, Houston, Tx 77058 Ph281-990-8099
I strongly believe that you should eat through them in an orderly fashion, maybe geographically, from China to Malaysia, or simply, from left to right. I like to start at Pho 21 Vietnamese Restaurant for an early lunch of pho or bun bo Hue, and VNese coffee.
Pho is the national dish of Vietnam, a bowl of rice noodles and veggies swimming in delicious beef broth and topped with beef. Don't be put off by raw beef toppings. These thin slices cook up in the hot soup. Pho is a deceptively simple dish. The base is a clear broth packed with aroma. There are many variations, but they all begin with beef and chicken bones, herbs and spices and long hours of simmering. The herbs added to the stock differ according to geographic regions, but in all cases it's the long hours on the stove (eight to 24 hours) that give the stock its concentrated bouquet and depth of flavor. Pho is served in giant bowls with rice noodles, diced spring onion and slices of beef or chicken. In the southern area, it is garnished with bean sprouts, fresh jalapeno, lime wedges and fresh basil leaves, which are served separately. There is another pho that contains a bit of everything steak, brisket, tendon, tripe and beef meatballs
Bun, a.k.a. rice noodle salad, is another classic Vietnamese dish. It's a refreshing salad of thin rice noodles, lettuce, carrot slivers, mint, crushed peanuts, bean sprouts, and fish sauce, topped with grilled pork, fried spring rolls, or other savories. The dipping sauce for the rolls was topped with chopped roasted peanuts, which added a tasty crunch to the cool veggies and shrimp.
Don't neglect the spring rolls. Fried, they are golden and delicious, but even better are the fresh rolls of rice paper wrapped around thin noodles, lettuce, carrots, mint, and shrimp, tofu, or pork. Finish your meal with sweet, intense Vietnamese coffee and many more..
Each table in a pho restaurant contains an assortment of seasonings that can be added to the broth. They include nuoc mam or fish sauce, hoisin sauce and chili paste. Nuoc mam is made from fermented dried fish. In Vietnamese and Thai cuisine, it is the equivalent of salt for a Western cook or soy sauce for the Chinese. With these three seasonings plus a plate of fresh bean sprouts, basil, coriander, jalapeno peppers and lime slices, pho fans can alter the contents of the bowl to suit their individual taste.
The noodle dishes include healthy amounts of their ingredients, skimping on neither quality or quantity. To top it off, try their Vietnamese coffee sweetened with condensed milk.
Vietnam Restaurant is THE best Vietnamese restaurant that I've been to. Taste their vermicelli noodle combos, barbeque platter (good for sharing with friends, and coffee. Won't be disappointed.