Street Eats: Is Pho3's Pho Worth RMB 60?
Early summer in Beijing is fabulous but can also be dry and dusty, leaving us in dire need of some soul-replenishing soup. The Vietnamese classic pho fits all the requirements – hot steamy soup, noodles to fill you up, and herbs and meat to add flavor and nutrients.
When we heard of Pho3, at the now settled food court Yu (also known as The Crib), everything was on track given that Vietnamese American Ali Wong says in her standup show Baby Cobra that all authentic pho places are named “pho” followed by some numbers, such as Pho88, Pho24, or Pho2000.
Despite being tucked away on the first floor of Yu, Pho3 is hard to ignore. Their menu fits neatly on one side of an A4 piece of paper and, true to the street food style, they are working with just a few dishes: pho (RMB 60), shrimp and pork rolls (RMB 35), chicken wings (RMB 35), banh mi (RMB 40), and sugarcane prawns. You can choose a bunch of extras to add to your soup, including sirloin, flank steak, beef meatballs, tripe, tendons, rice noodles, and extra vegetables, ranging from RMB 10 to 20 per addition.
We had the signature pho, which comes MSG-free and boiled for over 12 hours. It's served in a heavy, two-layer porcelain container, which towers over the wooden board base, prompting us to fear we would drop it on our feet and embarrass ourselves in public.
The top layer holds bean sprouts, a slice of lime, and basil, while the main event lies in the bowl underneath, which contains the broth, ribbon-like pho, onion, bouncy beef meatballs, and tender slices of imported beef, along with a handful of scallions. Bird's eye chilies, fish sauce, and chili paste are served on the side and added to taste. The broth was a dark color and well flavored with spices, though a little too salty for our liking (if nothing else an excuse to dash to Yu Bar on the second floor to grab a beer).
We have to say that Pho3 delivers on their promise – this is a solid bowl of pho – and while the price is five times that of what you'd pay on the street in Vietnam, we don't blame them for rounding up, because most of the Vietnamese restaurants in Beijing are overpriced.
Unfortunately, one aspect that is letting Pho3 down is their neglect of the menu, even if it is small. During our two visits (at lunch and dinner within two weeks), they had neither the hand-wrapped spring rolls nor bahn mi. We'll just have to keep trying and see if the bahn mi lives up to our old favorite at Rollbox (RIP).
So, in conclusion, the pho is good here, but is it so good as to pay RMB 60, especially when you can knock back lamian for 10 kuai a pop? It's on the edge, but we can imagine coming back here on a chilly, rainy day, right after getting paid, or when those longings for pho can't be relinquished any other way than hopping on a cheap flight to Saigon.
Pho3
Daily 11am-8pm. 1/F, K1-7, The Crib, 1 Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District (8069 8604)
PHO3越南河粉: 朝阳区工体北路1号院育膳房一层K1-7
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Email: tracywang@thebeijinger.com
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Photos: Dianping, Tracy Wang
