Pho Dac Biet In Bkk Or Cm?

[junki3korean]

hey peeps,

I`m moving to Chiang mai in January.....I have big big fetish for pho.....I love it and eat it on a weekly basis...have you guys seen any pho in BKK or Chiang mai....or know of any good ones to recommend?

Thank you.

Andy.

[junki3korean]

[Groongthep]

Being that Bangkok is so close to Vietnam (relatively speaking) you would think that there would be a lot of pho places here, but oddly enough they are not that common. There are some though, and the best one I've been to recently was a place called Miss Saigon on the 3rd floor of Central World. From the BTS elevated walkway go up the escalator, down the hall and enter the mall just past Moss Burger by the Starbucks. Once in the main atrium make an immediate right and it is about 20 meters or so ahead on the right. The pho is very good.

There is another place called Xuan Mai on Sukhumvit Soi 13. It has only a small yellow sign out front so you'll have to look close to find it. The pho there wasn't bad but wasn't terrific either. The cook is Vietnamese and the wait staff is Thai. The bean sprouts, sweet basil and pak chee that I got with my pho was wilted and looked a day or two old. The fresh spring rolls had some unidentifiable ingredients in them too but they were pretty good even though I wasn't sure what was in them.

Another place is on the food court level of Ma Boon Kong (MBK), not the one actually in the food court (it sucks) but the small stand alone restaurant just up the escalators on the same floor as the ticket booths for the movies. At the top of the escalators go left and it is two or three doors down on the right. The pho was pretty good but not what I was used to. It tasted closer to Thai gwaytiow nam than regular pho. In spite of having a large wait staff the service was painfully slow, and if you don't ask, they will not automatically bring you any sweet basil ( bai horapa) , cilantro (pak chee) or bean sprouts (tua ngok).

Of the three places I mentioned Miss Saigon had by far the best pho and service, but it also had the highest prices. Miss Saigon is a bit on the swanky side while Xuan Mai is small, very casual and maybe a bit of a dive. (in other words it had the best atmosphere as far as I'm concerned) I never got the name of the one in MBK but it's easy to find. I'm sure there are a lot more pho places around Bangkok; these are just the ones I have eaten at in the last year or so. There used to be a very good one on the lower level of the Ploenchit center run by two sisters who I assumed went to university overseas because their English was perfect. Even though the place was always full it went out of business after about a year. If they moved locations and someone knows where they moved to please leave a post telling us where.

Edited November 23, 2008 by Groongthep

[junki3korean]

gop khun mak krub....for such a very detailed response.....i will try out all three as i got alot time on hand.....but miss saigon sounds like the winner.

Once again thank you.

[Groongthep]

gop khun mak krub....for such a very detailed response.....i will try out all three as i got alot time on hand.....but miss saigon sounds like the winner.

Once again thank you.

No problem junki, after you try them out report back and let us know what you think. When it comes to food and restaurants, what one peson likes another may not; I will be interested in what your opinions are.

[mmushr00m]

Junki, tell me how it is.

I am looking for North AMerican style Viet Pho. The kind you get at the Viet restaurants over there.

I have tried some here and it tastes totally different

[Jingthing]

Junki, tell me how it is.

I am looking for North AMerican style Viet Pho. The kind you get at the Viet restaurants over there.

I have tried some here and it tastes totally different

I miss that too. I don't think you will find it in Thailand. Happy to be proven wrong!

I did visit Hanoi once and the Pho was excellent, but a different style. Nothing as good as Hanoi here either.

I wonder why one of the popular Viet chains from the USA doesn't open in Thailand. Maybe its the problem of low quality beef here.

[junki3korean]

not a problem guys....I always try to think of myself as a food critic

As i have only tried pho in Sydney, I would like to see how different taste and style would vary.

I would really like to taste the North American style.....I heard the best pho is in the States.....

Jingthing - I would think BEEF would be the reason as well.......

Edited December 2, 2008 by junki3korean

[Groongthep]

not a problem guys....I always try to think of myself as a food critic

As i have only tried pho in Sydney, I would like to see how different taste and style would vary.

I would really like to taste the North American style.....I heard the best pho is in the States.....

Jingthing - I would think BEEF would be the reason as well.......

I was in Adelaide (staying in Glenelg actually) a few years ago and had some pho at that indoor Asian market close to the downtown area. The pho there was pretty much exactly the same as I get in the States. The pho I've had in Bangkok isn't as good. The pho at Miss Saigon in Central World was the closest (other than the place that used to be in Ploenchit Plaza but closed). The few other pho restaurants I've been to in Bangkok make their pho more similar to Thai guaytiow naam.

Edited December 2, 2008 by Groongthep

[mmushr00m]

Just had the Pho at Gia Hong (long?) at Central World.

It is good, almost like home, NA style Pho.

Only problem the portion was miniscule!!!!!

[junki3korean]

Just had the Pho at Gia Hong (long?) at Central World.

It is good, almost like home, NA style Pho.

Only problem the portion was miniscule!!!!!

mmushroom,

Was the place busy?

Is it just me...but I think Thai people dont like Vietnamese Crusine.....so I don`t see why they open Viet restraunts around BKK??!?

[mmushr00m]

I went around 7:30pm on Saturday and the place was about 75% capacity. I think it wasnt full 'cos it looks hi-so expensive. But the price is reasonable. The Pho cost B90.

It is a really nice place, nice ambience and decor.