Pho better or Pho worse?

This entry is not a review as I haven't had any Pho of late but I thought it worthy of mention and I would classify this under the category of "rant".

I was out with my family tonight and a couple came into the Korean restaurant we were at asking for Phó. Or as they pronounced it. "FO". At first I thought they were asking for ingredients to make it as she was describing it as a beef noodle soup to the waitress. I thought this was odd but maybe they saw the raw cuts of meat offered in the Buffett and just did t know where else to go but this couple seemed genuinely disappointed and incredulous that no Phó was offered on the menu and abruptly walked out after thoroughly going through the menu and not finding what they wanted.

I have mixed emotions regarding this particular matter and also my feelings on a whole about Australian culture and perceptions of race and what not and I will try to express some of them now. I am probably almost 100% sure that this couple saw the look of incredulity/horror/disgust on my face as they asked this kind waitress for, as they put it, "FO" but I have to say that I was/am highly offended at their ignorance but at some level I am also impressed that they would ask for my most sacred of meals. I am also saddened that these people would not know the obvious (well it's obvious to me) that Phó is not Korean in origin and that, that is not how you pronounce Phó! Mother Phóckers...
         
Foods come into popularity I understand and Phó and Vietnamese food in general is having it's time in the spotlight with Luke (not his real name) Nguyen and his SBS cooking shows where you learn nothing and see nothing but him showing off and drawing tenuous links to Vietnamese food and also a myriad of new restaurants and take away chains opening up and exploiting the cuisine of Vietnam with their White friendly names such as Saigon Sally, Miss Chu, Hanoi Hannah and (the pinnacle of offence to myself) Roll'd. With their downright offensive menu name of Uncle Pho and their over                 inflated prices for their pathetic offerings. Roll'd to me is akin to the La Porchetta or worse yet, Fasta   Pasta but with Florentino's prices.

Everyone has a right to make money and it's only as expensive as what you are willing to pay but these places I believe are destroying the heart and soul of a food and culture I grew up on. These restaurants aren't educating people on the cuisine and culture behind the foods they are just trying to make a quick buck. Vietnamese food ten years ago was like FUBU. It was made for the people that understood it and loved it and it didn't make any apologies or any considerations other than an English menu and a waitress/waiter that was kind enough to ask you what number?

I have clear memories of a Vietnamese restaurant opening in Glen Waverley 7 years ago that was run by Chinese and to be a smart arse, I ordered in Vietnamese. I was greeted in response with a blank stare. I can happily say that that restaurant is no longer open but at the time I was under the impression and firm belief that good Vietnamese food is made by Vietnamese people. It was also at the  time, unheard of to have a Vietnamese restaurant in Melbourne not run by Vietnamese  Australians. This however, is not the case now BUT thankfully with the additions of such places as Roll'd I can safely say that my assertion still holds true. Booyah!

So back to my point as I feel I have digressed somewhat. It's great that Vietnamese food and more importantly Phó is more popular but I am also saddened by this fact as I feel that as a result it will be watered down. I don't see Roll'd offering tripe and tendon in their Uncle Pho so I fear that it has already begun. I don't think that Vietnamese food needs to pander to a foreign palate. The food has done so well for the last 30 years or so without having to adjust or modify the flavours and tastes or even come up with gimmicky names to sell the foods and nor should it. One would only come up with cheesey names if they were selling subpar products at overinflated prices. Also, people should learn to respect the foods they eat and take some time to learn the history of it and where it comes from and more importantly how to pronounce it!

Real (not some gimmicky named moPho) Vietnamese food that we see in Melbourne comes from  Vietnamese people such as my parents. People that grew up during a time of war where food was scarce so they made do with what was available and made it delicious with skills and techniques passed down to them. People that had to flee their country not because they wanted to but because they needed to in order to live. The restaurants that were opened were family run and catered for these people such as my parents and their offspring and the food was unadulterated and as close as they could make it to what they knew and remembered from home. It was a nostalgic escape or chance to meet with old friends and it was also cheap as these families knew that their customers were working class and couldn't and or wouldn't pay high prices.

Food is culture and a culture can almost always define itself by the foods it eats and so if we are to live in a multicultural society (Abbot would have it otherwise) in Australia we should embrace the foods and not be scared or ashamed to be proud of all that it has to offer. We shouldn't water it down and try to assimilate it into our society but rather accept it for what it is and enjoy and respect and learn the history behind it and the people that make it...

Phò years later...

So it's been a while again since my last post. Phò years to be exact. After my last promises of keeping it fresh and what not I neglected it like a red headed Phòster child. In that time Phò has become an increasingly popular meal and my local haunts are now being somewhat gentrified by kids with skinny jeans, beards and denim shirts. I am also now a married man and my wife and I actually had Phò on our first date so it's only fitting I keep this blog going  and of course I still have a love of Phò. I think I am in a place now where I will keep this blog going for no other reason than Phò myself. So stay tuned...

Search Phở the Holy Grail...

So its been a very long time since my last post. I won't make excuses for it but life has gotten in the way. To catch everyone up to speed (not sure why I say everyone as no one actually reads this) I have had some major life changes and now everything is as it used to be when I first started this blog. Which is to say that life has come full circle. I have lost and gained weight and gained some more weight. Had my heart broken but have come back from it. Screwed up my knee but above all else, have regained my love for Phở.

So let's start a new with this blog and I will endeavor to keep it up to date and fresh...

Phở shame! Well, maybe...

I remember the first time I went to Phở Dzung in Richmond. It was during my school holidays I think in 1992 and I was with my father and his former university lecturer. I still have vivid memories of the line of eagerly awaiting customers stretching out far beyond the door of the restaurant and into the street. All of them salivating in anticipation of the sweet sweet broth that lay within. To be honest though, I really can't remember what that bowl tasted like or even if I had a bowl of Phở that time or maybe I just had an iced coffee that time but the memory of the customers lining up remains indelible.
Since then the Phở Dzung restaurants have become a bit of an empire with several chains opening across Melbourne (i.e. Footscray, Russell St, City, Richmond and now Preston!). I might also add there used to be a chain in Boxhill that I used to frequent religiously, basically due to proximity but in the last five years or so has changed owners and name, which has in turn changed the quality of the Phở (for the worse I am sad to say).

I decided that it would be fitting to start my sojourn at the beginning and hopefully use this tasty bowl as the benchmark for all others to compete with. However, as you can see from the picture I took that on this occasion anyway the best would have to wait until later. As always when I eat Phở, I ordered the Special combination beef which is the best of the best in my opinion. I was feeling adventurous today so I went the medium and I also ordered a glass of three coloured drink to accompany my bowl. As part of the ritual that I perform before eating a bowl of Phở, I will look at the bowl and study the clarity of the broth and the oil content. On this occasion as you can see the broth is a bit dark and cloudy and as suspected a little on the salty side, which indicates that it is perhaps from an old stock pot. I would also like to point out that a good broth must always be piping hot. The hotter the better I always say. I have burnt the roof of my mouth a few times eating a fresh bowl and have not regretted it one bit. The reason for this is that once the basil, bean sprouts and sauces have been added the broth cools down considerably and if the broth is only so warm to begin with by the time you add those aforementioned things, what you end up with is a tepid sloppy bowl of noodles which isn't very appetizing to say the least! The broth today was so so hot and was also a little oily, not looking good so far.

On the plus side though, the noodles were the fresh type and plentiful and the toppings were okay as well. The meat was still a little rare and not so fatty and was in abundance and the tripe looked fresh although a little lacking in number today. The tendons were okay in number but the consistency of them was not uniform which also suggested to me that today they used an old stock pot in combination with perhaps a new one or maybe they just topped up an old one. The meat balls were sufficiently large enough to say that "hey we aren't that cheap that we need to cut them in to such small pieces that they no longer resemble any spherical meat whatsoever, just to make an extra point something of a dollar" which impresses me somewhat. The garnishes also looked fresh and the bean shoots looked clean and washed.
A little tip for you germaphobe types out there. When ordering Phở, it is sometimes better to ask for the bean shoots to be boiled or blanched as I have heard some horror stories of the restaurants re-using old or half eaten bean sprouts and new customers have found old tooth picks in amongst the bean shoots and this ensures that you get a fresh batch or least one that is cleaner anyway.

Overall today was a so so experience not the best bowl but not the worst by far. The wait for the bowl was a little longer than expected and the crushed ice in my three colour drink only came up to half way in my glass where as on other occasions it would have stuck out of my glass half way like the tip of an iceberg. Much like the iceberg that sunk the Titanic. As you can probably guess, I am trying to draw some link between the disaster that was the sinking of the Titanic and the sinking feeling I am having as I write this about my once favourite Phở chain and the experience that I had today. To call it disastrous would be melodramatic and undeserving and I will continue to come here but now only out of convenience but I guess I shouldn't be so hasty and maybe give it a second chance. I will sleep on it. As for my final conclusion on Phở Dzung richmond, if this is the worst bowl that I have had here then I guess it can't be that bad a place but there is much to say about consistency, so as you can see my conclusion for this place is that I have not yet made one. Ha! So much for a review...

One man's Phở is another man's...

So my buddy Al asked me today "what makes you an expert on Phở?". My other pal Ross said "man you have too much time on your hands Phở-real!". Well he didn't say that exactly but he did say that I did have too much time on my hands which is true but I digress.

The question at hand is what "does" make me an expert on Phở?. The answer to that would have to be, "Because I have eaten this stuff all my life MOTHER Phở-CKER!". Well that's what I would say if I were a bad arse MO-Phở.

To answer this question properly however, would require a lot of soul searching but to cut a long story short, I have eaten a lot of bowls of Phở in my lifetime (both good and bad) and have gained much knowledge and experience into what constitutes an awesome bowl of Phở. I would go so far as to say that I am addicted to it.

A few years ago, I was living in Japan and remember my time there being an enjoyable experience overall, however, it was marred by one sad fact, that being that there was no Phở to be found. What I found instead was a poor excuse for Phở, in fact it was so bad that I have banished the taste and memory of it almost completely from my mind and only now relive it as I recount the tale for you (no need to thank me, it's my cross to bear). Who would have thought that a country that makes ramen, soba and udon so well could not make a good bowl of Phở? I know I had the same look of incerudlity on my face also when I came to that realisation!
My addiction for Phở was so great that when I finally did come back to Australia, after pulling an all nighter and singing karaoke for the best of part of the night in Japan and then flying and travelling for around 15 hours, the first thing I did when I landed even before going home was to eat a bowl of Phở.

I also remember the first trip I made to Vietnam. The anticipation and the excitement I felt was palpable. To think, of all the delicious bowls of Phở I would eat and how the experience would be that much greater as I would be eating it amongst my family in its country of origin. To quote William Jonathan Drayton Jr AKA Flavour Flav "Yeah Boy!!"
How dissapointed I was when I finally did eat a bowl though. Even subsequent trips have not been anymore successful. Oh well.

So back to the question again, I may not be an expert but I know my Phở.

Brother in arms...

Here is a link to a vid I found on youtube. This guy seems to share my passion for Phở. Please note the way he tastes the broth before he adds anything. Bravo my man. Tienes mi corazón.

Episode Phở: A New Hope

A long time ago, in a galaxy Phở,
Phở away....

This is my first attempt at a blog and as you can see, I am trying to have as many puns about Phở as possible. In the next few weeks I will begin writing my reviews of what I deem to be "Phở-king" awesome Phở restaurants in and around Melbourne, Australia and wherever else I happen to be. I will grade the Phở on various criteria such as the broth (its flavour as well as clarity of stock), the condiments or garnishes (e.g. Hoisin sauce, chilli sauce, bean shoots, basil, lemon, fresh chilli etc) and the basic ingredients (i.e. the noodles, the meat/protein toppings) as well as the experience on a whole and any other additional lovelies!!

This is going to be a huge project with much sacrifice on my behalf. I may even lose friends and family members as a result of this endeavour but it will be worth it. I promise to be as objective as possible when assessing each restaurant and my opinion will not be bought or swayed by anything other than the merit and purity of the Phở itself.

In writing this blog, I hope to put my much beloved dish at the Phở-front of fine-dining in Australia (if not the world!!) and believe me when I tell you that I am Phở- real!!