#marketfriday at Pho Hanoi: Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine

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Pho Hanoi is a the newest Vietnamese restaurant in town. I just happened to see this while passing by Labsan Street and made a mental note to visit it.

A quick chat with one of the staff. He said that they opened last May 10 this year. He claimed that the noodles and spices are all exported from Vietnam. He said it is hard to find those here in Baguio City. All the other ingredients are purchased here. The owner and the staff are all Vietnamese. I spoke to the waiter in Filipino but he said he is not Filipino and cannot speak the language.

The previous business in this shop was another Asian restaurant but they did not last long. I hope Pho Hanoi will have more luck.

They painted the walls of the restaurant green. They placed the tables and the counter inner to the restaurant. There is a wide space when you enter such that a couple of tables can fill.

Photos of Vietnamese life are hung on the walls and a couple of paintings on winnowing baskets.

This one I like the most.

The menu is a two-page list of what they offer. It is mostly pork and beef with some chicken and seafood. I wanted to try their fresh spring roll but requested to remove the seafood and pork but the waiter said it will not taste good. It is a personal request but I understand his concern. It will compromise their creation. I decided against it and maybe try it later.

We went for beef flavors today. Serving time was no less than 5 minutes. It was a quick wait.

First is Noodle With Beef Southern Style. The beef is stir fried with very few vegetables and peanuts. The sauce is sweet and sour. I did not taste any msg. The saltiness is from the sauce they made. It says in the description there are herbs but I did not see any or they were too few I was not able to notice.

The other dish we had is Beef Noodle Soup. It consists of fresh noodles with beef and leeks onions and some fried garlic. I like how soft the noodles are almost liquid. I only tasted a little saltiness. Chili and lemon are served separatedly. I ate a couple of spoonfuls before dumping the chili and lemon in the mix.

My nephew who is my food buddy today said he preferred the Noodle With Beef Southern Style. He likes the other ingredients in it especially the peanuts. He was happily amazed and informed me when he realized there was peanut in his food.

I like both. Each dish has its own thing to offer. Each with different texture and different flavor.

For refreshments, we opted for Lemonade and Snow Lemon Juice. Lemonade can either be hot or cold. I opted for cold.

Their lemonade has more sugar in it than lemonade. It was too sweet to my liking. Snow Lemon Juice on the other hand tasted like sour cream with sweetened milk. It is a shake than juice. Both are not that bad but it is not something I look forward to.

I like my Vietnamese experience so far. I was not disappointed nor was I blown away. I will go back and try their other food. They also offer hotpot but it is for reservation. You should inform them a day ahead if you want to avail of their hotpot.

I feel their food is minimalistic. I was used to another Pho place here in our town where they have lots of serving. They are generous with the vegetables and other ingredients than noodles. Here at Pho Hanoi, it was the otherway around. There are more noodles and just enough ingredients.

The restaurant also needs more lighting. It is located a the basement of the building so light from the windows and doors is not enough. It needs more light because the atmosphere is cold. The green walls do not help in giving a warm vibe. The place is clean and neat though.

Pho Hanoi is located at Hotel Caterina Basement, Labsan Street, Baguio City. You can contact them at their facebook page Pho Hanoi, email at phohanoibaguio@gmail.com or through their phone number (+63) 0927-164-1845. They are open from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

All photos are mine.

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