The State Of The Pho My Fellow Americans, It's been a year of change, a year of challenge--frankly, it's been a rough year when it comes to Vietnamese Noodles. Dong Phuong went out of business, the Saigon Kitchen on North Lamar is in the process of becoming a Thai restaurant, yet Pho Cong Ly and Kim Phung still seem to draw the crowds...I don't _even_ want to see the _Chronicle_ "Best Of" this year :| Those of us who know better plaintively cry "where can we find a good, hearty bowl of Pho?" To my Fellow Patriotic Americans thirsting for Noodle Goodness, I'd like to recommend Nhatrang, at 8766 Research Blvd (across the parking lot from Dragon Garden, at approx 183 and Ohlen Road). Yes, if you remember that far back, this is where Kim Son used to be. Nhatrang is something of a guilty pleasure of mine, one I think I'm lucky to indulge. It's located close enough to my work that I can get there, grab a good bowl of noodles, read the latest _Chronicle_, and get back to work in less than 40 minutes. I wish my other favorite restaurants were this close. Like Kim Son used to be, Nhatrang appears to be a small, family-owned venture (note: they've gotten rid of the lime-green decor :). They have a lunch buffet, which seems to be popular with other people but which, honestly, I find less than satisfying, despite the wide range of items presented. Some items, like the BBQed chicken, are excellent; others, like the misc curries, are so bland as to be almost tasteless. Still, a vegetarian friend of mine (hi Roger!) seems to enjoy it quite a bit. That aside, the place where Nhatrang excels is its noodles: they offer a tasty, meaty, beefy broth, with noodles (of course) and several choices of meat or seafood. My personal favorite is a large #12, pho with shrimp, scallops, fish, and squid. Their beef pho is also quite good, but I have a serious weakness for seafood. If you're a Bun fanatic, Nhatrang is definitely for you: try one of their BBQed pork items. The pork is freshly grilled, with a wonderful flavor. I also profess a fondness for their "sour beef" Bun. Nhatrang also passes my basic "condiment test" with flying colors: in addition to bottles of Hoisin and Sriracha sauce brought out with the food, they provide "chunky" garlic-pepper sauce at the table. In addition, there are other items on the menu that are intriguing, yet I haven't had the opportunity to try them yet. Example: the "fire plate", which Roberta and I saw another couple enjoy the other day: plates of thin-sliced beef, shrimp, vegetables, etc, are brought out and with a unique, small saddle-shaped grill (imagine a very small version of Mongolian BBQ). You cook the savory tidbits yourself and then wrap them up in pancakes (I think; I confess I was trying not to stare) and it looked like good, clean, delicious fun. Honestly, there are some things they could do better: their spring rolls are unremarkable, and once while I was in an adventurous mood I ordered their rice-mussel soup and, well, it was perhaps a little bit _too_ adventuruous for me. And I wish they offered more in the line of tripe and soft tendon in their Pho. But these are nits: in my humble opinion, Nhatrang is the best bowl of noodles currently available in Austin, and I urge all of my Patriotic Fellow Americans to give it a try. Craig PS: yo Werner, I'm waiting for your follow-up! :)
Austin, TX
The State Of The Pho
Roberta B. wrote: >To my Fellow Patriotic Americans thirsting for Noodle Goodness, I'd >like to recommend Nhatrang, at 8766 Research Blvd (across the parking >lot from Dragon Garden, at approx 183 and Ohlen Road). Just went for lunch, and was favorably impressed. The Pho' broth was a little delicate, but good. The vegetarian spring rolls (goi cuon, the non-fried ones) were awesome, probably the best I've ever had. I think they were quite freshly made; the noodles were still a little warm. Yum. Good peanut sauce too. I wish they had the little mini plates wherein one puts one's Sriracha and fish sauce to dip meat in, and I wish there were fish sauce on the table. Other than that, it's nice. >Nhatrang also passes my basic "condiment test" with flying colors: in >addition to bottles of Hoisin and Sriracha sauce brought out with the >food, they provide "chunky" garlic-pepper sauce at the table. No fish sauce though... >Honestly, there are some things they could do better: their spring >rolls are unremarkable, Well, I don't know about the non-veg ones, but like I said the veg spring rolls were great. I need to go back and try the imperial rolls and some bun dishes. (Is there no place in town that serves com tam bi' hot ga? That was such a great junk-comfort-slop food at Saigon Kitchen back in lovely Garland, TX ...)
Someone wrote: : Nha Trang is entirely unremarkable in my book. I find Quan Ba Tho and Tan : Tan to be much better. Quan Ba Tho for their rice dishes and pork : vermicelli (the pork is excellently done), and Tan Tan I usually stick to : the Pho, which is very good, I think it rivals Pho Cong Ly on their best : days. Tan Tan's pho uses a very rich broth, which I believe takes longer : to make than the watery stuff you get at lesser restaurants. Kim Phung : rates lowest on my list of all the Vietnamese restaurants in Austin's NE : quadrant. : So when are we going to lunch next Craig? Heh heh. Give me a call, big boy, let me know :) You really like the Pho at Tan Tan? Admittedly, I only tried it once, but I wasn't impressed. Still...I'll meet you there sometime and I'll give it another try. Go on, make me a believer! I know you like Quan Ba Tho, but have you ever tried the pork vermicelli at Nhatrang? It's really quite good. Pho Cong Ly....*sigh* I have to be honest, I used to like the flavor of the Pho there...it's the fact that I personally know two people who've found insects in their soup while dining there, plus I remember once using their restrooms and finding them absolutely filthy (among other things, someone had vomited a bowl of Pho into the urinal), that keeps me from returning. Craig