West Coast Eats: Return of the Pho

Think old New York in Times Square, before it was tourist and family friendly, minus the flashy lights, and gentrification wasn’t even in present-day vocabulary. Off to the Tenderloin district in San Francisco, there was a Vietnamese pho restaurant we were curious about that sounded very promising, based on our research. We quickly were starting to doubt our decision on the car ride there. Even our Lyft driver couldn’t wait to get out of this part of town fast enough before we stepped out the car and he bid us a humorous but dry “good luck”. As we stepped out the car and onto the dim streetlight corner of Miss Saigon, our New Yorker mentality couldn’t keep us from feeling a bit unsettled at what exactly did we get ourselves into. It wasn’t until we walked through the doors of Miss Saigon we felt that we entered a comfort haven unbeknownst or maybe just unperturbed to the gritty streets outside its doors.

So nothing else could be more comforting than a bowl of pho at that moment. If you’ve read my other California based pho review: May the Pho Be With You, you may remember I generally don’t have a high liking towards pho, based on most of the lackluster ones I’ve had in NYC. The OB Noodle House in San Diego reformed my opinion of pho, and Miss Saigon definitely backed it up. Equally as good yet comparatively different from one another.

At Miss Saigon, my husband & I each ordered the 17b. Pho tai mem - rice noodle with filet mignon rare beef. If this bowl was all that it was highly rated to be, there was no way we wanted to order just one order to share. And I’m so glad we didn’t. While it looked like the basic pho, basic tasting this was not! This pho is simply perfect and true to everything I expect a good, traditional pho to taste! It was as if every other pho I’ve had in my life were just a bunch of phonies. The filet mignon rare beef did not disappoint and was definitely a cut above quality of a standard pho. The broth was not tasteless and watery. The citrus juice of the lime wedge brought out the combination of sublime flavors from the broth, meat and garnishes. There may have been a tad bit excess of cilantro to my liking, but even so, I can’t complain about how good this pho was! We also ordered spring rolls, which were satisfying as well, but the pho is definitely the star here. While the neighborhood may be questionable, this restaurant is not. So yes, in my pho-eating experience, this must rank up there as oh-my-nosh status!

Side note: There are significant differences in taste between Miss Saigon SF and San Diego’s OB Noodle House. Neither pho is better than the other, that is for you to choose based your tastes preferences. My hubby likes to stick to tradition and gave the edge over to Miss Saigon. Personally, I would love to re-eat the pho from OB Noodle House. However, I do believe Miss Saigon wins for best representation of a true, traditional Vietnamese pho. Somehow it manages to be basic, uncomplicated without being boring. If you're curious about my take on my previous pho experience in San Diego, check out: May the Pho Be With You. Have you been to both, which do you prefer?

Bottom Line: Perfect pho, totally noodle-noshworthy! Basic, uncomplicated but far from boring. Filet mignon beef is a cut above the standard beef in pho. *However, be forewarned* If you are unfamiliar with San Francisco and are still bold enough to venture out to this district, maybe go during the daylight hours, when the streets may seem less gritty and sketchy. But the food will not disappoint.

Happy Noshing,Jeanne

DATE: Summer 2015

LOCATION: Miss Saigon

100 corner of 6th and Mission St.

San Francisco, CA 94103