by Molly Morris, contributor
Having a Vietnamese significant other is both a blessing and a curse, gastronomically speaking: the blessing being all of the amazing flavors of pho, bahn mi and goi cuon, and the curse being the occasional whole-boiled shrimp or squid (texture issues). I’ve spent my three years so far in Atlanta exploring all the amazing food Buford Highway has to offer, but this summer I found a great Vietnamese staple right up the road from SCAD Atlanta on Peachtree Road. Tucked into the same shopping center as Cami Cakes and Firehouse Subs, Pho King Restaurant sits unassumingly between other businesses like a secret, and the secret is that it’s Pho-King amazing.
Pho King Vietnamese Restaurant is modest, clean and minimalistic in its décor. The servers are prompt to greet you and immediately provide guests with seating. I’ve never had a wait when I’ve gone, but the restaurant is always relatively full. The staff is incredibly quick to bring out your food and fill your water — I timed it once, and it was less than five minutes at lunch hour. Most people come here for the highly sought-after noodle soup called pho, and let’s get one thing straight: it’s pronounced “fuh” (like the start of a choice swear word), not “foe” (as in your enemy). I hear so many people say pho with the long “o” and that’s just wrong. So now that we’ve had our daily Vietnamese elocution lesson, let’s talk about what pho actually is. Words like “life-changing,” “explosive,” and “magical” come to mind immediately, but you’re probably wondering, if you’ve never had it, “What the heck is so good about a basic bowl of soup?” Let me tell you — pho is hardly basic. It’s a bowl filled with rice noodles, sliced beef (or your choice of tendon, tripe, meatballs, or chicken), and a bone marrow broth so hot that it cooks the sliced meat through in minutes — just watch the pink disappear before your eyes. The broth is traditionally a 24-hour-long process, letting the bone marrow and ingredients such as fish sauce, cloves and ginger simmer together. The broth is also believed by many to have healing properties, so it’s great to enjoy when you’ve got the sniffles. Savory white onion and chopped green onion are scattered afloat on the broth, with a platter of fresh bean sprouts, cilantro, Asian basil leaves, lime slices and jalapenos to garnish the soup. The next step makes this dish even more pho-n: personalizing the dish. Consider pho the baked potato of Vietnamese eats; you can load the dish with all your favorite garnishes, and add as much or as little as you’d like to please your palate. After you’ve added the perfect amount of leafy goodness to your bowl — I usually like to 86 the jalapenos and squeeze in extra lime juice — you can top it off to another dimension with hoisin sauce and sriracha. I will admit that it takes a few bowls to perfect your desired combination, but once you do, I guarantee you will love this pho-nomenal meal.
Pho King’s menu has tons of options, but is not as immersive, culturally speaking, as some I’ve seen out on Buford Highway. They provide traditional appetizers – both fried spring rolls and fresh spring rolls called goi cuon, which are rolls of basil, mint, rice noodles, shrimp and pork wrapped in rice paper. You can dip these in a sweet and savory peanut sauce, and they also provide fish sauce — sounds gross, tastes amazing — for the fried rolls. Entrees include all the variations of pho — chicken, beef, tendon, tripe, meatball and shrimp — in multiple size offerings. They also have other traditional meals such as bun, which is a noodle dish with chopped spring rolls, peanuts, lemongrass pork and pickled veggies with fish sauce to pour over, and com — a plated entrée of rice, pork or beef, fried egg and pickled and fresh veggies, again, with fish sauce. Another popular item on the menu is banh mi sandwiches for only a few dollars. If you haven’t had one, I’ll just give you a friendly warning that you a) need to be able to handle an abundance of jalapenos and b) it will be love at first bite.
Overall, Pho King was a delightful find and a more convenient way to satisfy my pho cravings, rather than making the pilgrimage to Buford Highway. The low prices are ideal for a college student’s budget, so make the switch from instant ramen noodles in the microwave and feast on some truly authentic Viet-noms.