Pho Real

Pho places seem to be springing up everywhere…well, at least more of them are becoming more central to my location, which I appreciate. There are two or three new places I have been waiting to try and this was one of them. The BFF and I headed over there for lunch and laughed because we knew this strip mall from our very young days, as we grew up nearby. Don’t let the scary dark wood/slightly run down vibe of the outside scare you away; they have done a nice job on the inside of this place. It’s cute and very clean. The menu is big and has Thai and Laotian food as well as Vietnamese.

But, when your name is “Pho Real,” you kinda have to try the pho right? At least on your first visit. But since it was a new place, and we were kinda in the mood, we also ordered some appetizers. We ordered the dumplings ($7.75) and the fried tofu ($5.95). I really liked the fried tofu. It had a nice firm, yet crispy crust that you had to break through to get to a very silky (and hot!) interior. It was served with a very mild sauce to dip in, but it had a slight acidic flavor and I liked it. I also ended up dropping them last piece or two into my pho and that was really good too. They kept their shape even in the broth. The dumplings were pretty tasty too. They were stuffed with pork and a bit of shrimp and served with that vinegar/soy sauce. Maybe not as tender as I would like—the filling was pretty dense—but they had a good flavor.

I ordered the rare beef pho  (Pho #1) ($9.99), which is my classic choice. It’s a deep beef broth with thin rice noodles, cilantro, scallions and it was seasoned with some black pepper it seemed. Oh, and the rare beef of course. I always squeeze my lime in there too from the fresh side plate, as well as throwing in a couple of the slices of jalapeno to steep and spice up the broth. Then I put in the basil and bean sprouts for a bit more flavor and texture. I tend to add a bit of chili sauce—here the only choice was Sriracha, so that’s what I used. I put a bit of soy in as well. Anyhow, that’s how pho is—you kind of doctor it up to your taste. But the thing that makes or breaks pho (or puts it on the just ok list anyway) is the broth. And this broth was very good. It had a very deep flavor and this is up there with my favorite bowls of pho in town so far. Mine also had nice, tender thin slices of beef that seemed a little more flavorful than many, even my favorite, Pho Tasty. Like I said, I also liked throwing my tofu in there as well. 

My BFF had the veggie pho ($8.99) and she seemed to really like it. I was too busy eating all of mine to even try it, but she said it was definitely one of the better vegetarian broths she has had in town. She didn’t love the big hunks of bok choy, because they were almost impossible to eat. If you don’t have a knife, I do believe food should be in bite-sized pieces.

Overall though, this was a great find. And they have lots of great sounding Thai dishes I would be interested to try as well. They also have beer and wine.

Pho Real

9611 N. College Ave

Indy 46280

317/853-8046

www.phorealindy.com 

Pho Tasty-- Revisit

Pho Tasty has become a go-to place for lunch for me. I often go with my BFF, and I have more recently introduced hubby to it as well and he is now converted. The rare beef pho (#32)($9) is what I almost always get, but this time we were splurging and decided to try my other typical favorite Vietnamese food item, the Vietnamese pancake (#6)($9.95).  I had never had it here so it seemed like a good time to try it.

First of all, I love their pho. I can’t say what it is that makes me like it more than some others, but I am assuming it is the broth since most of the components are pretty similar in beef pho. It’s a beef broth with rice noodles, some sliced onion and some very thinly sliced rare beef put in just before serving, I also have them add some tofu to mine just to make it a little heartier. It’s a good addition. So once you get the bowl of soup, you top it yourself with some herbs (basil and/or cilantro), bean sprouts, jalapeno slices and lime juice. I also add a bit of chili sauce and soy…ok and sometimes some fish sauce. I have learned that the key to really good pho is figuring out your personal seasoning and getting it just right. I have it down. I like putting the jalapenos in—I don’t eat them, but their flavor spreads into the broth a bit giving it some heat. It’s also a fairly healthy dish to eat, so I don’t have to feel guilty about eating it.

I was a bit disappointed in the pancake however, it just wasn’t as good as many others (and my all time fave is still at Long Thanh). There wasn’t as much stuff inside it and what was there wasn’t really sautéed very much. Usually there is bean sprouts and pork and shrimp all cooked together. This one had a little bit of the meat and a lot of totally cold raw bean sprouts. I also like eating mine wrapped in lettuce leaves, which they don’t give you here. The pancake itself had more of a granular texture to it as well. I would check this one off the list here, but the pho is still super good. I will stick with it from here on out…or maybe try some other appetizer. They also do banh mi here but I have yet to try one. Anyone tried one yet?

And I am super happy to have a place like this in Castleton—and their business seems good, which is good to see as well.

Pho Tasty

6044 East 82^nd Street

Indianapolis 46250

317/702-0961

http://www.photastyonline.com/ 

Chao Vietnamese Street Food

The BFF and I are apparently on a quest to try all the pho, so a new Vietnamese place opens in Fishers? Yes, lunch is planned. Several of you mentioned Chao Vietnamese Street Food on twitter the other day when I asked for new lunch ideas. It’s in a strip mall on 96^th Street. It’s very casual in décor—you order up front and they bring your food out to you, but it is cute. 

I ordered the beef pho and she ordered the veggie pho (each around $10). Ok, it was good pho, but, and I know I have said this before it is rare that one stands out above or below others for me. This one had a decent broth (one of the main important things) and the usual stuff inside—onions and of course, rice noodles.  The usual plate of fresh stuff to add—this one only had basil as the herb (no cilantro), lots of bean sprouts, some jalapeno slices and two nice juicy lime wedges. I had to doctor it up a fair amount with this stuff, as well as some fish sauce and Sriracha. I have come to learn this is just what you do with pho, but I still always wonder if this is how it’s meant to be.  Anyhow, the beef it is was sliced very thin, as it should be, but the pieces were just a little too big to eat in one bite. And I would say there was maybe slightly less of the actual meat than at some places. But overall it was a nice lunch. Pho in winter is a good thing.

My friend liked her veggie version too, although she said she liked other versions with more vegetables in it better. This had the noodles, some tofu and another weird noodle type item that looked a bit like a sponge. Neither of us could identify it for sure. There was also some veg, just not a ton. Again though, she doctored it up in a similar way and enjoyed it.

There were several other items on the menu that looked good. I saw several rice dishes with various kids of meat coming out of the kitchen that I would really like to try. They also have these chao fries topped with lemongrass pork, pickles daikon and carrots and spicy mayo that sound a little magical. There are also Banh Mi sandwiches on offer. I would say the pho ranks in the middle of those I have tried, but I would certainly like to try some of the other dishes. It is also nice to see a place like this in Fishers—and also a place like this in Fishers doing so well (it was doing a very good business by the time we left on a Wednesday). It just goes to show you that Indy people are looking for things other than sandwiches and fast food to eat for lunch. This makes me happy.

Chao Vietnamese Street Food

7854 E. 96^th Street

Fishers, IN 46037

317/622-8820

www.chaovietstreetfood.com 

Souper Bowl

Every time I write about pho, someone mentions Souper Bowl in Westfield to me. Obviously, I needed to try it so I got my friend Suzanne to go check it out with me since she lives on the north side and is always up for a food adventure. We always order too much food, and this day was no exception.

We started with the fried tofu and the avocado rolls ($3.25). I had never seen an avocado roll on a menu (at least that I can remember) so I was intrigued. It was a cold Vietnamese-style spring roll filled with mainly rice noodles and some crunchy herbs as well as a couple of slices of avocado. It was just okay, not my favorite thing just because it didn’t have a lot of inherent flavor and the thick peanut sauce served with it was a little too much. They were too plain on their own, but all you could taste was the peanut sauce if you did use it.

I think we both liked the fried tofu much better—they were very simple and just the right size (and really, really hot). There was the right amount of tofu to fried exterior ratio. Plus we almost always order this dish when we’re together eating at a restaurant that offers it. It’s kind of a tradition. The one thing I didn’t like about it was they served it with just a standard sweet and sour (read: sweet) sauce, which isn’t my favorite. Usually when I’ve had it, it’s served with a light fish broth, which I prefer. I just used a dash of soy instead. But the tofu itself was tasty.

I order the sliced beef pho ($7.65) and Suzanne ordered the Banh Mi ($3.95). The pho was very good. I liked that the smaller portion wasn’t as overwhelming in amount as it sometimes is—I can never finish those huge bowls. Pho is really about the broth and this one was nice and rich and beefy. There was a fair amount of the very thin sliced beef and lots of the rice noodles. There was a fair amount of really thinly sliced onions in there as well and a smattering of green onions. The side plate was simpler than some-mostly bean sprouts with some Thai basil, a couple of slices of jalapeno and a lime wedge. There was not a lot of the basil and no cilantro, which is also good with it. I threw all of it in (well, not all the bean sprouts) and slurped away. 

Suzanne and I shared both so I also got to sample the Banh Mi. It was also well done, although the bread didn’t have that super flaky texture of others I have had in the past. There was a thin layer of the pate-type spread and some thinly sliced pork. The sandwich was dressed with lots of fresh bean sprouts, sliced cucumber, julienned carrots and a bit of cilantro that were light dressed in a slightly tangy dressing. It was a tasty sandwich (and extremely reasonably priced). I would have liked maybe just a bit more meat on it, but for that price, you can’t really complain. Overall I liked the pho better but Suzanne liked the sandwich better, so there you go.

I also ordered a limeade club soda ($2) that was fantastic. They make fresh (and tart) limeade and then mix it with soda. What a great accompaniment to this type of food. And you know me, add some tart, tangy drink on the side and I’ll be happy. 

If this place was in my neighborhood (and hey, it’s Vietnamese in Westfield!), I would easily visit again. The menu is large and there’s a lot to try.

Souper Bowl

112 East Main Street

Westfield, IN 46074

317/399-7858

Long Thanh - Revisit

Hubby and I had a quick lunch the other day at Long Thanh. We needed it to be close to home and we wanted something not horribly filling because we had a big dinner ahead of us. 

We went in with the intention to order the Vietnamese pancake ($6.95) and the rare lemon beef ($7.95), which we did, but then as I scanned the menu, I noticed something called “butter wings” ($3.50).  Described as chicken wings fried in butter and garlic, how could I say no? (My prices might be slightly off, as my carry out menu is pretty old).

The pancake was good—as you might know, these are one of my favorite things in Vietnamese restaurants. This one falls squarely in the good category. I like that all the stuff inside the crepe (shrimp, pork, bean sprouts and onions) are all warm and have been lightly sautéed (even the sprouts). I like sprouts, bit in a warm dish, I like it when they have just a little of the raw edge off of them. I also liked that they gave you not only fresh lettuce to wrap with the pancake, but fresh cilantro as well, which I used all over my half. I like the fresh green flavor. It is a good crepe, just slightly crisp on the edges but hearty enough for al the fillings, which are generous at Long Thanh. I like the seasoned fish sauce-this one having just a bit more chili flavor than most.

I love the rare beef salad. I recently listed this in my favorite things post, and it still stands. It is really tangy with lemon (and lime I am guessing) and even with the freshly fried rice chips, you feel like it is pretty healthy. There is shredded lettuce and julienned carrots and onions, which are all marinated well in the citrus and some chopped peanuts on top for a bit of crunch and salt. There is basil and cilantro mixed in as well. And little pieces of the very thinly sliced rare beef—the beef is very tender. I love making a bite with all the parts of the dish and putting them on the rice crackers and listen to them pop from the juices. 

The chicken wings were new to us though, and even though they were killing the moderately “healthy” aspect of our planned lunch, they were quite delicious. It was two whole wings split into pieces so you got two drumstick looking part and two of the flatter parts of the wing.  Then they tempura batter and fry them and they are seriously delicious. On their own they’re good, but in the spicy soy based dipping sauce they are even better. I can’t really think they are cooked in butter, but they do taste buttery. Seriously, you should give them a go if you like fried chicken. And dang, are they big wings….the kind that makes you scared to see the chicken they might come from.

We’re pretty lucky to have this little place in our neighborhood. There is some very good Vietnamese food in Indy, and I think more people are coming to appreciate it—and Long Thanh, while in no way fancy at all, is up there with the very good ones. What do you guys think?

Long Thanh

5707 East 71^st Street

Indy  46220

317/842-6499

Pho 54

I’ll just start by saying this was the place that put me off to ever reading yelp reviews. I will also say I found the place to be bright and clean and everyone was very nice and helpful.

I have read a few things about this place and convinced my west side experimenter friends to join me (Sacha and Scott). They’re excellent lunch companions because they are game to go with me to try whatever I’m thinking about, and even better yet to order lots of different food and to share (even when it involves difficult to share noodles).

I started bossy and ordered a Vietnamese pancake ($6.95) as an appetizer—because I love them so and whenever there’s more than just me in a Vietnamese restaurant, I feel like I have an excuse to order more food.  This one was very good. The rice flour crepe was very thin with nice crispy edges. Inside, it was stuffed with pieces of pork and small whole shrimps and lots of bean sprouts and green onions. It was served with a bit of lettuce, cilantro, some sliced cucumbers and seasoned fish sauce on the side. Like I said in general, I love these things and this one was no exception. The crepe was one of the better ones (to me, this means thin and crisp, but still with a bit of softness in the middle) and the fillings inside were tender (meat) and crunchy (sprouts). I like the combo of flavors with the slightly salty/slighty sweet seasoned fish sauce. I have never introduced anyone to one of these pancakes who didn’t like it and Sacha and Scott were no exception. They both really liked it.

I ordered the rare beef pho ($7.95) and it was also very good. A huge bowl filled with lots of rice noodles, a good amount of the super thin slices of beef (and a fair amount of it), tons of chopped scallions and sliced onions and the side plate of fresh garnishes—jalapeno, cilantro, purple basil, bean sprouts and a wedge of lime. I threw most of the herbs in there and a bit of the jalapeno and some of the sprouts (there were A LOT of sprouts on the plate). I squeezed all the lime juice in and threw the lime in too (acid!). The thing that makes (or breaks) pho is the broth. If it doesn’t have a lot of flavor, then the whole thing just isn’t very good. This one had a lot of flavor and just a bit of fat (you could see the remnants after the soup had cooled). It was really good and perfect on a cold day. Also, so big that I am sure I will never finish a bowl, and in fact, even the three of us didn’t finish it.

Scott ordered the Com Tay Cam, or clay pot ($8.25). It was heavily sauced rice served with a choice of meat (he had the shrimp). I liked this one as well, but the menu mentioned crispy rice (which is the appeal of a clay pot dish to me)—the rice kind of burns onto the bottom of the dish making for crispy bits. I didn’t really see too much of that here. The flavor was of a thicker, slightly sweet sauce—thinking soy sauce and some oyster sauce were involved. This reminded me more of Chinese food because it was more sauce heavy, whereas the Vietnamese food usually seems lighter. There were veggies as well as some pieces of pineapple in there.

Sacha ordered the minced pork noodle (bun mi)($6.79). This is a noodle dish as well—the noodles are served on top of shredded veggies—lettuce, cucumbers, and green onions. On top of it was some shredded pork. Our server explained that you are to take the little bowl of seasoned fish sauce and pour it on top and then mix it up, which she did. This dish was my least favorite on the table—it was mostly cold (the veggies anyway) and the flavors much milder—it just didn’t have the depth of the other dishes. Honestly, I would be hard pressed not to go back and just order the exact same thing I had this time—the pancake and the pho.

The place was doing a good lunch business and the food was delivered pretty quickly. The prices are reasonable and I think it’s a good spot for a cheap, fast, lunch. I’d go back.

Pho 54

7280 N. Michigan Road

Indy 46268

317/298-9001

www.indypho54.com