We finally made to what I always only knew as 'the un-named pho place on Sunset and Silver Lake'.
It does have a name, just no sign!
We got there by "walking a half block west once you see the Mongolian restaurant on Sunset, just East of Silver Lake". The adventure in finding this place was fun. It's in a nondescript strip mall (as is much of LA's treasures) on Sunset Boulevard.
We started with an order of spring rolls. Limor and I really like these. They are relatively easy to make at home (we've tried) and the peanut dipping sauce really hits the spot for the peanut butter cravings we often get!
This item, called Goi Cuon, is made here with charbroiled lemongrass steak, shrimp, vermicelli rice noodles and fresh herbs which surely included mint in the mix. The dipping sauce was excellent and the flavors of the meat, shrimp and mint were just what we needed to start the meal off in the right direction.
Goi Can - Fresh Spring Rolls
We were instructed to try one Pho dish and one Bun dish. We gladly followed instruction and we were very satisfied with the recommendations.
Limor started with the Pho Ga which is a chicken based rice noodle soup made with free-range chicken served with a delicious ginger pepper sauce and fresh herbs to add to the bowl as you wish. To our bowl Limor added the bowl of ginger sauce, about 85% of the sprouts we were given, about half the amount of basil leaves, torn into the bowl (thai basil), a good splash of Sriracha and the few spicy pepper slices we were given.
Pho Ga - Chicken Broth Based Rice Noodle Soup
This soup was awesome. The extracted chicken flavor was incredible. The broth was rich and clear too, something I always admire. This was a very very good bowl of Pho. Get there!
I started with the Bun Cha Gio Tom Thit Nuong which consisted of cool vermicelli rice noodles, a crispy fried egg roll, three delicious shrimp, some charbroiled lemongrass steak which was served in a bowl with roasted peanuts, fried shallot, sprouts and fresh herbs. There is a sauce that arrives with this dish which is truly magical.
Basically, I would describe this dish as a cold noodle salad with the above items as the accompaniments. It is a really fresh, light dish and I tell you the SAUCE is where it is at with this dish.
Overall this was an excellent choice for lunch on a Saturday.
Pho Cafe is open daily from 11am to Midnight and is CASH ONLY.
Remember - this place has no sign (well, it is just white but blank) and you will recognize it with the bright orange seats and the line to get in! Enjoy.
