Adelaide Pho and Vietnamese Pho

We travelled all the way to Vietnam to find out if Pho there is better than here. Yes, that is the reason why. More below.

It seems that the Pho trend has finally peaked in Adelaide. Not a day goes by that I don't see see someone posting a photo of their Vietnamese lunch.

So how does Pho in Adelaide compare to Pho in Vietnam? Well in Vietnam for a normal bowl of pho Bo dac biet (special combination) is anywhere from $2-5 depending where you go. Also, hoi sin sauce is not a standard custom with Pho in VN. The common pho chains are Pho24 and Pho2000 which are more expensive and not really that great in all honesty.

Pho Hoa (top photo) is a single restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City that is quite popular and known to be good by the locals. On the back of this recommendation C and I checked it out. Unfortunately it doesn't compare to the dish I'm used to, I found the soup base here and at most other places in VN to be quite different, maybe on the lines of being 'fragrantless'? I do however prefer to douse my bowl in hoi sin, chilli sauce and that sauce that is usually for Bun Bo Hue, so it helps. Oh and the beef is better than what I expected but it still cannot compare to Aussie beef.

Pho Minh (2nd photo) and Khang's Noodles are two places that I visit most because of Church, found in the west. Decent Pho is expected around this area, and is better value for money. Quan Ngon on Main North Rd also satisfies cravings.

The 3rd photo is of C eating his first Pho at Charlie Shack, a place that is no longer. He really has improved since then. He now can say "Xin cho hai phở bò".

Any other Pho recommendations? Invitations to try out your mum's is also ok.