Vietnamese
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When going Vietnamese, it's all about the pho! This popular soup-noodle dish is rapidly establishing a foothold in the islands - from Pho 1. |
Please click on the following links to explore the many Vietnamese Restaurants on the island of Oahu, Hawaii:
Page 1: Pho 1, Pho Mai, Super Pho, Hale Vietnam, To Chau, Pho 97, Cuu Long, Pho My Lan, Bac Nam.
Page 2: Pho Thinh, Pho Bistro 2, Pho Tri, Pho Saigon, Pho Five-0, Pho South King, Ba-le, Pho Viet, Pho 777.
Hawaii has seen a proliferation of new Vietnamese restaurants, anchored by the craze for pho, a soup-noodle dish that comes in hearty and flavorful bases like chicken, pork, vegetable, or the most popular by far, beef.
Like soup-noodle dishes from other regions, there is a method to eating this dish that must be mentioned, because it makes a huge difference on the over-all enjoyment of your meal. First of all, you’ll have to put together a few sauces you’ll find at your table. The thick, dark sauce called hoisin (a Chinese plum sauce) should be mixed with any or all of the hot chili sauces, with portions set to your heat level, in a small sauce dish. It can then be either mixed into the broth directly or incrementally added in small portions to each mouthful.
| Chili, garlic chili, hoisin, fish sauce - gimme 'em all! Just some of your condiments so integral to a great pho, these from Pho Thinh. |
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Inside the bowl of pho, you’ll also find slices of raw beef added. If you like it well-done, leave it in, but if not, eat it quickly or take it out. Some even ask for the beef raw in a separate dish, where they add liberal squeezes of lime and toss it in the sauce we made earlier. I don’t like the chewiness and raw flavor of this method, but you may. They will also serve a generous platter of fresh, raw bean sprouts, basil, lime, and sometimes other herbs like ngo gai (saw-toothed herb), all of which you can add to your bowl of pho.
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A fresh mix of veggies to complete your bowl, these from Super Pho in Kaimuki. |
As for side dishes, spring rolls are the perfect accompaniment to your pho and are made by stuffing ground pork, chicken, yams, carrots, rice noodles, and other items inside a rice-paper wrapper and then deep-frying. They are the signature appetizer dish, usually coming with sides of mint, basil, a leafy lettuce variety, more rice noodles, and a tangy dipping sauce. Wrap a little of everything, including the spring rolls, inside a lettuce wrapper, dip into the sauce, and enjoy! Summer rolls are the second most popular side dish. They are of the non-fried, healthier variety, with a rice-paper wrapper and lots of rice noodle and other veggies inside, and come with shrimp clearly visible through the thin wrapping.
Though I can seldom resist a good bowl of pho anytime I go Vietnamese, there are many other dishes to choose from, such as curries, bbq meats, stir-fries, noodles, soups, and rice dishes.
Da Big Boy’z: So many - keep in mind that I've never really had a terrible bowl of pho anywhere! Nevertheless, Pho 1 and Hale Vietnam have the best atmospheres by far; To Chau or Pho 97 if you are looking for an, uh, “ethnic,” Downtown Honolulu type of experience; Pho Thinh, Pho Mai, Bac Nam, and Pho Tri, all have great pho and many other tasty dishes. However, just about all of these spots serve a decent pho, so don't hesitate to try any of 'em!
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