Pho 87 in Chinatown, LA-RESTAURANT REVIEW
Who doesn’t love Vietnamese food? It’s one of my favorites and I’m not saying that because I’m Vietnamese. Traditional Vietnamese cooking uses a ton of fresh ingredients including herbs and vegetables and a very small amount of oil and is often ranked as one of the healthiest cuisines in the world. My girlfriend Dorinda called and was really craving some pho. We met over in Chinatown and I completely forgot that most of the businesses close at 7pm. I called all the Viet restaurants until I got one that said they closed at 10pm. SCORE! As we walked by the restaurant and looked through the windows we saw a ton of Asian folks.
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[singlepic id=124 w=320 h=240 float=left]RULE #1-If the Asians are there the food must be good. Right as we walked in the door we saw the health inspector rating…A…RULE #2 a B is good at any restaurant but this place had an A.
A BIG GIGANTIC A!!! Everything’s a go to try this place out.
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We decided to start with an appetizer before ordering the pho. Thought we’d get something neither one of us had tried before.
[singlepic id=122 w=320 h=240 float=left]We ordered Banh Hoi Tuoi Thit Nuong Va Tom, which is charbroiled pork & shrimp with tiny rice vermicelli. The pork and shrimp are served on top of the vermicelli and there is a side plate served with lettuce, basil and mint. You take some rice noodle and pork/shrimp and place it into a lettuce leaf. It’s very similar to a lettuce wrap. Then you dip it into the peanut sauce. I specifically asked them for nuc mump, which is a fish sauce based dipping sauce with shredded carrots. The pork and shrimp did have a charbroiled taste to it and I would definitely order again. However the next time I would ask for a rice bowl, chop the lettuce up into the bowl and then top with the meat and noodles, pour the sauce over my concoction and eat with chopsticks.
[singlepic id=120 w=320 h=240 float=left]Next up we ordered a steaming ginormous bowl of pho. Pho Tai, which is pho with rare beef. The only thing I wasn’t fond of with this dish was the thin noodles. I prefer wide noodles when I’m eating pho and I also prefer the noodles be fresh. You can always tell when the noodles are not fresh because it’s like a ball of string in the middle of your soup that you can’t pull apart and have to wait until the noodles and the soup are the same temperature.
The prices were pretty comparable to other Vietnamese restaurants in the area. The app was about $7 and the large pho was $8.
If you happen to be looking for authentic Vietnamese food like Banh Cuon, Banh Xeo or the other popular soup (not as well known to Americans) called Canh Chua…this is not the place to go. The menu has pho, noodle dishes and rice plates. They are known for their Pho.
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The ambiance was okay. As you walk in the front door, there is a ton of seating to the left underneath fluorescent lights. If you walk to the right there are 4 tables in a dimly lit area next to a koi pond.
The perk was that they closed later than most businesses in Chinatown.
[singlepic id=123 w=300 h=220 float=left] This is my friend Dorinda. She’s a Vietnamese food lover, EatinAsian supporter and GNO Coordinator. Her sidekicks name is Nam.
PHO 87
1019 North Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90012