To start our day of hanging around the city, the middle '87 took lil' sis and me to her brother's favorite Pho Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup) restaurant -- Pho Ga Huong Que Cafe in Oakland. I first read of this restaurant on cousin Q's blog, but it was a place that his older brother didn't find until after we had all moved away.
It's not in the best part of town, and the inside is very bare-bones so don't expect much by way of appearance.
My cousin said to get the pho ga huong que thit xe (Vietnamese house special chicken noodle soup with hand-torn chicken meat), $6.75 for a large.
You also get a choice between ho fun (Chinese wide noodles), regular pho (Vietnamese thin rice noodles), hu tieu (Vietnamese clear noodles), and mi (Vietnamese egg noodles). My cousins say the ho fun noodles are the freshest and best.
Even though my cousin said the broth tastes different, I opted for the pho ga long trung non (Vietnamese chicken noodle soup with intestines and young eggs) with pho noodles, $6.75 for a regular. Gotta order something else to show on the blog.
The broth, as you can tell, looks murkier. It didn't taste nearly as fresh as the simple chicken soup with hand-torn pieces of chicken that my cousin ordered. I figured it'd be the same broth that they poured into both bowls, with just the addition of the added meats, but it really tasted like two different bowls.
The yellow is the young egg, not the yolk, but the egg inside the chicken before it comes out.
The soups also came with the usual bean sprouts and herbs, and this Scallion Ginger Dipping Sauce. Oooh! So yum!
Anyway, so if you'd like the added meats or eggs to your soup, my cousin suggested ordering them on the side, but the soup to get is the simple pho ga thit xe (Vietnamese chicken noodle soup with hand-torn chicken). The fresh chicken broth really is much better. I much prefer Pho Bo (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup) to pho ga, but the fresh chicken pho here is the best.
Who else at at Pho Ga Huong Que Cafe?
Cousin Q ordered the pho ga and chao ga (Vietnamese chicken rice porridge).
All Northern California posts can be found with the tag, Series: NorCal, but I suggest reading this particular trip in this order:
Persian Dill Rice
Chai Thai Noodles - Oakland
Pho Ga Huong Que Cafe - Oakland
Fentons Creamery & Restaurant - Oakland
Chinatown - San Francisco
Eastern Bakery - San Francisco (Chinatown)
House of Nanking - San Francisco (Financial District)
Banana Leaf Restaurant - Milpitas
Jovino - San Francisco (Marina/Cow Hollow (Closed)
Miette Patisserie (Ferry Building) - San Francisco (Embarcadero)
Butterfly Restaurant (Pier 33) - San Francisco (Embarcadero)
Imperial Tea Court (Ferry Building) - San Francisco (Embarcadero)
Sura Korean Cuisine - Oakland
Centennial Light (World's Longest Lasting Light Bulb) - Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department Station 6 - Livermore
Harris Ranch Inn & Restaurant - Coalinga
Chao Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Rice Porridge)
Chinese Scallion Cilantro Dipping Sauce
Pho Ga Huong Que Cafe
1228 7th Ave.
Oakland, CA 94606
510-835-8488
Tuesday to Sunday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
*****
1 year ago today, Bo "Ne" Bit Tet (Vietnamese "Stand Back" Beef Steak).
2 years ago today, Fried Rice with Hot Dogs, Eggs, and Ketchup.
I, too, much prefer pho bo, but those pictures you have sure do look tasty...
ReplyDeletePhuong,
ReplyDeleteI only like pho ga from here. Otherwise, pho bo all the way.