Wo isst man Phở?: Tran Pho House (17/15)

Our second stop in our Pho quest took us to Tran Pho House in Charlottenburg. We went on a freezing sunday afternoon following a week of me being sick with bronchitis. A steaming hot bowl of noodles and beef seemed like the perfect antidote.

And it fulfilled it's promise on all fronts. We have no complaints and, compared to our last Pho venture we're now hopeful that there are more gems like this in Berlin waiting to be found.

On to the ratings:

• Flavour of the broth: good body, color and flavour. it wasn't overly aromatic but had a well developed flavour. the flavours that stood out the most were fish sauce and star anise. Score: 3/5
  
  
  


• Quantity of fresh herbs in relation to the soup: All that we wished for and more! Along with the bowls of soup we were given a plate heaped with fresh herbs, bean sprouts, chilies and lime. The herbs were thai basil, mint, something like watercress and another green that i'm not sure what it was. i kept topping up my bowl with more herbs throughout the meal. Score: 5/5 +2 because they were generous and it was what i was hoping for.
  
  


• Price/Quantity: At 7.90€ for a huge bowl there was no argument that this was definitely good value. Score: 5/5.

Summary: Along with some excellent rice paper starters, a pot of fresh ginger tea and a saigon beer our two bowls of Pho kept us satiated for the rest of the day.


Service was attentive and the space had a really cool altar as well as open plan kitchen where you can see your meal being put together. Next time we go we'll get a shot of that as well. Our one and only complaint was the cheezy jazz that was being piped in.

Total score: 15/15

Details:
Tran Pho House
Kantstrasse 33, 10625 Berlin

map

Wo isst man Phở?: Huyen Quang (5/15)

To begin our quest we decided to keep it fairly local and try one of the places in Spandau. We visited Huyen Quang in Alt-Spandau.

On this particular night it was absolutely Baltic out. somewhere around -10 or -12. perfect conditions for Phở. The restaurant is brightly lit with plenty of room to sit. The service was friendly and efficient, but, alas the Phở fell way short of our expectations.

• Flavour of the broth: it was insipid at best. it looked weak even before we tasted it. just dull and lacking in flavour. Score: 1/5.


• Quantity of fresh herbs in relation to the soup: Again, lacking. There were a few chopped coriander leaves scattered on top, and not nearly enough to even make an impression. Score: 1/5.


• Price/Quantity: There was a good ratio of meat to soup and we certainly didn't leave hungry. Just a bit dissatisfied. Cost of 1 soup: 4,90€ Score: 3/5.

Summary: A lacklustre start to our quest. The other appetisers we ordered were just as disappointing as the Phở. Total score: 5/15.

Details:
Huyen Quang
Breite Straße 20, 13597 Berlin

tel: 030 52 134 178
map

Wo isst man Phở?:

We are on a new quest in Berlin. We are in search of the best places to eat Phở. There are a few reasons why....

• we had just started to find amazing places in London to eat this fine soup before we upped and moved (again). Most memorable was Pho where we had the good luck to be able to take a peek in their kitchen and see the magic happening in their stock pots...it was a heady, breathtaking smell, that stock...i am salivating just thinking about it:
  
  
  
  we also had great Phở at our local vietnamese Khoai in crouch end, and at a few of the places dotted along Kingsland road. So the bar has been set with those experiences and we want to try more!


• it's dark and cold in berlin right now, and probably will be for another 2 months. nothing beckons more loudly in this kind of environment than a steaming bowl of noodle soup. perfect conditions for our voyage of discovery.


• there is a sizeable Vietnamese community in Berlin. so surely there must some good Phở

We'll be focusing on Pho with beef brisket. We'll use a rating scale of 1-5 for the following criteria that we feel are important to a good Phở

• Flavour of the broth. We're looking for depth of flavour here. Something that says this soup has been cooked with care and attention to the combination of herbs and spices as well as good meat.


• Quantity of fresh herbs in relation to the rest of the soup. We like LOTS of fresh herbs that we can add to the soup as wanted. Definitely a must is fresh coriander and a plus is a squeeze of lime.


• Price/Quantity. A big bowl of steaming soup for under 7€ will do very nicely thank you.

And to help you all follow us on our quest through Berlin we'll be adding our reviews to foodspotting and qype.