42750 Thu Jan 12 04:07:43 -0800 2006 8 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 207904 Finding my intended lunch destination closed, I peeked in the door of a spot nearby and saw "chicken noodle soup with young eggs" listed on the white board as a daily special. After sitting down, I then learned that there were no more young eggs available. So, I settled for the pho ga dac biet, $5.15, instead. This came with a copious quantity of coarsely shredded white meat chicken with skin and bones removed. Maybe even a half breast worth, and though I normally prefer the dark meat, this was velvety textured and tender. The rice noodles were the thin variety, nearly square cut. Garnishes were fresh and I reveled in the aroma of the basil wafting up from the hot soup. The bowl was topped with thin slivers of white onion, fried shallots, green onions, and fresh cilantro. The one minus was the chicken stock itself. It was a tad greasy, a bit dilute, and the flavor was too sweet even after I added a squirt of lemon, which I rarely do. While nothing to rave about, it was satisfying enough. Pho Hoa Hung 425 Ellis St. SF 94102 415.474.4312 Open 7 days a week 8:30am to 8:00pm Image: http://home.earthlink.net/~melanista/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/phhphoga.jpg Thu Jan 12 04:07:43 -0800 2006 0 Melanie Wong 1 208433 hi. i noticed that the "pho ga dac biet" you were served at this pho place looks more like plain old "pho ga"... i thought when it is called "pho ga dac biet" they are to serve you chopped pieces of cook hen on a side dish seperate from the pho ga? but i guess every pho shop has its own version? Sun Jan 15 23:07:38 -0800 2006 207904 0 uyen 2 208452 As you know dac biet means house specialty. Iirc, there was only this one iteration of pho ga on the menu so that's as good as it gets here. When I asked about it, the guy who I think is the owner just said that it was made with live, white chicken, which I think means it was a fresh, free-range chicken and only the white meat was used. So, I'd bet you're right in that every place has their own idea of what's special about their dac biet. I was curious about the white board special of pho ga with "young eggs". Would you happen to know if that means what some people call unborn eggs? Mon Jan 16 01:34:25 -0800 2006 208433 0 Melanie Wong 3 208582 from what i understand, "young eggs" or if it was posted, "trung ga non" means unborn eggs. if you have been to pho ao sen, their pho ga dac biet has this "unborn egg" on a seperate side dish along with chopped pieces of cooked hen meat "ga dai" along with chicken liver and other chicken parts (i don't mean to sound, uh, graphic). or i think you can order the "trung ga non" with your pho ga--i think? Mon Jan 16 21:13:17 -0800 2006 208452 0 uyen 4 208617 Thanks for the explanation. I don't recall the VN words on the whiteboard, but now I know to ask for this at other restaurants. Tue Jan 17 02:29:36 -0800 2006 208582 0 Melanie Wong 4 208631 "UNBORN EGGS"! you've been holding out on me! Where is Pho Au Sen?...I can't find it on 2 Yellow pages sites! Thanks Tue Jan 17 11:44:57 -0800 2006 208582 0 ChowFun (derek) 5 208632 Try Pho Ao Sen. Oakland and Newark(?) Tue Jan 17 11:49:30 -0800 2006 208631 0 ericf 6 208634 Announcement...! I will go ANYWHERE for "unborn eggs" preferably a supermarket where I can buy my own...please keeep your collective eyes open for these Golden Orbs! Tue Jan 17 12:06:21 -0800 2006 208632 0 ChowFun (derek) 7 208641 As I said, Pho Hoa Hung in the Tenderloin had them on the daily specials board but were already sold out when I was there. You might give 'em a call. Tue Jan 17 12:44:40 -0800 2006 208634 0 Melanie Wong