Pho Minh, Pho Minh, Pho Minh

[Thi N.]

I'll write more later, but - last week, there was exilekisses' post on Pho Minh:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/536215

After I wrote it up for Chow Digest last week, I started going a little nuts with craving. Had never heard of Pho Minh before, but all the stars seemed to be aligning, and it seemed exactly like the object of my years of fruitless searching - a pure, beef-energetic, unmasked experience of screaming cow. No masking flavors, no over-hits of clove or MSG or sweetness to cover rankness - just pure beef tang. My perfection is Pho Y in San Jose, and none of the 40-or-so beef pho places I've tried - throughout the Gaberhood and Chinatown and throughout Little Saigon - came close. I called my girlfriend - re-arranged my schedule, everything to get out there before the early closing time. But the whole time - I was gripped by the knowing sorrow - that so many times I have ventured forth in search of the One True Pho, and so many times I have ended in over-spiced, beef-deadened sorrow.

But Pho Minh is it.

I have to say it again: Pho Minh IS IT.

Pho Minh is the best pho I've had in southern california.

The #1 and the #2 are completely different broths.

#2 - Pho Dac Biet - is light, clean, lightly minerally, tangy - pho as the morning light. #1 - Dac Biet Pho Bac - is dark, mysterious - pho broth as the deep ocean night. Brown, sweet, possibly still mooing a little at the bottom of the bowl.

Pennywort tea is also super - and very charmingly grassy.

Uh, I can't say more. Pho Minh IS THE IT OF ALL ITS.

It is the pure, flying essence of beef tang

Also, I chatted up the owner, and he seemed worried - buried as it is in the back of a strip mall, nobody seems to know about it. The place was empty when I was there. We need to give this place some business and keep it alive, or I will cry a thousand tears, and the tears WILL NOT TASTE ENOUGH LIKE BEEF BROTH.

(Amusingly, he asked where I'd heard of the place. I said, "I read about it on the Internet." He looked at me, puzzled for a moment, then said, "Oh, so a friend told you?" "Yeah," I said. "A friend told me."

)

Thanks, Erik M and exilekiss and others, for this find.

Happy I am.

-thi

[ns1]

#2 - Pho Dac Biet - is light, clean, lightly minerally, tangy - pho as the morning light. #1 - Dac Biet Pho Bac - is dark, mysterious - pho broth as the deep ocean night. Brown, sweet, possibly still mooing a little at the bottom of the bowl.

Dude, that guy told me the only thing different was the meat.

[Thi N.]

That could most certainly be. Add-ins do a lot - I mean, that's the soul of pho, right? Light and clean enough that a few shreds of fresh herb, you can taste throughout the whole dish. My sister, f'ristance, prefers the tai - pure thin lean raw beef slices - and no other add-ins, at the aforementioned pho y because it brings out the cleaner flavors of the broth. It's actually a lot like, say, a Viet porridge place, where the same base broth just gets different meats mixed in a moment before serving - but it changes *everything*. Like at some of the places, you'll get some raw yellowtail slices put on top, that you mix in, and then suddenly the whole broth tastes like yellowtail, delicately. The intensity of the change may reflect the lightness of the broth.

Anyway, I'll ask - but I'm sure from my tasting, that the #1 and #2 are a completely different experience. If it's just the meat - then that's an awesome piece of data. Hmmm... it's like meat as condiment, meat as broth flavorent. It means that the filet is bringing a mighty strong dose of cooked sweet brown to the broth.

[ns1]

Well I asked him and that's what he said. We ended up ordering the #2 and adding in slices of filet (I like tripe and whatnot).

As I said in my review, I thought the broth @Pho Thanh Lich was beefier, but I'd be down to give it another shot =D

[WildSwede]

I went in yesterday and ordered the Dac Biet Pho Bac (#1) based on Exile's review. A minute later, I heard the owner, Erik, pounding away in the kitchen. I have to respectfully disagree with Exile's description of the broth being "dark, mysterious". I found it light and clean. I thought it was absolutely delicious. I thought the micro-thin sliced ginger added a different touch - I only got a taste of it every 10 bites or so.
After my meal, I spoke with the owner - Eric - his family helps him (he seemed so young that I assumed it was his family's restaurant and he was helping). I asked him what his favorite was of his offerings and he said that the one I ordered was his fave - in fact, he said when he saw me eating it, he made an order for himself. He said that a lot of people think the broths are different, but, in fact, they are the same. He said that for the #1 he pounds the meat to make it more tender and then pours boiling water over both sides (away from the soup) which in turn cooks the meat a little and gets rid of the blood. This is why the broth is not cloudy or murky as some are. I found this interesting. We also discussed the location and he said that business has been slowing, but that it was good before... so it made me happy that people at least know about the place. I am thinking the economy has something to do with the slow down.
There was one gentleman eating when I arrived (around 5:30) and no one else came in while I was there. I will definitely be back. One more thing, he does not use MSG and said that some people don't like it as much because of that reason - I told him he should put a sign that says No MSG since I know people who will not eat anywhere that uses it due to their reaction to it. Also, their menu indicates they are open 7 days a week from 8am-6pm. Cash only.
On a different note, I have been to the Pho place across the street and to the left of Pho Minh (not good). Also, the place that a lot of people mention on this board (cannot remember name - 3 words, but it is on the other side of the street, a few blocks east and has a driveway going to a parking lot to the right of it and a Mexican restaurant on the other side of the driveway) is where I tried to go a couple of years ago, but when I tried to park in the lot behind it, two people from the restaurant came and yelled at me telling me that I was going to the Mexican restaurant, even though I kept saying "no, Pho" over and over. But then when I saw one of the cooks washing dishes with the hose I was glad they would not let me park there. That disgusted me. In driving down Garvey, I realized that I have actually been to several of the pho places on that road, but noticed a few that I have not been to, so I will need to investigate more.
Thank you for leading me to Pho Minh - it was wonderful!

[Das Ubergeek]

Well, it got another bump in the LA Times today, so hopefully business will pick up. Pho Hien Khanh (is that the proper name of it?) across the street is absolutely revolting, I wish it would dry up and blow away on the monsoon.

My Hanh, which is nearby, has just OK pho but absolutely great bun thit nuong.

[WildSwede]

Is My Hanh on the same side of the street - a stand-alone building? I have been there. Did not think the pho was great, but the men working in there worked really hard at helping me have a great meal - they were very nice to me. Yeah, whatever that place across the street is called, it should be called revolting!! ;-)
Hope business picks up for Erik!! Thanks Uber!

[Das Ubergeek]

My Hanh is on the north side of the street, in a two-story minimall, near where El Taco Nazo used to be.

[Ciao Bob]

A friend recommended Pho Filet nearby, any comparisons to Minh?

[happycat]

Had lunch at Pho Minh today--read thi's CH review and today's LA Times article, literally dropped everything to go. Got there 12:45, the joint was jumpin'. There were people waiting for a table, the staff couldn't clean tables fast enough, and people kept coming in. Erik and the staff were literally running, faces flushed, looking flustered and happy and dazed as they struggled to keep up. When Erik took my name, I joked that a lot of people must've read the Times this morning. He smiled, a little uncertainly. "I didn't expect this," he said.

I sat there patiently, waiting for my #! and trying not to swoon from the fragrance coming from the kitchen. It was so clean, so pure a smell. Just like the flavor of my broth. Beautiful. A lot saltier than I expected, but so flavorful. The noodles were wider and softer than I expected, but it worked. The finely julienned ginger was a great touch. I also ordered the pennywort drink, which I've never had but liked a lot. It reminded me of my favorite blend at a juice bar, only lighter.

I wonder, though, how Erik managed. If he'd prepared for the usual non-crowd and got slammed, did he have to compromise or use shortcuts? Does he keep back-up stock in the freezer? Does he always make way more than he needs? If he compromised, he did so gracefully, and I can't wait to go back when he's not so busy (like breakfast, soon!) to see if the broth is even better.

[happycat]

Sorry, Erik. Sorry, Eric. I confused your names!

[bsquared2]

Glad to hear they got a bump in business. Their Pho is very good but it is a little out of the way and is hard to find. While most Pho joints don't do much marketing, I think they could really do something to set them apart from the parade of Pho shops in the neighborhood. I read the article and the owner sounds like a smart guy. I hope they are able to capitalize on the publicity like when JGold first reviewed them. I know the folks on Chowhound have been big supporters too.

The Pho is very good and the owners sound like good people. I pledge to eat a bowl of Pho or Bun Bo Hue (which my wife says is better than the Pho there) to help support them.

How about a banner or something? A guy dressed like a Spring Roll standing on the corner. One of those flippy sign guys who promote condos? They do play great VN country music DVDs on the LCD. Seize the Day!

[mpken]

"Their Pho is very good but it is a little out of the way and is hard to find."

That makes eating at Pho Minh that much better and at the same time elevates your "houndliness".

[bsquared2]

Yes, but what enhances the "houndliness" also makes it hard for non-hounds to try. We go out to the SGV almost every weekend to buy groceries at the 99 Ranch Market and while we love Pho Minh, sometimes it is easier to go to Saigon Flavor or somewhere else. Usually when we are in the mood for BBH, we go to Nem Nuong Khanh Hoa. We love the food there and the owners are the nicest people in the world. If they ever closed, I would be very upset because I love the Nem Nuong Spring Rolls so much.

I'm all about supporting good VN restaurants since there are many that are discussed that I think are pretty mediocre. I feel bad when people say they've had VN food and they mention a really weak place they have been to.

I do realize that some of the places I eat at when I visit VN would never fly in the US. We ate at a BBQ Goat restaurant in Saigon that was delicious but most people would run screaming from. Some friends were disgusted when I mentioned a night of eating snails and drinking beer at a Saigon Beer Hall.

But I will go out of the way to go back to Pho Minh because I do feel that they elevate the level of Pho in the SGV.

[mpken]

Didn't mean to poke at your "houndliness" bsquared2. You definitely have the chops.

Thanks for the tip on Nem Nuong Khanh Hoa. We'll be checking it out soon.

[bsquared2]

I was just talking about the fact that some places are really a bit out of the way. I really like Pho Minh but if I was recommending a place to a neophyte, I might pick a place that was easier to find. There are other places that are more on the "main drag".

It's the same when we go down to OC. There are those places that are a little closer to the other places we go to. For example, we often eat Bun Bo Hue at Quan Hy because we also like the Rice Cakes and they are close to the "King of Beef Jerky". Sounds silly, but there is something to be said for convenience.

[Will Owen]

"I pledge to eat a bowl of Pho or Bun Bo Hue (which my wife says is better than the Pho there)..."

Okay, that does it! I am not a connoisseur of either dish, just like them a lot, but the few examples of bun bo hue I've had curled my toes and stuck a lingering goofy grin on my face. Just too damn bad they close in the middle of the day...

[ns1]

It's great to hear the pickup in business - this is definitely one of the restaurants we can't let fail.

Long live the #1!

[kevin]

this place sounds familiar, is it the same joint that was struggling for business and the la times did a non-food article on it????

[exilekiss]

Hi WildSwede,

I'm so glad you liked Pho Minh. It's my favorite Pho place in town. :) But to clarify... when did I ever say the broth was "Dark and mysterious"? I don't recall ever saying that. I'm one of the supporters. :)

[ns1]

"dark and mysterious" is actually a Thi. N line

My god, you know you've been on chowhound too long when you can recognize quotes from prolific posters.

[WildSwede]

Oh, that's funny. When I saw the post THIS TIME (none of the other times did it register) I had a thought that it was actually Thi who said it (I actually re-read his whole post again to confirm and was going to apologize to Exile! I think I am losing my mind! I apologize Exile!! Okay, I respecfully disagree with Thi!! Thanks for catching that!! ;-)
Also, I don't think describing something as "dark and mysterious" is necessarily bad, I just didn't find my #1 that way at all!!

[TonyC]

^ hahaha! that's hilarious...

Been eating Pho Minh since first week of opening but... I also fear for Minh's owner. Kim V just opened on August 9 across the street and that place is already hustlin'/buslin'

Like they always say, location, location, location.

Aside: the tofu place in the same complex as Minh produces some foul dou hua. Just pass go.

[ns1]

thanks for the heads up, my and the wifey were thinking about dropping by and picking up some tofu

[rameniac]

yo thi!

what's up man! you know, i tried pho minh a while back on exile and erik's rec, and it didn't really do it for me. too light for someone with MSG running through his veins lol, but if ya likes it, ya likes it.

my point in all this is that i've been going almost directly across the street to a place called PHO FILET. the pho bac there, in contrast, totally rocks. only pho i've ever had that doesn't immediately make me want to put sriracha or any of the other table sauces into it.

to each his own, but i say check out pho filet, if just for comparison, next time you're in the area!

[Thi N.]

Mmm... the emotional distance between your (and my) beloved kyushu-style ramen, and pure Pure Pho Style as practiced by Pho Minh, is approximately the distance between gumbo and sashimi.

Not to say there's anything wrong with kyushu style or gumbo - they both flare mightily in my heart. But it requires.... almost a different attitude. Quieting the mind, paying weird, close attention. Also sort of like the difference between enjoying a pinot noir and enjoying a fresh white tea.

It's easier to like pho minh-style for breakfast, too.

[ipsedixit]

rameniac -- did you ever find them fishballs?

[rameniac]

thanks ipse! i did! i found them at 99 ranch actually, in the freezers with the doors (near the live seafood tanks, at the opposite end from the open air freezers with the majority of the cheap brand balls in em)... haven't tried them yet but i will soon =)

[exilekiss]

Hi Thi N.,

Nice! (^_^) Glad you ended up enjoying this place, and great write-up!

[ns1]

man I don't know what's going on, but the chow gods conspired against us yesterday.

First we went to Pho Hien. This was about 8p on a tuesday night, CLOSED.
Drive down the street to Pho Minh. CLOSED.
Up the street some more to Pho Filet. CLOSED.

Ended up going to Pho Patseur. What a tragic, tragic mistake that was.

[Thi N.]

Pho Minh, painfully, is only open until 7 PM. But they're open early.

[ns1]

wow, consider my mind blown.

Guess it'll only be a weekend affair then. I agree though, it would be a great bowl to have in the morning ;)

[rameniac]

i ran into the same issue one tuesday last month! filet closes on tuesday, their default "let's pick a random day of the week and shut down" day. same with minh i believe (and i was there earlier than 7, i think). hien mai was shuttered and hien was open but i had no intention of going there. i forgot what i ate that afternoon. i think, nothing. lol.

note to self: forget pho on tuesdays altogether.

[raytamsgv]

I don't suppose you're related to C. Thi Nguyen, who wrote the following article in the LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/los...

[ns1]

I'm pretty sure that IS him.

[Thi N.]

That is, indeed, me. The find of Pho Minh came just in time to slide in as a last-minute re-edit, replacing a much lesser pho joint. Which makes me happy, because I'm alarmed that Pho Minh seems to be: 1. the best pho place in all of San Gabriel, and perhaps SoCal, and 2. the least crowded pho places in all of San Gabriel. Scary.

As a side note, if you ever have out of town weekend visitors who lack for bizarre entertainment, inform that that you have a Monday deadline and take them on a whirlwind tour of something like eleven soy-milk places in a single weekend until they collapse, weeping, and beg for mercy.

[ns1]

I feel that that owner did me so much wrong the first time I came there.

The #1 is ENTIRELY, ENTIRELY different than any bowl of pho I've ever had in my life, and I've had ALOT of bowls of pho in my life. Hell I feel that YOU did me wrong, because it's so not just the broth!

1. Meat, pounded out like country fried steak. Feels like he uses several pieces of tai and pounded them together and smashed it up and put on top
2. Noodles, ENTIRELY DIFFERENT. I have NEVER seen noodles like that before in pho. Ridiculously light, thin, delicate.
3. Broth, once again, entirely different; ginger WTF?

Not gonna lie, at first I was kinda put off by it all, but after about 5 minutes I couldn't get enough. That broth, much fattier than the #2, almost the "kotteri" of pho if you will. As a byproduct, it keeps the broth HOT.

Wifey also had the bun bo hue, which I can report back is also delicious.

[Thi N.]

Right, huh? #2: light, tangy, clean. #1: intense, fattier, browner, and more low-sweet flavors.

I'm guessing the meat in #1 is a seriously different cut, and maybe pre-cooked in a different way? The thin flank in #2 is traditionally sliced thin and raw and thrown into the broth to cook - if not that, then simmered? The meats in #1

[ns1]

I don't think so. I mean you can hear him banging it out in the back before he serves it to you, and when it comes out it's still a little pink from cooking in the broth.

I still feel it's either tai pounded together or a thicker cut of meat then pounded to oblivion to get that texture

[kure]

I went here today for the first time and it was really good. I've been looking for a pho place with no MSG in the broth so I'm happy this place exists.

[rameniac]

that meat i think is supposed to be filet mignon, although i'm not sure it really is. is this the northern pho style? time for erik m. to chime in again.

again, i much prefer it across the street at pho filet, the only place where i don't put in the hoisin/sriracha combo and actually order the pulpy steak on the side so as not to cloud the broth. but thi, you've at least convinced me to give pho minh another shot. i think the two flies last time put me off more than anything else. not because of health reasons so much as i was annoyed to have to keep swatting at them with no other customers in the place and no one else's food to attack.

[Thi N.]

Oh lordy, I completely forgot they had bun bo hue. I need to try that.

Does wifey have a list of favored bun bo hue joints?

[ns1]

We usually do bun bo hue at home (when I'm with my parents). I seem to recall we used to go to Cong Ly (maybe?) on Westminster. My memory seems to escape me at the moment..

[The Chowhound Team]

We split a discussion of pho eating etiquette to the General Topics board. Please go here if you'd like to participate in that discussion:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/552754

[mpken]

Thanks Thi for your write up. And thanks to Erik M and exilekiss for bringing Pho Minh to light. After reading Thi's follow up comment on Mariscos Chente LAT's thread, I had to chime in and say that this post has brought me to Pho Minh just about every weekend this year, save one or two weeks. Eating at Pho Minh has really changed the way we, my wife and me, eat and experience pho. We used to douse our broth with siracha, lime, herbs, and what have you before eating. Now upon discovering Pho Minh, we hardly put anything in and let the broth shine on its own with it's subtle perfuming from the meat. We're also concerned about how they stay around with such sparse business, so we're doing our part in trying to keep this establishment around. Hard to eat other pho after eating at Pho Minh.

mpken

[Thi N.]

This makes me incredibly happy to hear. Both that you like it, and that it effected you in anyway.

It's breathtaking pho - firmly taking 1st place pho in America from Pho Y in San Jose, from me. Freaking gorgeous.

I'm *really* worried about the lack of business, though.

I put it in as one of the items in my Times Asian Breakfast round-up since the original post, but it doesn't seem to have changed the business any. Goddammit, this place is so good it makes me cry and it's *empty* all the time.

[ns1]

It's usually not completely dead when I go. I try to go during off peak hours and I usually find 2-3 tables (besides myself) occupied. It was fairly busy when I dropped in on a random Sunday morning...

That said, I totally agree with this line

"Eating at Pho Minh has really changed the way we, my wife and me, eat and experience pho."

I was at Pho Thanh Lich over the weekend, and the Pho Bac @Pho Minh was impossibly superior.

I mean hell, if Izakaya Bincho can stay in business, I'm sure Pho Minh can lol

[peppermonkey]

Just went today...and the broth of #1 was just so delicious...and got better with each sip...the noodles were a little softer than I'd like but it didn't matter because it was just a vehicle for the broth...ended up slurping up the whole thing....i'm also worried about the "emptyness." hope it survives

[ns1]

hey guys, I noticed on yelp that there were only 13 reviews of this place :(

If you're serious about saving it, maybe you can make a nice blurb there too.

[kevin]

maybe the Times was exaggerating how bad business was?

[Das Ubergeek]

Business is up because it was just featured in the Times again.

[carln]

not at all. the place has been pretty empty for a while. Ive been there a few times and at most there were 2 or 3 other people in the place. I was there the day the article ran (a day or two ago) and it was packed. This happened right after JG wrote his article too and then it died down. There is definately an "article" bump happening and that will likely be over soon. Hopefully some of the new customers that are trying it will become loyal followers.

[ns1]

Nah, it's pretty much as they describe it everytime I've been there.

[NAspy]

I hadn't been in several months, and went with 3 friends from work yesterday at around 1 PM and just about every table was taken. And definitely not just by locals. We all ended up ordering #1, without having read the praise on this board, and we all really liked it. I think they are doing a lot better in terms of business these days.

[ns1]

that's fantastic to hear.

I didn't want to go in over the past weekend because I might be busy; might hold off this weekend too :)

[kevin]

it was very busy when i went and interesting the tables that were empty still had dirty plates and place settings on them. but they don't seem to be understaffed.

when i went they asked if i wanted the thin noodles or the soft, wider noodles, i went with the soft, wider noodles is that appropriate. and i think the ginger is a nice kick. and that there's no MSG in there is great, i didn't feel like a pile of dog shit afterward so that was indeed a good sign.

[WildSwede]

When I spoke with Erik, he said that #1 is the only one that he puts the wider noodles in. The others have the thinner ones. I asked if there was a reason and he said he just thought they would go better.

[kevin]

what other numbers on the menu are good, i have only tried the number #! which for some reason does not have an english translation, the only one that doesn't

i believe there's over a dozen other numbers. and in addition to mentioining the other numbers, please mention what are the additions or substractions in those numbers.

[ns1]

Uh, the numbers are just a formality.

It's pho + meat, with each number signifying one more or less meat item.

1 = special northern style
2 = special large bowl
3 = special regular bowl (i think, this is standard vietnamese menu order)
4 = special - 1 meat
5 = special - 1 other meat

so on, so forth

The only different ones would be like, chicken and bo vien (meatballs)

[mpken]

Off the menu tip: you can order #1 and #2 in the small bowl, even though it's not listed. That way you can save room and drink all the goodness.

The two rice dishes are on the right side, which I hear are pretty good. Erik is really good at describing the differences between the types of brisket, Nam and Chin. Nam is the fattier of the two, sort of like Johnny's or the Hat's pastrami, fat-wise. Chin is the leaner stuff.

[mpken]

Anybody been to Pho Minh lately? The last few times we've gone it has been closed. We went this past Saturday around 9am and the last two times in the evenings around 7 pm and 8 pm during the week. The sign with the operating hours is also gone. Strange.

Went to Pho Huynh, Pho Fillet, and Tito's Market instead. Tito's sandwiches were good, but we're still jonesing for Pho Minh.

-----
Tito's Market
9814 Garvey Ave, El Monte, CA

Pho Minh
9646 Garvey Ave, South El Monte, CA 91733

Pho Huynh
9706 Garvey Ave, El Monte, CA 91733

[kevin]

let me know if it's still open, if anyone else knows. thanks.

[carln]

I was there last week and Eric said that it has been tough recently. It was still open at the time but he seemed resigned to the fact that it probably wouldnt survive much longer. I sincerely hope he didnt close down, but i know that was a distinct posibility.

[maiweezy]

No signage indicates the store is officially closed, but, a shopkeeper next door said she hadn't seen any of Pho Minh's employees around for 2 weeks. There also was a notice posted on their door stating they were 2 months late paying their PG&E bill. The restaurant still looks the same on the inside though (all the condiments still on the tables). I'm hoping Eric just needed a break and it's not closed for good.

-----
Pho Minh
9646 Garvey Ave, South El Monte, CA 91733

[Johnny L]

as good as his pho is there is too much competition on Garvey for a Pho restaurant especially if it doesn't have a storefront right on the sidewalk.

It sucks to say but I am surprised it has lasted as long as it did. Even if its not out yet I dont think it will last much longer.

[ns1]

this. Worst location ever.

[Dommy]

:( Sad day...

--Dommy!

[Das Ubergeek]

I went by tonight and there was no sign of anyone. I ate at JTYH instead.

-----
JTYH Restaurant
9425 Valley Blvd, Rosemead, CA 91770