604379 Mon Mar 16 22:31:39 -0700 2009 10 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 4511887 First time to Turtle Tower Restaurant. It was pretty busy for a Sat night at 6pm. We got: Large #9 Pho Ga $6.75 - Chicken noodle soup. LOVED IT! Everyone should try this dish. Lots of soft, thin, rice noodles, not enough chicken meat for me, but that's ok, & green onions. Simple yet tasty. Small eaters should get a small $5.75, but if sharing Large is better. His dish we shared was #12 Buncha Ha Noi - grilled pork patty & sliced pork w/ vermicelli noodle & lettuce $7.95. I thought it was going to be served different and was a bit disappointed. Just some cold vermicelli noodles w/ lettuce and mint leaves, then a small bowl w/ a few grilled pork patty - the size of a quarter and some sliced pork. NOT enough Meat! Served in a fish sauce I think. Not my favorite. Caffe sua da - French filtered coffee w/ condensed milk iced $2.85. Tasted fine. $17.55 + $1.50 tax = $19.05 Before tip. CASH ONLY. One unisex bathroom in the back on the Right. Recommended for Pho Ga #9! Address: Larkin @ Willow My pics: http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLanding.action?c=t5dik17.7kshm9mn&x=0&y=-jsx2nw&localeid=en_US&cm_mmc=site_email-_-site_share-_-core-_-view_photos_button Mon Mar 16 22:31:39 -0700 2009 10677 hhc 1 4512691 My favorite is the beef stew in wine sauce with the wide flat noodles. Tue Mar 17 08:31:43 -0700 2009 4511887 34428 scarmoza 1 4513101 Best Pho Ga in he City, no doubt! Tue Mar 17 10:14:56 -0700 2009 4511887 13300 Civil Bear 1 4513159 Portion sizes are definitely Vietnamese rather than American. You can order chicken by itself, but I think it is pretty pricey and worth it only if you have a bunch of hungry people. They will also give you raw beef on the side for your noodles (even if you are ordering chicken). Personally, I think mixing beef with chicken is blasphemy. I've noticed that the Northern style bun plates aren't popular with the non Vietnamese, (possibly because people are expecting noodle soup?) They're better when the weather is hot and you want cool noodles with crunchy greens. Tue Mar 17 10:28:27 -0700 2009 4511887 237172 sfbing 1 4513415 Can you get the Pho Ga with innards? I've only had Pho Bo here and can't remember. Tue Mar 17 11:31:53 -0700 2009 4511887 11940 DezzerSF 2 4513511 Yes. I think it is #10. Tue Mar 17 11:57:05 -0700 2009 4513415 237172 sfbing 3 4527354 I gave #10 (chicken with intestines) a shot and liked how it tasted just like my chicken broth at home, good chicken stock with ginger and fish sauce undertones. The only thing missing was the ginger scallion sauce I make, but I guess it's more of a Chinese thing like they do at Pho Ga Huong Que in Oakland. All the innards (liver, gizzards, unlaid eggs and intestines) were nicely cooked, and I noticed that the unlaid eggs were especially tender here. I'm wondering, do they use the typical free range chicken here? I didn't get any dark meat (or at least I don't think I did) so it was hard for me to tell. I do agree with Ann L about the amount of chicken meat, it was pretty scant even for my large bowl... or maybe an option of all dark meat would suffice. The broth was very pale and clear, as opposed to Pho Kim Long's deep yellow broth in SJ. I'm guessing they use mostly chicken bones for the stock with minimal skin. At home, I use the leftover skin and bones from trimming down chicken thighs, so my broth always comes out very yellow, even after skimming the fat. As for the Pho Bo, I tasted my DC's beef broth to refresh my memory from my first visit, and I found the broth to be surprisingly un-beefy, tasted almost like a combination of chicken and beef broth. She got it with no onions, and it came without cilantro as well, so the plain, unadulterated broth is all we tasted...well, besides the sprinkle of ginger garnished on the beef. The broth was a light brown hue, very clear, with no notes of anise, cinnamon, or clove. I'd come back for the Pho Ga. Sun Mar 22 10:06:45 -0700 2009 4513511 11940 DezzerSF 4 4527371 The lighter, unadorned style is typical of Northern pho, which is what Turtle Tower specializes in. It's not to everyone's taste, however. Sun Mar 22 10:14:39 -0700 2009 4527354 10159 Ruth Lafler 5 4527401 Yeah I expected that for their Pho Bo, but I've had better Northern style Pho Bo at Pho Quan Ngon on Noriega, as well as Pho Ha Noi in San Jose. Pho Ga seems to be similar in both southern or northern styles. Sun Mar 22 10:25:23 -0700 2009 4527371 11940 DezzerSF 4 4539415 I'm pretty sure they are using whole chickens to make their stock-you can't get that flavor from just bones. My family makes chicken stock using whole chickens and the broth is similarly pale in color. I think it is because most Chinese or Vietnamese people do not roast the chicken prior to making stock (since most people lacked ovens in their homes). Thu Mar 26 02:37:50 -0700 2009 4527354 237172 sfbing 5 4541105 Good point, I remember making stock from carcasses I bought and it never developed enough meaty flavor. I guess my version is equivalent to using a chicken with 10 thighs! Thu Mar 26 12:35:24 -0700 2009 4539415 11940 DezzerSF