We can’t understand why Kim Phung keeps winning readers’ polls for “Best Pho” when there are now at least three places whose versions are so deep and beefy, so intensely flavored and nourishing that they blow that bland dinosaur away. Don’t believe us? Ask the hordes who swarm this place on weekends, filling every table of a restaurant that is more than twice the size of the others.

This huge, airy space is a little more high-tech than usual, with flat-screen TVs showing the news and sports, and track lighting that is superfluous during the day, given the abundant natural light from the floor-to-ceiling windows that make up two walls. Santa Fe sunset colors and heavy, pink Buddhas greet diners in the foyer, but these small touches towards elegance don’t fool anyone: this is, first and foremost, a chow factory. Each table is stocked with its own spoons, chopsticks, napkins, and sauces, so that the staff can concentrate on getting diners in and out. On weekends, the foyer continuously fills up with people of all ages and ethnicities, no matter how quickly they are seated.

If you’ve got kids, Saigon’s got highchairs, and this cuisine is surprisingly accommodating to youngsters. The downside is that it gets noisy in there, but if you’re nursing a hangover, the pho will enfold you and shut out all else.

To compare Austin’s best pho—we think Pho Danh, Pho Van, and Pho Saigon—nearly brings us to the point of splitting hairs. These three have deeply beefy and beautifully salted broths; Pho Saigon’s broth is a little deeper than Danh’s, but not as baking-spicy as Pho Van’s. Unlike at those two, the fatty brisket at Saigon is inedible, just rubbery sheets of yellow fat with little meat; it helps flavor the broth, but the excellent tender flank and eye round are what you’ll want mouthfuls of.

The one thing this place does better than Pho Van is bun, with less oily vermicelli and nicely crisped pork, a refreshing fish sauce and sweet, charred shrimp. Forget about spring rolls, which are bereft of mint or cilantro, and come with saccharine peanut sauce (Tâm Deli still has our vote for the best of these). But still, to riff on a classic bumper sticker: If you’re voting for Kim Phung, you haven’t been paying attention.

I have the Fearless Critic book, 2nd Edition, I believe this is the most recent. I and would love to read the rest of this review but it's not in the book.

sue - 2010-02-27 14:33

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