Tasty variations of the standards at affordable prices
The bright freshness of classic Vietnamese cooking shines through at Pho Kim. This cheerful eatery on West Alameda offers more than a hundred variations of the Southeast Asian country’s standard dishes, all at very affordable prices.
The name may not say it all, but it says a whole lot: Order the signature big bowl of rice noodles in broth with beef, chicken or seafood ($7.99-$10.50). The broth is light but tasty, garnished with sliced scallions, and the protein additions are generous and perfectly cooked — the shrimp in the seafood version was just pink, while the slices of chicken breast in another variation were tender and just done through. Another version, which we didn’t spot the first time around, is topped with rare steak.
We enjoyed doctoring up our pho with the fresh sprigs of basil and cilantro, plus sliced jalapeño peppers and crunchy bean sprouts, served alongside. If you want real chile heat, check out the condiment sauces on each table. A bowlful of pho is more than a meal!
We also sampled the spring rolls — another Vietnamese classic — with shrimp and also with grilled pork. Served cold and wrapped in rice “paper” stuffed with sprouts and more, these were flavorful and even filling. The peanut dipping sauce was rich and mild, and topped with finely diced peanuts for extra crunch.
As you might expect, the 124-item menu offers a dizzying array of other choices. If you know an expert in this cuisine, or even a frequent-flier tourist to the country, bring them along to make sense of it all.
As it was, we took a couple of stabs in the dark, selecting a sort of combination plate (OK, it was a bowl) that included the rice noodles plus an egg-roll type thing and a variety of meats on top, including pork and sausage, plus stuffed tofu ($10.95). It was a lot like pho, minus the broth. Find it under the “Bun” section of the menu.
We noticed another dish, the crispy bird’s nest with seafood ($11.95) that was popular with other diners and we made a point to try it on a second visit. It was great: more rice noodles, this time crisply fried (we guessed, although there was not a trace of oil to mar the crunch) and holding an excellent stir fry that featured shrimp (again) plus catfish.
And, a little strangely to the American expectation, a variety of processed seafood, made from finely ground white fish that has been shaped and colored to resemble, for example, the meat from crab legs. (I counted three forms of this stuff in the mixture, which I gobbled cheerfully — philistine that I am, I actually kind of like it.) Tender baby bok choy, onions and broccoli florets rounded out the stir fry in a mild and slightly sweet sauce.
The menu includes a wide variety of other selections, including banh mi, Vietnam’s sandwich. The French colonial influence surely must be responsible for these baguette-based treats stuffed with East-meets-West delectables. Egg noodle versions of pho, “dry” noodle dishes like the “bun” we sampled, and straightahead stir-fries, along with a selection of curries, round out the menu.
Pho Kim doesn’t appear to offer dessert, apart from the standard fortune cookie presented with the bill. But my Southeast Asia expert knew to order Vietnamese coffee. This turned out to be very strong and richly flavored, filtered into a cup already laced with sweetened condensed milk. Stir it up and sip it as the finish to your meal.