Pho 999 North Hollywood
If you’re ever in the mood for some pho, then look no further than Pho 999 at 707 N Hudson Avenue in North Hollywood. This place has consistently great reviews on Yelp and Google as well as being voted best overall restaurant in Santa Monica by Best of Burgh.
Pho is probably one of the most popular foods worldwide. It comes either plain or with meat and rice noodles in it. The broth is what makes it special- we recommend trying variations to see which ones taste better to you!
The thing about pho (like many other dishes) is that there are several different recipes for it. Some have chicken stock instead of beef stock, for instance. Or, they may use lime juice instead of lemon for the fresh flavor. All these versions work, but just because one way is considered “better” doesn't make it right for everyone.
At Pho 999, they offer two types of soup: classic pho and spicy basil. The classic recipe is already known to be delicious, but if you want more flavor try the spicy basil! Both are very good, so don’t feel like you need to choose one over the other unless you really can’t stand strong flavors.
Overall, this place does not disappoint when it comes to food! They keep up with current trends and use quality ingredients.
Popular pho locations in Los Angeles
If you are looking to try some delicious Vietnamese food, then there is no need to look any further than South East Asia. With so many different countries having such great cuisine, it is easy to find something that appeals to most people!
Pho is one of the top street foods around the world and has become very popular in America as well. There are several restaurants that have gained recognition for their outstanding pho (Vietnamese soup with noodles and meat or vegetable broth) and rolls. Some even offer specialties like chicken rice or pork noodle roll-ups!
Many consider pho to be an essential part of the culinary landscape, and there are plenty of theories about how it got its start. One theory says that it was invented in Vietnam over 1000 years ago!
Whatever history pho may hold, one thing’s for sure: it can never get boring.
Popular pho locations in Paris
In fact, there are only two “pho” restaurants that have been awarded three stars by Gourmandists (the organization that rates restaurant quality and reviews). These are Champs-Élysées and Le Bistro de la Rue Royale, both of which offer classic French noodle soup with meat or chicken and rice/crispy noodles.
Champs-Élysées is famous for their large portions of broth, fresh herbs and spices used to make the seasoning mix, and additional toppings such as cucumber, bean sprouts and dried fruits like apricots and raisins.
It should be noted that most people agree that the best way to eat pho is very lightly salted so some saltiness comes from either the plain white rice or the tangy nuoc mam sauce, not the salty misonyx or rooster style poisson bouillonette (fish stock) base.
Phở 999 has been praised for its excellent bún bo gõ cuon (rice vermicelli dish), mi khuât oi (pickled vegetables) and đuôi chăng (fried spring rolls with pork and basil) along with their delicious nuoc mam.
The first pho restaurant I ever went to
My love for Vietnamese cuisine was kind of funny, because it took me almost two years to realize there is an actual national dish!
I didn’t know what the heck “pho” was until my second year in college when some friends and I decided we needed something vegetarian for lunch. We picked out the menu at random and I remember thinking how weird it was that they had noodles with meat stock as one option!
We chose the veggie noodle soup instead and called it something else (probably not even close to what people actually call it now), but either way it sounded delicious so we ordered it. When our sandwiches came, though, I noticed that the veggie broth wasn’t quite right. It tasted more like soy milk than beef stock, which is totally fine, but then the spices were also mostly soy-based rather than being clearly chicken or fish-flavored.
It all sort of made sense, since the fake broth probably has gluten in it, but still - this isn’t exactly pho! I don’t think anyone would complain if you just referred to it as vegan pho, but it definitely doesn’t taste or feel authentic.
The best pho in Los Angeles
If you’re looking for some good, honest-to-goodness pho (pronounced fuh as in “food,” not “foo” like the furry animal), then look no further than Pho 999. It is easily one of my favorite things to eat in all of Luscious Land!
I first tried this restaurant’s famous chicken phở at an event held by FoodNetwork.com. Since then I have visited it both during business hours and after close for lunch or dinner.
It always tastes just as great whether there are many people eating it or not because they stock enough food for even the hungriest crowd!
They also have set meal times which can be helpful if you are running late for work or other commitments.
The best pho in Paris
For those who have never tried French style pho, you are missing out! There is one place in north hollywood that has some of the best-quality pho you will find anywhere. They take their time to make sure everything is just right so that you enjoy every last drop of broth and meat.
When it comes to taste, they say “the better your ingredients, the better the soup” - which makes sense since the flavor of the broth and the quality of the meat and rice in the bowl come from these. Their stock cubes are freshly made and packed with fresh herbs and spices so all of that adds up to rich flavor.
Their rice noodles are thin and almost crispy like what we know as ramen here but with more flavor. And their beef or chicken broths are strong and delicious enough to be drunk on their own. All this contributes to an incredible depth of flavor that really sets this pho apart.
It is hard to choose favorites because each meal tastes different depending on how much rice and noodle people add themselves and how spicy they like theirs, but my personal favorite is the Thai basil sauce. It does not contain any sugar or salt, and instead it features fermented soybeans and red chili flakes which give it a slightly tangy flavor.
Pho restaurants that aren’t in Los Angeles or Paris
While not every pho restaurant is going to have an impressive number of trays, most do at least offer enough space for you to get all of your broth and rice soup and meat into yourself.
Some make it easy to customize your broth and vegies too! For instance, many places let you choose how much mint or basil to put into your broth or if you want no herbs at all.
The perfect pho recipe
While there are many recipes for making good pho, none of them seem to be clear cut! Some have red pepper while others do not, some use chicken broth instead of water, and some call for more or less rice depending on your preference.
In fact, one of the biggest debates seems to be whether or not you should include soy sauce in the soup! This could very well depend on where you live and what kind of flavor you like in your pho.
At least two brands of canned thickened chicken broths that contain no salt (such as Better Than Broth and Golden Harvest) usually contain high amounts of sodium which may influence how salty your finished product is. These types of broths can sometimes be used as an alternative to plain old tap water when creating the base liquid for the pho.
Another option would be using salted drinking water instead of unsalted chicken broth.
Tips for eating pho
Now that you are more familiar with what types of meat, vegetables, noodles, and broth your pho contains, the next step is to determine how much you want to consume.
Just like any other Asian cuisine, pho recipes contain rice as the base and source of energy for the meal. Therefore, we will usually recommend one cup of cooked brown or white rice per person. If you do not eat enough rice, then you can make additional servings of pho later!
Another important part of the pho recipe is the amount of fresh herbs and veggies in the soup. A good rule of thumb is to add an extra serving of greens or vegetables for every two people you are making the soup for.
General tips: if you are unsure whether or not the ingredients in a pho bowl are vegetarian or vegan friendly, then do not worry about it. Many restaurants use chicken stock as their liquid so there may be some unknown additives in the mix.