Last week while in Toronto I had a WonderPho dinner. I was first introduced to Pho by my colleague Denny almost 10 years ago, and it has been one of my favorites since that time.

I have since had Pho in many different places around the world, and also several different types. Pho originated in Vietnam, and has spread to other place where the Vietnamese have immigrated to. Toronto is no exception to this rule. During the two weeks that I was in Toronto, I ate at two different Vietnamese restaurants.

Pho is frequently mispronounced by us here in the US. We typically pronounce it with a long ‘o’, but it is actually pronounce similar to ‘fa’ like the musical tone. One of the other things I like about Pho restaurants is that they sometimes have punny names. One that comes to mind is Phoever in Sydney. I have also seen one named UnPhogettable.

Basic Pho is rice noodles in a beef broth with rare beef or beef brisket. Bean sprouts, peppers and basil are usually served on the side, for you to add in the quantities that you like. If you are adventurous, there are many different ingredients that you can order with your large bowl of Pho. Flank, crunchy flank, fatty flank, meatballs, tripe, tendon can all be added for a richer taste.

Give it a try, check your local listings for the nearest Vietnamese restaurant.

Place your order and wait for a nice steamy bowl of Pho to be delivered to your table. Then add your side ingredients and a nice healthy squeeze of Sriracha and grab your chopsticks. Enjoy!

At WonderPho, I had a variation of Pho called Pho Cari. Instead of the beef broth, Pho Cari was made with a spicy coconut curry broth. A variation that I will gladly try again. It reminded me of Laksa, a Malaysian specialty that I enjoy when I go to Singapore.

It was truly a WonderPho dinner.

Steven