Tri Nguyen

By Tri Nguyen

First, visit Pho Bac on Rainier Avenue in Mt. Baker. (Even Chef Tom Douglas likes the pho here!)

Then, order a medium bowl of Tai Nam Gan Sach with the following special requests:

• hold the “fatty water”
• parboil the bean sprouts
• a little less rice noodles
• a dish of vinegared onions on the side

A steaming bowl of pho will arrive. Alongside it will be a small plate mounded high with garnishes. Please taste the soup before you dress it up.

I like it like this: toss in a handful of bean sprouts, a few jalapeño slices, lots of shredded basil leaves; then a squirt of hoisin sauce goes in, a squirt of Sriracha hot sauce, and a good squeeze of lime. (I keep the vinegared onions on the side for nibbling.)

All to taste of course.

Before eating, mix thoroughly using your chopsticks and Chinese soup spoon.

Now this is just how I like my pho. My regular order is Tai Nam Gan Sach (Tai is rare eye round steak, Nam is flank, Gan is soft tendon and Sach is tripe), but you’ll end up ordering whichever combination suits you—like your choice of garnishes, this is what makes pho such a delight. Some are meats are lean, some are fattier, some are rare and these you have stir in the broth before it cools. I’m not a huge fan of meat balls. A real beginner might start out simply, just Tai.

And if you’re not too stuffed, try the Vietnamese-style yogurt from the cooler. It’s a nice way to end the meal.

I’ve never even tried any of their non-Pho dishes. What would be the point?

Pho Bac is located at 3300 Rainier Avenue South in Mt. Baker. Photo/do communications, inc.

Tagged as: mt. baker, Tri Nguyen

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