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January 2009

Thumbnail image for Pho Ca Dao in Mira Mesa – Real Pho, Real Fast, Real Service

Pho Ca Dao in Mira Mesa – Real Pho, Real Fast, Real Service

January 28, 2009

Pho Ca Dao’s slogan is “Real Pho, Real Fast, Real Service”. This was my third or fourth time here, but I enjoy coming back to eat. “Ca dao” are really Vietnamese folk songs or poems that are popular reminders of who the Vietnamese people are and where we came from. The term ca dao (derived from a line in the Wei Wind section of the classic Chinese folk poetry anthology, Shih-Ching, or Books of Odes) can be loosely translated as “unaccompanied songs.”

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Thumbnail image for Vietnamese Pho: Franchised and Going Mainstream?

Vietnamese Pho: Franchised and Going Mainstream?

January 25, 2009

When you consider that ingredients are now much easier to source, that if you can recreate a great pot of soup stock in a cookie-cutting way over and over again, coupled with the fact that restaurateurs are more confidence about how a non-Vietnamese might accept and enjoy a healthy bowl of pho, you have a good formula for pho expansion.

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Thumbnail image for Pho Vie II in Garden Grove: Great Tasting Pho

Pho Vie II in Garden Grove: Great Tasting Pho

January 25, 2009

I drove by this place several times and I must admit Pho Vie II always looked crowded and popular. On this day with no long line, I really have to try it. “Vie” means “Life” in French, and I believe the people at Pho Vie II truly believe in a fully enjoyable and immersive life of pho, because their pho is very good and the service is friendly. You can read a few Pho Vie II reviews on Yelp.com. They run 50% off on pho ga (chicken) but personally I don’t think that’s the reason for the crowd. I think it’s because the pho in general is very good – tasty soup stock, fresh ingredients, perfect al dente-like noodle, and fresh Thai basil, ngo gai (culantro) and sprouts.

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Thumbnail image for Biggest Bowl of Pho I Ever Had: North York, Toronto

Biggest Bowl of Pho I Ever Had: North York, Toronto

January 18, 2009

I found the biggest bowl of pho at Kiem Bo Vietnamese Restaurant in North York Toronto, Canada. It was absolutely the biggest bowl I ever had.

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Thumbnail image for Pho California Welcomes Pho Lovers

Pho California Welcomes Pho Lovers

January 18, 2009

For West Coast pho lovers. There are pockets of densely populated pho lovers (Vietnamese-Americans and other Americans) in California. Therefore pho bistros tend to pop up everywhere in the areas of San Diego, Santa Ana/Garden Grove/Orange County, Los Angeles and surrounding areas including the LA Chinatown, San Jose, and San Francisco.

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