The Best Pho in Dublin

Despite spending nearly three weeks in Vietnam I never tried the country's famous soup dish Pho. At the time I was a strict vegetarian and survived mainly on a diet of morning glory and rice. In June this year I tired it for the first time and thought it was fantastic. Since then I've tried all the pho that Dublin has to offer and have decided on what I consider to be the best.
One of the things that bothered me most as I ate my first pho, was whether I doing it right? I was presented with the soup, chopsticks, a spoon, a plate of herbs and a couple of dishes of sauce... I was truly confused as to the order and manner things should be consumed in. This is a rough guide to how it's supposed to happen; 

• Smell your pho, can you get an aroma of star anise, cinnamon, fennel, cardamom and coriander like a good pho should have? 
• Taste the broth, does it need seasoning? 
• Add sriracha sauce and hoisin if necessary 
• Add some of the coriander,Thai basil, lime juice, beansprouts and chilies. 
• Pick up the chopsticks in your right hand and the spoon in your left. 
• Lean over so your head is practically over the bowl
• Eat your noodles and meat with the chop sticks while using the spoon to take mouthfuls of broth. 
• Apparently when you're finished your noodles it's OK to pick up your bowl and drink the rest of your broth. (I didn't notice anyone in Dublin doing this!)
• For the pho beginner it's probably best to try it alone, it can be messy work!
• Finally, avoid white clothing!

There seems to be only four places in Dublin serving pho and I've checked them all out in an effort to ascertain whether the pho I tried first was good and typical. 
1. Aobaba, Capel Street. The broth was clear and light but needed some sriracha sauce to liven it up. Lots of red onion, scallions, herbs and chilies heaped onto the broth made it nice and colourful as well as adding an interesting texture. I was disappointed with the beef which seemed to be slices cut off a larger braised or roasted cut, it was dry and quite fatty.

Aobaba. 

2. Pho Viet, Parnell Street.As far as I know this was the first place serving pho in Dublin. I visited when it first opened and was disappointed when I recently returned to see prices have crept up along with it's popularity. The broth was fantastic, clear in color and really fragrant while the noodles were a good size and texture. The beef was only OK it could have been more tender. I found the small meatballs quite unappetising.

Pho Viet.

3. Pho Ta, Cope Street. This was the only place in Dublin to serve their pho with Thai basil which has a lovely, pungent taste. The broth wasn't clear and was a bit on the salty side but the meat was tender and generous. The staff here were lovely and, sort of innocuously, prompted me about what to do and what to add. A great place to try pho for the first time if you're nervous about what you're doing!

Pho Ta

4. Pho Saigon, Amien Street. This was my favorite pho place. It's not much to look at and you have to wait a while for your food (a good sign in my opinion) but it's well worth it. Again the broth was not clear but it was delicious, when I inhaled I got a heady whiff of aromatic spices while a quick taste revealed a good hearty broth that reminded me of beef tea. The beef pieces are literally only introduced to the pan before being plunged into the broth, still rare, to finish cooking. The result is fantastic, lovely juicy and tender strips of meat. This was the first, last and best place I tried and the one I know I will return to again and again. 

Pho Saigon.

So do we have good pho in Dublin? I think we have a couple of good places here but from what I've read we couldn't hold a candle to what you can get on the streets of Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi, but, that's probably as it should be! Pho Saigon was my favorite by far, I wonder who will venture up to Amiens Street to check it out? I don't think you'll be disappointed!