I luv Pho Bac!!

As Chefs, we try our best to recreate dishes from different cultures that we love to eat when dining out. It’s a great learning tool that I use to educate myself on the variety of cuisine that are available locally. I am a huge fan of going to the local markets, buying new ingredients, some I may or may not be familiar with and attempt to recreate dishes from the region where that item comes from. One of my absolute favs is definitely a large bowl of Pho.

Now as hard as I try, I can’t seem to get this one right (might be the lack of patience) and I’m ok with that because I’m human, not intended to be perfect. I still believe the old tale “ If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Just a little culinary gem to keep in mind, the best places to dine when trying a new cuisine are the small Mom & Pop shops, typically, a hole in the wall establishment that sometimes have no social media outlets and its on a word of mouth base of how you even find these hidden gems. Hands down the best and I mean BEST Pho in town, is at Pho Bac in Chamblee Tucker, GA. I was super skeptical about this one because it wasn’t a free standing building, it’s inside a shopping plaza and I couldn’t read majority of the names of the nearby businesses (all in Mandarin) but Jon insisted it was the best in town and he was right.

You walk in and you’re greeted by the smell of star anise, a hint of cloves and a welcoming genuine smile from the owner’s wife (who’s super sweet), you get lead to a booth or table and the menus are handed to you by one of the servers and the journey begins. While looking over the menu, the “fixings” are placed on the table, which includes bean sprouts, Thai basil, cilantro, lime wedges and fresh jalapeno slices. I don’t mess with the process, so Jon and I always order a number 15, Rare Tai and the kids love the number 19 Lemongrass Chicken Rice dish. It takes about 10 minutes, if that long, and the food is always fresh and served hot. You know the food’s good when everyone is quiet and all you hear is the sound of slurping, chopsticks hitting the side of the bowl and the soup slashing into the hot broth. Hands down, the BEST, my mouth’s watering thinking about it now. We go there at least twice a week and I do not like going out to eat much. Take it from me, you want authentic Vietnamese Pan-Asian food, please check them out. I’ll leave their info below. Until then, happy eats!!

Pho Bac- 4897 Buford Hwy. NE Ste. 105, Chamblee, GA 30341

Update: They have a website (www.phobacatl.com) Enjoy!!