The place
Recently opened in Starlight Mall in the hinterlands of Hongqiao, LA Pho is a casual eatery dedicated to eating pho like the Vietnamese communities settled in Los Angeles. Pho tends to be one of those things that divides people, some people swear by one place, others by another – there's no one place that stands out as the gold standard for this incredibly popular and surprisingly complex Vietnamese classic.
However, one thing is for certain: it's virtually impossible to get a bowl of pho that compares to what they serve back in 'Nam. LA Pho doesn't market itself as an 'authentic Vietnamese pho,' rather a place that serves it in line with how they eat it in Los Angeles, which counts one of the largest populations of Vietnamese American people living in the USA.
The food
LA Pho makes no secret of it's favorite ingredient: Sriracha, the insanely popular chili sauce beloved by both Americans and Vietnamese. The stuff is on every table and pride of place at the front of a restaurant.
If you love Sriracha, you'll definitely take this as a good sign of the pho to come.
Try as he might, man cannot live on Sriracha alone, you're going to need some food with that. We tried out a few appetizers before the main pho event.
Vietnamese grilled pork, RMB38. Super flavorful, with a boldly spiced and rich marinade that enabled the fattiness of the pork to become caramelized under the grill. Definitely recommended for the price.
Vietnamese chicken salad, also RMB38. Nice generous portion, fresh, crunchy, pungent from fish sauce and zesty from fresh limes. An excellent accompaniment to the grilled pork.
LA's house special fried spring rolls, RMB48. These didn't look quite how they did in the menu, but nevertheless, pretty crunchy and tasty, especially with Sriracha.
Last but not least, the pho. The obvious choice on the menu is LA's House Special Pho, RMB48, which comes with raw beef slices, beef balls, brisket, tripe and tendon.
We especially like the broth, which tasted pure and unviolated. The consistency was clearer than lots of other phos we've tried in Shanghai, which is how it should be. As for the additions, there was a good selection that included cilantro, Thai basil, fresh chili, beansprouts and lime.
For those who aren't keen on tripe and tendon, you can get without. We went for the raw beef version RMB42, which sees the beef slices pre-immersed in the soup, so they don't actually come 'raw' as such.
You can certainly do worse pho than this in Shanghai. The flavors, for us, were all there, and coupled with LA Pho's delicious sides, the whole experience is excellent value and enjoyable.
Food verdict: 2.5/3
Vibe
Being in a Hongqiao mall, there's not so much of a buzzing atmosphere as a place downtown. Service is friendly and prompt, and managed by cheerful and effervescent manager Stephanie.
But now for the million dollar question: Is it worth a trip out to Hongqiao? We say yes, since the place is relatively easy to find and close to Shuicheng Lu metro (Line 10). However, if you're not inclined to visit Honqiao for love, money nor yummy pho, then we'll understand if you stick to more centrally-located Viet spots.
Vibe verdict: 0.5/1
Value for money
One certainly finds value for money here. With the most luxurious pho coming in at just RMB48, and most other dishes at that price or less, one can definitely fill up for under RMB100.
Yes it's more expensive than RMB20 Lanzhou lamian, but not by much.
Value for money: 1/1
TOTAL VERDICT: 4/5
Price: RMB60-100 per person
Who's going: Locals, Hongqiao-based expats
Good for: quick eats, Vietnamese food, pho
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