pho hanh

pho hanh
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

the chilly rain this past week has left me wanting -- and craving warm soup. thurs, i found myself at pho hanh, one of the few vietnamese and pho places in long beach. this was my second visit to this establishment. the first time i discovered this, we were stopping by a subway on the way somewhere out of the city. not that it's that far of a drive, but sometimes we're just lazy, and it's nice to be within close proximity of a comforting bowl of pho. especially if you have the flu. there is one other pho place i know of that happens to be fairly close to home--pho hong phat--but my last experience was so so. i think they put msg in the broth, which is good but too greasy for me.

at pho hanh, i made the mistake of sitting against the side wall towards the back of the restaurant where something stinky was disturbing my senses. luckily, when they brought the pho, i couldn't smell stinky any more. i satiated my pho longings, but thought the broth was less flavorful this time-slightly sweet but lacking in the depth of flavors typical of a big bowl of pho that's been brewing for eight hours. on the way, i passed by another pho restaurant - pho thanh lich, which i've heard mention on chowhound, but could not discern if they were open or not as the windows were dark - either due to tinting or low lighting. i'll have to try that next time when i need a pho fix in town.