Parisian Pho

On a quaint street in the charming 7eme arrondisement of Paris -- a stone's throw from the Eiffel Tower -- I and my drunken undergrad colleagues would stumble out of our university's happy hour down to the dead-end rue Bosquet and into a small Vietnamese restaurant called ... wait for it ... Pho's. Yes, Pho's. We would always order the same dish because is was so damn good: Vermicille aux Boeuf et Pates Imperieux, which translates roughly to: Beef Vermicilli and Imperial Pasta.

How can you not want to have Imperial pasta? I mean, are you soft in the head? Everyone loves to feel imperial. I think it was the crushed nuts on top. Crushed nuts has 'imperial' stamped all over it, right?

Should you go to Paris, I highly recommend.

Comments

[manur]

Hi here,
I'm parisian, and I think I should correct your translations, for the sake of accuracy ...
a/ It's Vermicelle au boeuf, with an e, but that's not that important
b/ It's not Pates impérieux but Pâtés impériaux, which translates to Imperial pâtés (or "pies" for some dictionnaries) which is simply the French elegant way to say "nems."
So "pâtés" is not the pasta but the nems, the pastas are the "vermicelle".

There are a lot of Pho restaurants in Paris, the most insteresting ones regarding quality vs. price being in Chinatown, XIIIth arrondissement, on Avenue d'Ivry or Avenue de Choisy mostly. One where we like to hang out is Pho 14 on métro Tolbiac.

Yummy. You got me hungry.

[Adrian]

Aahh yes, Pho 14. I live in London and do make frequent trips to Paris. I always have to drop in to have the Pho Special. If they only could make Pho like that in London. Note: Some other websites have commented that the best Pho in Paris is PHO BIDA SAIGON - 44 avenue d'Ivry, will have to try on my next trip.

[Robert Racadio]

I stopped by Pho 14. The pho was really good, although the broth wasn't as clear as I'm used to in the States, the overall flavor seemed a bit more subtle. e.g. I'm generally not a big fan of tripe, but there wasn't that much of a tripey flavor there. But I'll definitely be trying Pho Bida Saigon.

[vishnou]

i live in the XIIIth arrondissement of paris and i confirm what everyone says on this page. Pho 14 is a good restaurant but the quality is decreasing. i can confirm also that Pho Bi Da is a good one. My wife is vietnamese and always go there. she also like the restaurant just near Pho 14, the little one on the right hand which name is "Song Huong". Have a good Pho everyone !

[Emilyk]

Hi Pho-King,

I've just recently started blogging in Paris (lunch on the cheap) and I'm on a quest...does anyone know where I can find some pho in Paris that has tendon (gân, I think) in it?

tks

[Thuy H]

Are you guys serious about Pho 14 in Paris? Are we speaking of the same place? I visited this place on my first night in Paris and the worst pho I have ever tasted in my life. The customer service is terrible, the food is aweful, the restaurant is small and dirty. The owner is a rude bitch.

[Tom Bärlin]

just next to pho 14 is an even better smaller restaurant to eat pho at. its called Song Huong.

[Joe]

Hi all, I live in London and have been to Paris to try the Pho. I have tried both Pho 14 and Pho Hung (also known as Song Huong), although they were both nice, I slightly enjoyed Pho Hung more.