What the Pho? {Pho 54 Mandalay Bay Review}

To begin with, a note on pronunciation. The word pho may look to Westerners like it should be pronounced 'foe' but the reality is much more exciting. You get to pretend you are just about to say the swear word! I know! You do have to stop yourself before the 'ck' bit though or that is terribly rude. This Youtube soundbite is helpful too.

Ahhh Pho, my favourite Asian soup of all with its lean, just cooked meat, lashings of rice noodle (gluten free my friends) and delicately spicy, oh-so-fragrant broth. I have mentioned the lovely affordable Fitzroy dining option of Mandalay Bay before but felt they deserved some pretty pictures.

Fish tank purely for decorative purposes, you don't actually eat anything from out of there.

The menu is enormous and has everything from stir-frys to soups but we just look at the first page and the last for:

Delicious steamed wontons (with a soy/chilli sauce)

and amazing pho (did you pronounce it correctly?). $10 for a large bowl.

Pho 54 was my first experience of pho and despite having had it a few other places since, still my favourite. The broth is delicious; aromatic, just a hint of spice and pepper and a little more complex than most. The wine lovers pho. I always get the beef and chicken with paper-thin slices of beef served medium rare and melt-in-your-mouth chicken (poached in the broth....I think).

The pho is served with chilli, bean sprouts, asian basil and a squeeze of lemon or lime. Be careful with the chilli here, it is Hot (with a capital H, even for someone that loves chilli), but make sure you get your fair share of the basil because that stuff is delicious.