Phở 69 – 69 Trương Quốc Dũng

I should preface this entry by sharing that of all the Vietnamese soups phở is my least favorite. I would much rather have some bún bò or a bowl of hủ tiếu before I go for phở. I know, it’s a disgrace for a guy who lives in Vietnam, or at least the Vietnam as a national brand with rice fields, conical hats and bowls of the steaming noodles.

Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t like the soup. It just wouldn’t be my first choice. So when asked to go to a new place last night I was up for the try especially as I was very hungry and it was just a short jaunt from our house.

We pulled up to # 69 on a small little alleyway of a street and went upstairs and found a seat in the corner. The place has room for about 10 tables and was packed. The head lady asked what we wanted and we went around the table with phở đặc biệt (the specialty). Hang wanted a small bowl but was snapped at by the lady to look at the sign, “phở đặc biệt only comes in large, kid.” She then walked away in a huff before we could adjust the order, Hang in mid-sentence.

Being near the broth station we tried again with the other lady who was obviously the good cop if this was a procedural drama. Surprisingly when the first lady returned from the back room she was in a much more pleasant mood. Hang suggested that perhaps she had to go to the bathroom. I suggested that attitude was part of the atmosphere (a la Grizzly Manor in Big Bear for you California natives, more on that here).

That attitude continued with what I guessed was the younger brother of the first lady who was responsible for delivering the bowls and put on a layer of annoyance if you weren’t ready for it. The older couple next to us made the mistake of not being clear in their order for tea, simply requesting “trà đá” and not specifying how many. “You gotta say how many you want, one person, one tea!”

Aside from the snappy staff the phở truly delivered. Tuan asked me how it was and I had to say “I don’t usually think phở is delicious, but this is really delicious.” I think the key ingredient for me was the amount of beef they put in it with a few good chunks of fat and the bò viên, a type of beef ball that had a great taste. The noodles were also smaller than your typical phở and I found I could have done with a few more in my bowl. Maybe next time.

So if you are looking for a good bowl of phở with a sprinkling of Vietnamese sass, check out 69 Trương Quốc Dũng, Q. Phú Nhuận