The Cultural Atlas reveals one aspect of Vietnamese life that is readily apparent to those among us well acquainted with Albuquerque’s Vietnamese restaurant families: “Family is the most important aspect of life in Vietnam. It is much more interdependent and tight-knit than what many Western cultures are familiar with. The cohesiveness and health of the family unit is often a main imperative. The “family unit” itself generally includes a larger nexus of relationships. Aunts, uncles, grandparents and other extended relatives often have very close relationships and provide a central support system.”
During our time in the Land of Enchantment, we’ve seen just how interdependent and tight-knit Vietnamese families are. We’ve also experienced how warm and welcoming those families are. We consider James and Thu Nguyen at Cafe Dalat among our very favorite restaurateurs. Same with Vicki Truong at SaiGon. Sean and Kim, the genial proprietors of Saigon City, treat us like family. Visiting their restaurants is like going home and catching up with relatives we actually like–a lot! Aside from the obvious, one commonality among these three restaurants is that family either works in them or has their own restaurant in town.
When we walked into Pho Ginger on Juan Tabo just north of Constitution, we were cheerfully greeted by a familiar face who had greeted us similarly for years at Saigon City. It was Kim’s (Saigon City owner) sister. It turns out Pho Ginger is owned by another of Kim’s sisters. Tien, our delightful server, is Kim’s niece. She’s as friendly and gregarious as Kim’s daughter’s Bianca and Brianna (and just as cute). We knew we were in for a delightful meal. Of course, we knew that when Jim “Gorgeous Young Jimmy” Millington, long-time Friend of Gil, called it the “best Vietnamese in Albuquerque.” Like us, Jim is an aficionado of Vietnamese cuisine.
Pho Ginger is located in the Mission Square Shopping Center, a once-thriving complex. Among its neighbors is Zu Hot Pot, a unique concept all adventurous Duke City diners should visit. A large mural depicting life along the Mekong River festoons one wall while framed photographs adorn another. Two large television screens are affixed on marine life. Seating is more functional than it is comfortable. Each table includes a caddy replete with condiments including fish sauce, chili sauce and more.
Pho Ginger’s menu is a veritable compendium of the Vietnamese dishes we all love. That menu is broken up into several sections: Appetizers, Beef Noodle Soup, Noodle Soup, Vermicelli Plates, Vermicelli Patties, Rice Noodle Bowl, Stir-Fried Noodles, Fried Rice Plates, Steam Rice Plates, Vietnamese Crepe, Vegetarian Food, Family Style (served with rice), Dessert and Beverages. It’s an amazing menu with something for everyone, including diners who aren’t intimately familiar with Vietnamese cuisine.
Among the appetizers is a de rigueur papaya salad. Alternatively, Pho Ginger is also one of few restaurants in town to offer a mango salad (shredded mango topped with basil, fried onions, peanuts and your choice of chicken or shrimp). Unlike papaya salad which tends to be prepared for fire-eaters who love to set their tongues and mouth on fire, mango salad can be made to your exacting degree of heat. For my Kim that means sans piquancy. Though the mango was a bit on the green side, this was a solid dish with balanced flavors. Of course, my Kim doused the dish in fish sauce which added just a bit of sweet heat.
Also on the appetizers menu is a Vietnamese sandwich (bánh mi) made with your choice of chicken, pork or beef and all the ingredients that make bánh mi so delicious: a terrific baguette, julienne carrots, daikon, cucumbers and on the side, three jalapeños. In Vietnamese, the term bánh translates loosely as “cake” or “bread.” Only a Vietnamese baguette, a short baguette with a thin, crispy crust and a soft, airy crumb should ever be used for banh mi. Pho Ginger’s baguette is a perfect canvas for one of the best bánh mi in Albuquerque.
My eyes light up when studying a Vietnamese restaurant menu and espying spicy beef noodle soup (Bún bò Huế). Not all Bún bò Huế are created equal. Most of Albuquerque’s Vietnamese restaurants tend to offer an “Americanized” version which means its ingredients don’t include shrimp paste, congealed pork blood and pork hock. That’s the way I like it. Pho Ginger offers this “Vietnamese style” Bún bò Huế for a pittance more. It’s worth the spend. A swimming pool-sized bowl includes rare steak, well-done brisket, thick noodles and onions with a broth that includes shrimp paste and lemongrass.
For years, whenever I’m asked where my favorite pho can be found I try to steer the inquirer toward Bún bò Huế which has an incandescent personality compared to pho’s stoic demeanor. Though both are delicious, Bún bò Huế is a soup for those of us who like flavors to interact with us, not sit on our taste buds in a passive manner. Bún bò Huế’s interactions are tantalizing, arousing the tongue and taste buds in a manner unlike any soup. Bún bò Huế is a harmonious blend of spicy, sour, sweet, salty, and umami tastes. The dreaded congealed pork blood comes in cube form. It doesn’t dissolve in the soup though you can break it down with a fork. It’s got a slightly metallic and earthy flavor, but it’s not overwhelming. Bún bò Huế, as it turns out is Tien’s favorite soup, too.
Ever since discovering “patter” noodles at the much missed May Hong, my Kim has craved them. Patter noodles don’t really appear to be noodles at all. In fact, they appear to be more like a one large rice noodle sheet in a cheesecloth pattern. Tien hadn’t heard the term “patter” noodles, but there was no doubt Pho Ginger’s “vermicelli patties” (choice of two grilled meats topped with fried onions, green onions and grounded (SIC) peanuts) was the same dish with a different name. Moreover the dish had the same inimitable flavor of char grilled and almost caramelized pork and beef with which my Kim had fallen in love. If anything, my Kim conceded, Pho Ginger’s version may be slightly better than May Hong’s was.
Comic relief can be found in the most unexpected places. While recently perusing through Yelp comments on the Saigon City posting, I came across one in which a complainant blasted one of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants: “I asked for a Green Curry. The waitress said they didn’t have Green Curry. That was a big warning sign to me. Most Vietnamese places have Green Curry.” Obviously the kvetch (Yiddish for whiner) doesn’t know the difference between Thai restaurants (which specialize in red, yellow and green curry) and Vietnamese restaurants. Next, he’ll be bleating that Saigon City doesn’t have mangoes with sticky rice, another Thai specialty.
It’s rare (though not entirely unheard of) for a Vietnamese restaurant to offer mangoes with sticky rice. Because that’s one of our favorite Asian desserts, we’re always pleasantly surprised to find it on any menu. As with Thai versions of this post-prandial treat, the key to this dish is sweet, ripe mangoes. Alas, Pho Ginger’s mangoes were slightly green and not particularly sweet. Sweet, ripe mangoes make all the difference.
Pho Ginger is yet another wonderful Vietnamese family restaurant that really knows how to treat and feed its guest–like family.
Pho Ginger
1331 Juan Tabo, N.E., #2F
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(505) 554-3412
LATEST VISIT: 31 August 2024
# OF VISITS: 1
RATING: N/R
COST: $$
BEST BET: Banh Mi, Bun Bo Hue, Mango Salad, Rice Noodle Bowl With Pork and Beef
REVIEW #1415
This reads like an active place where you dined recently, but it’s under the Gone But Not Forgotten category??
My apologies for the confusion. Obviously it’s my brain that’s gone but not forgotten.
I’ve remedied the error of my ways.
What an apt description of our aging brains, gone but not forgotten. Love it!!!
I am confused as to how Pho Ginger got identified so quickly. I am sure that it was there last night but you are ALWAYS better informed than I am.
We visited Pho Ginger based on your recommendation as you are a very trusted source for great restaurants. We would have asked you and the Child Bride to join us, but as always, we didn’t plan and didn’t get there until after 2PM