I recently returned home after a month travelling around Vietnam, and while at my destination I would sometimes crave food that wasn’t Vietnamese, now it’s the other way around. It’s probably quite common to feel this way.
One of the dishes I particularly enjoyed was the Bún bò Huế noodle soup, which differs from pho by having a stronger broth, using thinner noodles and often many green ingredients, both herbs and vegetables.
Pho is much easier to find in Prague, but Google helped me pinpoint the Pho Family restaurant at Slezská 2033/11, 120 00 Praha 2-Vinohrady. It’s a comfortable walking distance from where I live, so I had to go there.
Upon arrival, I was greeted by a sales point during the current heatwave: the ‘KLIMATIZACE’ sign in the window. And yes, it was a little cooler inside than outside, which suited me just fine. I don’t like it when AC turns a room into a fridge while you’re dressed (or undressed) for a heatwave.
The menu generally has slightly lower prices than many other Vietnamese restaurants. A regular pho, for example, costs Czk. 170, and it has gradually climbed above 200 in most other places. Bún bò Huế, which I ordered of course, costs Czk. 190. They have a few Southeast Asian beers in bottles, but I chose Bernard on tap. I like it a lot. I’ve never been to Pho Family before, but the menu appealed to me and there was a lot more I wanted to sink my teeth into.
The interior is quite ‘clean’ with comfortable furniture and a shrine where a melon was laid out for the ancestors. It wasn’t crowded, but there were quite a few guests while I was there.
The waitress wasn’t downright rude, but let’s just say she was a woman of few words and also managed to put my food on the table at roughly the opposite end from where I was sitting. But that was OK.
The noodle soup came in a large bowl and was a very generous portion to say the least. Loaded on top were lots of greens, including a healthy amount of coriander, and the greens were all fresh and crisp until they was eventually cooked by the very hot broth, which was as full of flavour as I had hoped. With a slightly uncharacteristic kick of chilli in the background, which suited me fine. There were plenty of layers of flavour and a good balance with just the right hint of sweetness, which can be complimented nicely with a squeeze of lime, that unfortunately wasn’t part of the serving. I would have liked to see a few more condiments on the table, such as chilli paste and garlic vinegar, but you don’t often get that in Prague unless you head to SAPA. However, there was soya and Sriracha.
The noodles were perfectly cooked, soft without being mushy, and there was a bit of bite to them. The beef in a fair amount was tender and delicious.
All in all, I was pleasantly surprised. The noodle soup was completely original and better than I had dared to hope. So I’ll probably stop by again and try something else from the menu.
My total bill for beer and noodle soup was Czk. 235,-
Slezská 2033/11
Open every day from 11-22