There are only a few kinds of food I consider ‘comfort food’—food that remind me of childhood days, or bring back good memories, or simply food that can transform a very long, tiring, stressful day or weekend into one that’s just one of those days you can laugh about. Making my list are spaghetti, Filipino fare like chicken arroz caldo, tinola, sinampalukang manok, and ginisang monggo, old-fashioned chocolate cake, and apple pie. But recently I realized I often hang out at Pho Hoa, a popular Vietnamese restaurant in Manila and choose the same stuff over and over again—chicken pho, fresh spring rolls, cold vermicelli noodles with spring rolls, grilled prawns and pork with their famous Pho Hoa fried rice, and pomelo salad. Plus I always go back for their fresh lemonade. Simple and clean execution, healthy (less oil and frying, lots of veggies and greens), fresh ingredients, amazing flavours-- just great food in my book.
I love Vietnamese food, not sure if it was an acquired taste, but it’s one of those cuisines I can eat definitely every day. When I was a grad student in Honolulu, one of my friends took me to Chinatown one day and introduced me to the Vietnamese pho. From then on, I was hooked! Every sem break we would just hang out in Chinatown and have lunch at this small Vietnamese place. About 10 years ago, we used to go to this fancy Vietnamese resto in GB3 Ayala but unfortunately it closed about 4 years ago. During my visits to Toronto, we would eat in this small restaurant run by a Vietnamese family near a laundromat while waiting for our laundry to finish. In many ways, Vietnamese food has become one of my favourite cuisines and comfort food.
So one Thursday, when we were supposed to go to a Christmas party, my teen-aged son announced he wasn’t going with us and that he wasn’t feeling well. He looked okay, though so I thought there was some other problem. So I attempted to let him open up about what was stressing him, I took the whole family to Pho Hoa, one of my usual hang-out place where for some reason the chicken pho just makes me feel better every single time. I was wishing it does the same magic trick to my son, who at his age is beginning to accumulate those dreaded ‘teenage angst’.
We checked out their branch in T. Morato, which was conveniently located near our place. The place was reasonably popular with several customers. Luckily we got in early, got good parking and a table. Interiors were clean and well-lit and staff were attentive—really no problem with that. The real bummer was the parking, I guess it’s like that for most establishments along T. Morato. Real killer.
Pho Hoa restaurant interiors and table setting:
These are what we got, the usual favourites—fresh spring rolls, seafood pho, chicken pho, grilled pork and spring rolls. For dessert we got mango crepe with vanilla ice cream. Of course, we didn’t miss the fresh lemonade, an old-time favourite at Pho Hoa.
What we got:
*Fresh basil, sprouts, and some optional lemon for the pho:
*Drinks: the tall glass of fresh lemonade is my favorite at Pho Hoa
Funny but after dinner, my son finally talked about why he felt so down. I guess the food did its magic. There’s something about good food that relaxes you and brings down your fronts and confinements. I guess it pays to fill the tummy first. The cliché, ‘the way to a person’s heart is through the stomach’ is never more true here. Good food does make one more receptive and open emotionally and psychologically—relatively speaking, of course.
Pho Hoa is a restaurant that does not need a recommendation. They just serve great, simple, tasteful food. Simple as that. The fact that we always go back to eat here is proof of their consistent and great food offerings, regardless of the branch location. Try other stuff in their menu below.
Pho Hoa has several branches in Manila--T. Morato, SM Megamall, SM North, Ayala Center, in almost all major malls etc. Food prices are reasonable, ranging from about PHP120-350.
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