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Just arrived at Nangang Train Station and checked out the food options there. I saw this Vietnamese pho restaurant and decided to give it a try.
I ordered the pork pho, which had a few broth options. Besides the default pork bone broth, there were a few other choices, including chicken broth. As far as I remember, you only had to pay extra if you wanted the chicken broth, so I chose that.
First of all, the broth was very salty—salty enough that I needed to drink water after a few bites to quench my thirst. This was a bit of a downside, but the pho itself was quite good and refreshing.
Overall, considering the price and the broth, I feel that the value for money is a bit low.
Located outside Exit 1 of Gongguan MRT Station, a new shop with a prominent sign.
I ordered the fresh shrimp fluff Vietnamese-style baguette to give it a try. The French bread wasn't warmed up beforehand, so it was somewhat cold and hard, with a crispy texture. The first half had a mildly sour seasoning that was very refreshing. The shrimp fluff was in the middle section, and the sauce at the end had a fresh and salty flavor.
The size is similar to a twelve-inch Subway sandwich, offering a substantial portion and satisfaction equivalent to a meal. Currently, they only accept cash and support electronic invoicing.
Perhaps I should apologize for how this bread easily crumbles, leaving crumbs scattered on the sidewalk outside the MRT station. I'm very sorry about that 😅
Recently, it has been displayed as temporarily closed on Google Maps, and I'm unsure if they will reopen 🤔
Foodholic Niko @ Taipei
"Special Vietnamese PHỞ" is located near Ningxia Night Market, about a 5-minute walk from Exit 1 of Shuanglian Station. It is a Vietnamese restaurant that specializes in pho but also serves French bread, spring rolls, and other Vietnamese dishes. Interestingly, they also offer Korean ramen and hot pot items that you wouldn’t typically see in a Vietnamese restaurant.
We arrived on Monday evening at 6 PM, and the place was quite empty with a slightly dim environment. We were the only customers, and there was only one staff member who seemed to be Vietnamese and not very fluent in Chinese.
The seating capacity inside is quite limited, with only 4 two-person tables on the first floor, but I'm not sure if there's a second floor.
Traditional Stone Pot Beef Pho $180
Actually, I didn't see stone pot pho during my travels in Vietnam, so I thought it was quite special and decided to give it a try.
The staff first served a platter of raw beef, including beef slices, minced beef, and beef tripe (?), along with a plate of pho noodles and an egg. Then, a pot of boiling hot soup was brought out, into which they placed the raw beef and the egg, which cooked almost immediately. I was advised to add the pho noodles myself, starting with half to prevent them from overcooking.
First, I took a sip of the hot soup and I can only say it was astonishing! The broth was super delicious! It looked light but tasted very rich and sweet, with the saltiness just right. The most special part was a buttery aroma; I’m not sure if it was because they actually added butter or if the raw egg contributed to it, but in any case, it was very much to my liking—I almost drank the whole bowl!
The beef slices were also very tender and tasty! There were only two small pieces of beef tripe, but they had a nice chew, which I really liked! However, I wasn't a fan of the minced beef as it had a bit of a tougher texture.
Lemon was also provided; I could squeeze some in halfway but I felt the lemon flavor was not very prominent, as the original broth was already very delicious!
My friend ordered the half-raw beef pho $150, which looked very similar to my stone pot pho; the broth tasted quite similar too. The only differences were that it didn’t come with an egg and the contents weren’t added in front of me, just like that.
Overall, the price isn’t too expensive, and the beef was nice. The most impressive part was still the broth; I would return just for the pho's broth!
Environment
The store environment is bright, with plenty of seating available and enough space, so it doesn't feel cramped.
Meals
📍 Chicken Leg Rice Noodles 💰179
The portion of chicken leg is very generous, almost covering the entire bowl of rice noodles. The rice noodles are very chewy and delicious, and the broth is clear yet surprisingly rich and smooth in flavor.
📍 Cold Onion Chicken Salad 💰149
On a hot summer day, this dish is perfect. It comes with onions, carrots 🥕, cucumbers 🥒, and an abundance of chicken 🍗, with a dressing that is sour and sweet, making it very appetizing 🤤.
Parking
Located near Yongle Street, it can be a bit troublesome to drive 🚗, but riding a scooter 🛵 is more convenient.
Service
There is no special service, but they are very patient and kind when answering any questions.
This shop is located on De'an 1st Street. The owner is Vietnamese and has been in Taiwan for over 20 years, and she has learned some Taiwanese cuisine. The fried chicken legs and fried pork chops are really delicious.
The rice noodle soup has quite a bit of ingredients, including a lot of pig liver, and it has fried scallions added; the broth is a bit sweet and very palatable.
The papaya salad is 50 NT dollars for a large plate, and it includes shrimp and meat.
The most impressive dish is the fresh spring rolls, which have very little rice noodles and are mostly filled with vegetables.
The iced coffee is brewed, which is a bit of a pity.
Overall, it's a tasty and clean snack shop; the owner is very polite, and the shop is well-organized and tidy.
Regardless of whether it's in Canada or the United States, there are actually many Vietnamese immigrants. There are also plenty of opportunities to enjoy authentic Vietnamese cuisine here. We once tried a very unappetizing Vietnamese restaurant in Canada, but today, passing by the one we were taught about, I found the aroma very different. So, we decided to go in and taste it.
According to tradition, the first thing to order at a Vietnamese restaurant is... ❤️ Vietnamese beef pho. As per tradition, we always order this beef pho. The moment I took the first sip of the soup, I finally felt like I came to the right place; otherwise, I would have really been scared off by that previous Vietnamese restaurant! The beef here is incredibly tender, and the broth is very refreshing! My family and I finished a bowl completely!
❤️ Vietnamese spring rolls. The Vietnamese spring rolls are quite similar in Taiwan, just a bit bigger in appearance! However, the sauce is quite different; they use something that resembles sesame sauce. Personally, I still prefer our sweet and sour sauce—when paired with sesame sauce, it seems to lack a certain flavor…
❤️ Fried calamari. Fried calamari is my mom's favorite, so it's hard to resist ordering it when I see it! I was very happy that the fried calamari turned out very tender and juicy, which made the family very happy!
❤️ Grilled chicken with sauce. This dish also suits my dad's taste quite well; the sauce's salty-sweetness is just right, and the meat is well-cooked. Each piece of meat was thoroughly flavored, and it wasn't overcooked!
Overall, I would definitely recommend it! If you're in the vicinity, feel free to pop in for some hot soup and try out the delicacies at a Vietnamese restaurant!
On the way to the Ningxia Night Market, I suddenly discovered this Vietnamese restaurant that I had been saying I wanted to try but never did. After checking the reviews, it seemed pretty good, so today I finally got to enjoy it!🤣
The dining space on the first floor is narrow and long, giving off a somewhat cramped feeling. The owner is definitely Vietnamese and was the only one working, looking very busy. The business seems to be doing well! At first, I thought about dining on the second floor, but the owner mentioned it might be hotter up there🔥, so we stayed on the first floor instead.
Traditional Stone Pot Beef Pho + Beef Balls
At first, they serve raw handmade rice noodles along with beef and beef tripe. Later, the owner brings out a bubbling hot broth and adds in a raw egg, beef, and the noodles, among other ingredients. The rice noodles were delicious! You could really taste the handmade quality. Plus, there was a generous amount, so no need to worry about not being full. The beef was quite tender and flavorful, and even though the portion of beef tripe was not large, it was very easy to chew and soft 🤤. The beef balls were just average, and I think you could skip ordering those.
Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls
These were also good! The outer skin was crispy, and they were filled with noodles and the like. They came with the restaurant's sour and spicy dipping sauce, which was very flavorful. However, I’d suggest sharing them 🤣, otherwise, they might get a bit too rich.
Overall, I think the meal was quite good, but the air conditioning in the restaurant wasn't very strong, so we ended up sweating a bit while eating. The dining environment could use some improvement. Eating here in the winter should be quite nice! ☺️
If you're living in Irvine and want to have Vietnamese cuisine but don't know about this restaurant... you’re probably going to regret it. I personally love this Vietnamese restaurant's pho so much! So every time I visit, I always ask my friends to take me here!
The parking lot here is well organized, so it's very suitable to drive over if you're coming by car!
We ordered…
❤️ pho tai chin
It should be easy to notice that whenever I share about a Vietnamese restaurant, these two dishes are must-orders. I can never resist beef pho and Vietnamese spring rolls! The broth here is extremely similar to those in Vietnam, and you can feel the fresh sweetness in the broth, making me curious about how the chef prepares it… The beef is cooked to a rare state, which enhances the overall sweetness and tenderness of the beef to an excellent level! Their pho must be delicious in other flavors as well, and I hope anyone who comes here gets to try it!
❤️ Vietnamese spring rolls
When I ate their Vietnamese spring rolls in the U.S. or Canada, they usually come with a sauce that resembles sesame sauce... but the spring rolls at this place are truly packed with fillings and delicious! Their sesame sauce has a unique sweet taste that makes everything pair together very nicely and tasty!
【Foodholic Niko @ Kaohsiung】
It's time to look for food again near Qishan Old Street!
Even though I've lived here since I was little, I only started seriously searching for new restaurants after I began playing Fooday.
Today, I suddenly really wanted to eat rice noodles, so I found this place called "Hometown Garden Vietnamese Snacks," which is located right next to the famous "Qishan Red槽 Meat." The store looks very simple and homely, not the type of place with special decor, but overall it looks very tidy, not just in the dining area but even the food preparation area is clean.
They offer a lot of items on their menu. Besides soup rice noodles and stir-fried rice noodles, they also serve fried rice, fried pasta, fried instant noodles, pork chop rice, baguettes, and more.
Stir-fried chicken rice noodles - $80
Honestly, I was a bit disappointed when I opened it. It looked very much like regular dry mixed noodles, just with rice noodles instead. However, after trying it, the taste wasn’t bad at all, but it seemed to lack the aroma of stir-frying. True to its appearance, it did have a bit of a mixed noodle flavor. Adding some chili and lime juice definitely improved it, so I recommend adding those.
Chicken rice noodle soup - $80
It has a relatively mild flavor. Since the rice noodles and soup are packed separately for takeout, the advantage is that the rice noodles won’t get mushy; the downside is that they seem to lack flavor infusion. However, the broth itself is quite tasty and not oily!
Fried spring rolls - $70
The portion is okay, but the flavor is a bit disappointing; it feels like something is missing. Since I have had better-tasting fried spring rolls, this isn't something I would want to order again.
Overall, I wouldn't say the food is bad, but it feels like the taste has been adjusted for Taiwanese preferences, making it somewhat more Taiwanese in flavor.
Located in the North District of Tainan, "Guangyue Cuisine" is a Vietnamese restaurant with good business, offering a wide variety of dishes at affordable prices. This time, I ordered the mixed rice, and the chicken was well-seasoned, with a slight sweet and salty flavor, and the meat was chewy and very flavorful. As for the pork, I initially thought it would be crispy pork, but to my surprise, it turned out to be sweet Cantonese char siu, a flavor that I don't particularly enjoy. Overall, the seasoning of the chicken and pork was quite tasty, and the flavors were very harmonious, leaving me feeling satisfied.
In addition to the mixed rice, I also ordered a serving of rice noodles. The rice noodle was smooth, and the broth was refreshing and layered, which highlighted the dish's light yet delicious characteristics. The bean sprouts in the rice noodles added to the overall texture and paired very well.
Additionally, although I didn’t order it this time, the restaurant's Vietnamese baguette is also a recommended item. I’ve had it twice before; the bread has a crispy crust and is simply delicious. I highly recommend the curry Matsusaka pork! Each bite is full of aroma and satisfaction.
Overall, whether it's the mixed rice, rice noodles, or baguette, the dishes at "Guangyue Cuisine" are consistently good. It's a great place to casually enjoy Vietnamese cuisine, with reasonable prices and great flavors.