Sunday, December 18, 2022

Pho Kim Long in San Jose, California

Bún riêu ốc

I'm sure that this joke has been made a million times before, but when we arrived for lunch today, the line was indeed "phokim long" (2082 North Capitol Avenue, 408-946-2181). Yet it also cleared pretty quickly, and I got that bún riêu ốc above, which I don't think I've ever had before. It's too bad then that I didn't care that much for the tomato-based broth, and the crab meat and snails weren't as exciting as I had hoped they would be either.

But it was nice to try something different from the usual phở, especially since the garnishes were different too. Instead of basil and bean sprouts, it was mint and cabbage. Instead of hoisin sauce and sriracha, it was a salty grey shrimp paste and red chili oil. BTW they had a Chả cá Lã Vọng that gave off a lovely dill aroma from the neighboring table, but it was a huge 2-3 person portion, and I didn't see it sitting in any bubbling oil.

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