IF YOU’VE been to Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi, you’d have come across Pho 24, the MacDonald’s of Vietnamese beef noodles.

Now, you can try its food right here in Millenia Walk, where a Singapore franchise of Pho 24 opened its first outlet last month.

As far as I can tell, its beef noodles are quite authentic.

The shop serves dishes that range from pho bap (noodles with beef muscle, $6.90), pho chin (noodles with well-done beef brisket, $6.90), pho nam (noodles with well-done beef flank, $6.90) to pho bo combo, a $10.90 special that comes with fillet, flank, tendon, tripe, muscle and brisket.

For non-fans of cattle, there are also options like pho ga (noodles with sliced chicken, $6.90).

I tried the pho bo combo recently and its beefy, tasty broth brought to mind the bowls of pho I had in Ho Chi Minh City months ago.

I also liked all the cuts of beef, from the squishy bits of tendon to the firm bites of tripe.

Franchise co-owner Alvin Chia tells me that his company does not skimp on the quality of beef.

“We actually use the same tenderloin you find in steakhouses,” he says.

But although most restaurants in Vietnam serve noodles with a basket of greens, including all manner of minty herbs, all I got with my bowl was a small dish of garnishes like bean sprouts and chilli.

Mr Chia explains that even in Vietnam, Pho 24 outlets do not serve as many vegetables as regular noodle restaurants so that they would not have to recycle uneaten garnishes.

Still, a friend who tried the pho ga liked that it came in its own chicken broth.

We washed down our dinner with Vietnamese coffee ($2.80) and tea ($1.50). The drip coffee was strong but smooth, and I enjoyed it even without any sugar or condensed milk.

The tea was served with candied lotus seeds – a nice sweet note to end a meal on.

And, good news: A second shop in Yio Chu Kang, opposite Serangoon Stadium, now does deliveries and there are more outlets in the pipeline, says Mr Chia.
 
PHO 24
Two outlets:

01-26 Millenia Walk,  Raffles Boulevard, tel: 6337-4475, Open: 1am to 9pm

56 Yio Chu Kang Road, tel: 6286-8424, pen: 11.30am to 9.30pm
Rating: ***½

This article was first published in The Sunday Times on Sep 30, 2007.