Paris Under 20 Eats:Pho Banh-Cuon 14 by Jessica Arriola Marati
The air is brisk and the temperature continues to drop, seemingly by the minute. 'Tis the season for window-shopping at the Galeries Lafayette, writing lists for Père Noël and warming up with comfort food. For the latter, I personally prefer a steaming bowl of pho (pronounced "fuh"), a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup served steaming hot in large quantities. A favorite of Asian food aficionados for ages, pho just recently gained widespread popularity in the U.S. and abroad. Pho joints in Paris are centered around Chinatown and Belleville; my lunch partner and I selected Pho Banh Cuon 14, a popular Vietnamese establishment in the 13th arrondissement for our first Parisian pho meal.
We went on a cold, foggy November day. There was a line stretching out the door when we arrived – always a good sign. Although it was chilly, we selected an outdoor table to avoid the thirty-minute wait. We scanned the plastic menu, which was filled with a number of standard Vietnamese dishes, like dumplings, fried egg rolls and vermicelli with beef. The focus, however, was on the pho – pho with rare steak, pho with well-done steak, pho with beef balls, pho with chicken, – available in small and large sizes. Prices were low, topping off at €7.
I ordered the large Soupe Pho Speciale Complete (€7 large, €6.50 small), which came loaded with rare and well-done steak, beef balls and rice noodles, along with the customary bean sprouts, basil, cilantro, scallions, hot peppers, lemon and a sweet plum dipping sauce. With pho, you get to mix and match the ingredients to create your perfect soup; I dumped in everything and topped it off with copious amounts of hot sauce. To finish, I cooled down with the Boisson aux Trois Couleurs, a sweet rice-based dessert drink.
The meal was delicious – tasty and filling without causing the customary post-Asian meal food coma – and warmed me right down to my toes.
I got so hungry while writing this review I decided to eat there again for my last meal in Paris!
Pho Banh-Cuon 14
129 avenue de Choisy 75013
01 45 83 61 15
Open every day from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Metro: Place d'Italie
Price range: 10 euro per person for pho and drink
Jessica Marati is an American freelance writer based in Paris. She loves old movies, new ideas, vintage scarves, modern art and French pastries. To read more about her adventures, culinary and otherwise, please see her blog at http://inwanderlust.wordpress.com.
Note: Unfortunately, this is Jessica's last review because she has since moved from Paris.

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i absolutely love pho! do we dare bother to go out to the 14th just for lunch! are you game richard?
Posted by: elizabeth | December 16, 2008 at 12:27 AM