What the Pho? Pho 88 that is

Taking advantage of this cold weather we cant seem to get rid of, I decided to indulge in one of my favorite "warm-me-up" dishes, the Vietnamese pho. Highly aromatic, light and full body all at once, fresh and deep flavored. Going out of my way, I decided to venture into a new place for this delicacy. Enter Pho 88 on the corner of Mills Ave. and 50.

Looking at the place, I noticed that it was filled with a much younger crowd than what I'm used to at my regular spot of choice. This made me think that it must be a good spot, where fresh minds found something they truly enjoy and call their own. The building itself was no big deal, lots of tables, a little Asian decor here and there and lots and lots of windows. On the outside, some of the best graffiti murals I've seen in a while, good enough to catch the attention of the Orlando Sentinel, and other art blogs and e-zines. Apparently they allow local artists to "decorate" their walls every so often, and changes from time to time. For the graffiti enthusiast, or simply for the big city nostalgia, I'd say come and check it out.

Back to the topic. The waiter greeted us, broke down the menu for us, and told us of the daily specials. I'd say it was the fastest service I've seen in a while, I imagine they must do a good turaround during the lunch hours of the busy downtown. After we got our drinks the real fun began.

I started the meal with a few shrimp and dried pork summer rolls. Filled with vermicelli noodles, lettuce, carrots, cilantro and of course the previous mentioned proteins. If I had to compare between pho 88 and Little Saigon, my vote would go to little Saigon on this one. I think they lacked a little in flavor and moisture, but the peanut sauce totally made this dish.

Next up was the pork bbq bahn (aka Viet sub). I was actually very impressed with such a simple sandwich that this was. The pork was sweet, sour and moist, and the pickled vegetables inside were perfectly crunchy and fresh all inside a lightly toasted sub roll. I would definitely come back just to order this one again.

Finally for the main dish, my beef pho soup. Think cuts of rare strip steak, thick rice noodles, thinly sliced onions, bean sprouts, Thai basil and mint, lime and fresh jalapeños. All I added was a touch of sriracha and began to inhale my bowl. I will say this, the soup did have a lot of flavor and richness to it, yes the vegetables were fresh, but would I call it the best pho in town, umm not quite. My money is still on little saigon and their bolder flavored beef pho. Care to prove me wrong, check and compare for yourself.