![[Shanghai] Pho Real](https://www.sugarednspiced.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/RIMG55731.jpg)
Pho Real
Add: 166 Fumin Lu, near Changle Lu 富民路166号, 近长乐路
Tel: 5403 8110
Hours: 10- 2am (kitchen closes at 10pm)
Price: 30~36 RMB/appetizer, 42~68 RMB/pho or cold vermicelli
Visited: Jan 2011
You can’t miss Pho Real when you walk down Fumin Lu. This small Vietnamese eatery shines bright in the dark night, its catchy name and hip decor – all those wicker baskets filling the ceiling – easily attract passerby. On a cold and extremely windy Thursday evening, I decided to give the food a try. Unfortunately, I did not make a reservation and even though there were empty seats inside the restaurant, the waitstaff insisted that I must wait OUTDOOR until my fellow diner arrives, even after I assured them that he’ll be here in 5 minutes. The manager/owner was there too, and did not try to remedy the situation. Not a good start.
When I was eventually granted a seat, I decided to brush aside the ridiculous service for now and focus on the food. Our appetizer, summer rolls with roasted duck and foie gras (42 RMB), wasn’t too bad. It was mostly lettuce, and the slivers of duck meat and foie gras almost got lost between the greens, but the whole thing was still quite enjoyable after being dipped in the accompanying fish sauce.
