[Shanghai] Pho Real

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.

The signature pho (42 RMB for small) was typical. Thinly sliced rump steak, beef brisket, chewy beef meatballs with Vietnamese rice noodles served in the house slow simmered beef broth topped with onions, green onions, cilantro, and accompanied with bean sprouts, thai basil, chili and green lime. Not a bad choice for such a cold day in Shanghai.

The bun (cold vermicelli) with grilled chicken thigh (42 RMB for small), served with spring rolls and topped with pickled carrots, daikons, and a sprinkle of chopped peanuts, was a hit for me. It was a dynamic combination of sweet and sour and salty, crunchy and chewy and tender, overall very light except the chicken skin. All the flavors and textures worked nicely together with some occasional somersaults here and there.

The food at Pho Real is satisfying and would be a good choice if you are looking for a quick lunch/dinner place in the area – the speed at which they serve the food and the crowdedness inside this small restaurant really don’t encourage you to sit for very long. If you are ready to ignore the clueless service and are up for listening to a non-stop streaming of today’s club hits while slurping up your noodles, look no further than Pho Real.