by Kylie Chen (’24), Sophia Tran (’24), Valerie Wong (’24), and Amélia Ávila (’24)
Tucked within a rather secluded street rests Phở To Chau 999, a small Vietnamese restaurant squashed between a myriad of other Asian food hotspots. This quaint destination started our journey down Castro Street strong with its classic Viet dishes. Upon arrival, the staff greeted us promptly and quickly arranged a table for us despite the obviously hectic environment. Although the restaurant had a rather humble appearance, its simplicity only added to its welcoming and charming ambience. We ordered four dishes—Com Tam Ga Trung, Bún Thịt Nướng Cha Gio, Phở Bò, and Bún Bò Huế—which we will review below. While we had our share of questionable moments (namely, Amélia being given the fork), we really enjoyed our experience overall!
Com Tam Ga Trung (9/10)
We started off with com tam ga trung, a rice dish with grilled chicken. Com Tam dishes were originally popular among poor farmers, who cooked the broken rice that they couldn’t sell. There are multiple variations of Com Tam, but most include broken rice, grilled meat, egg, an assortment of pickled and fresh vegetables, and fish sauce.
Out of all the dishes we tried, this was our favorite. We loved the tender, lemongrass-flavored chicken and over-easy egg on top of the rice. Each component complemented the others really well. Our only critique was that we wished there were more vegetables to enhance the dish.
Bún Thịt Nướng (7/10)
Next, we had bún thịt nướng cha gio, a cold noodle dish with grilled meat and an eggroll on top. Bún Thịt Nướng (translated, grilled meat over vermicelli noodles) originated in Southern Vietnam. Traditionally, the dish is served with fresh herbs, salad, pickled carrots and daikon, bean sprouts, and an eggroll (cha gio), with fish sauce poured on top.
Our dish came with plenty of noodles but a meager amount of vegetables and pork. As a result, even though the combination of pork, fish sauce, and pickled vegetables tasted good, the dish lacked dimension since there weren’t enough pickled vegetables to add textural variety. But, the eggroll on top was a solid 10/10.
Phở Bò (6/10)
The third dish we tried is an undeniable favorite for any self-proclaimed foodie: phở bò, a popular Vietnamese noodle soup made with a bone broth, rice noodles, and beef. Phở’s origins are widely disputed, but most stories share a few points in common: phở evolved from another similar noodle dish and, during the period of French colonization, was adapted to include beef. Different regions of Vietnam have different ways of making phở, the main difference being the flavor of the broth. In Hanoi, for example, the broth is made from just beef bones and meat—other seasoning distracts from the true flavor of the broth. However, in Saigon and other southern parts of Vietnam, the broth tends to be sweeter and includes more complex seasonings.
Phở To Chau’s rendition of this classic dish fell a little short for us. Though we enjoyed the variety of toppings available, the broth was overly sweet and the beef was too tough. A little lime juice on top helped cut the sweetness, but we all agreed that overall, the phở didn’t stand up to that of other restaurants we’d tried in the past.
Bún Bò Huế (8.5/10)
The final dish we tried was bún bò huế, a noodle soup with a rich, spicy broth, thick rice noodles, and slices of beef, beef tendon, and chả lụa (Vietnamese pork sausage). A relic from the Nguyen dynasty, this indulgent dish was once primarily served for only the royal family in Huế city. This dish has a more rich flavor profile partly due to the addition of chili paste and MSG.
The mild spice, fragrant broth, and thicker noodles of this soup provided a refreshing change from the more traditional phở. The different cuts of beef only added to the variety of textures and complex flavors in the dish. Out of the two noodle dishes we ordered, this one was definitely our favorite.
Overall, Phở To Chau 999 is a reliable spot for satisfactory and relatively affordable Vietnamese food. We loved the variety of choices, fast service, authentic flavors, and busy environment. Although there was some room for improvement, Phở To Chau 999 provided some respectable options for any hungry customer.
