Do you like Vietnamese food? Do you enjoy trying new dishes? If so, I recommend visiting Phở Số 1.
One day, I told my Vietnamese friend that I liked Vietnamese food and thought I might enjoy its spice levels. During our conversation, she asked, “What kind of Vietnamese food have you ever eaten?” I told her I had tried banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches) and pho (Vietnamese soup dish) in Seattle. Her reply was, “There are many various delicious foods as well as pho and banh mi. Moreover, the taste of pho is different from the pho sold in Vietnam if you’ve only tried pho in Seattle.” She took me to her favorite Vietnamese restaurant in Seattle to show me what authentic Vietnamese cuisine is.
The restaurant was Phở Số 1.
I left Seattle Central College to go to the restaurant. It took 20 minutes from Central to Phở Số 1 by the First Hill streetcar, which departs from the west entry of Capitol Hill Station. I got off the streetcar at 12th Avenue & Jackson Street and walked two minutes to the restaurant.
The interior of the restaurant was decorated with Vietnamese-style drawings and props. It was clean and cozy. When I arrived around lunch time, it was crowded, and most of the customers spoke Vietnamese. It made me look forward to trying the food even more.
The menu include not only pho but also other Vietnamese dishes. Each meal was around $13. Aside from pho, I didn’t know what the other dishes were. I didn’t want to order pho again because I wanted to try various kinds of food that I hadn’t tried before, so I asked my friend for recommendations. We ordered Bún Thịt Nướng & Tôm, Cơm Tấm Số 1, and Bún Bò Huế Số 1.
Bún Thịt Nướng & Tôm
Bún Thịt Nướng & Tôm was a vermicelli noodle dish. I added some sauce that smelled like fish sauce and mixed it with egg rolls, Vietnamese-style meat, shrimp, and vegetables. Because of the fresh vegetables and sauce, the dish looked like a noodle salad. The taste was so good. It had a refreshing sour flavor that I thought would be especially energizing in the summer.
Cơm Tấm Số 1
Cơm Tấm Số 1 was served with rice, and my friend explained that Vietnamese people typically eat cơm tấm for breakfast. The dish also came with fish sauce. I ate the dish with the sauce, and its flavor was similar to Cơm Tấm Số 1 because of the meat and sauce. My favorite dish was the side dish on the left of the rice and the yellow square-shaped item in the picture below. It was made from egg and had a good combination of rice and fish sauce.
Bún Bò Huế Số 1
Bún Bò Huế Số 1 had a rich, red broth, and came with beef, pig’s feet, blood pudding, and other toppings. I liked that I could try a variety of toppings. I tasted the soup first before eating the noodles. The soup was sweeter and more sour than pho. This was one of the best Vietnamese soups that I have ever tried. If I had to choose between beef pho and Bún Bò Huế Số 1, I would choose Bún Bò Huế Số 1 without hesitation.
I’ve always liked drinking warm soup on rainy or cold days, and I consider it one of the joys of winter. After my friend introduced me to the restaurant, I went there several times and always ordered Bún Bò Huế Số 1. The taste of the soup, the texture of the noodles, and the balance of the toppings were wonderful.
The restaurant is my favorite Vietnamese spot so far, so I recommended it to friends and family. However, one of my friends who visited said that the food was too sweet. I understood the opinion because the reason why I liked the dishes was the bold, rich flavors. Those who don’t prefer strong flavors may find the restaurant’s food overly sweet or salty. If you don’t enjoy strong flavors, I suggest trying Bún Thịt Nướng & Tôm since you can adjust the amount of fish sauce to suit your taste.
Author
She is Maya Lee. She likes participating in events. Also, she likes writing about interesting topics.
Be First to Comment