This morning my friend Karm and I decided to cruise to our favorite restaurant in Beech Grove. No, I can't even say it was a decision. Its like a drive or a need, like a salmon swimming back upstream to find its mate. It can't be explained, and its something that we do whenever we can, and even sometimes when we can't. If this place were open 24 hrs? Oh, boy...we'd be in big trouble. Let me tell you about this place.
Its called Egg Roll # 1, and its located on Emerson in front of Wal-mart. Even from the outside it looks like every other strip mall Asian restaurant, wedged between a cell phone store and a day-old bakery. But that's okay, we are not here critique the decor.
We come here for the food--and the food alone. We can get atmosphere anywhere. We know that we can sit in dimly lit booths batting our eyes at our husbands over a small tea light any old time. We can and have been on many romantic dates around this great city. We are not here looking for romance, or even a handshake, we are here for one reason and one reason alone.
We are here to get our grub on and to satisfy our addiction to pho....(pronounced like fuh). Its messy. Its sloppy. And it takes me a good 30 minutes to eat...with chopsticks. Is it worth it? oh yes...
Pho is a simple yet complex dish that is a staple in Vietnamese diets. Its often served for breakfast and I can see why. What better way to start your day than with the delicate broth, steaming egg or rice noodles and wonderful punch of mint, lime, and pepper? The variety in texture alone will be enough to make your taste buds salute the sun. As Karma is fond of saying the broth alone is worth the drive.
Karma always orders the Beef Pho with egg noodles, and I always get the Mi-Kho which has both shrimp and pork. These delectible meats are mixed in with a fragrant fish based broth, egg noodles, green onions, white onions, and fish flakes in a bowl bigger than your head and served with a small plate of mint leaves, vietnamese peppers, bean sprouts and lime wedges for garnish. Once everything arrives at your table, the fun of adding each garnish to get the right taste and texture begins. Everything from the distinct smell of the mint, to the tart lime juice work together to create a taste and texture sensation like no other.
The bean sprouts are raw and cook in the steaming broth while you slurp your noodles. Its great fun, and you get extra points for using chopsticks without making a mess. Being a lefty, I'm notoriously messy, but its Beech Grove so who cares?
Mi-kho is served with the broth on the side and you add it right before eating, keeping everything hot and steaming, as depicted in the bottom photo.
I know its hard to imagine such a bounty of riches ...so here, I have posted pics. I also put our appetizers which are vietnamese spring rolls served with lettuce leaves and cucumber slices, and fish sauce, and fried crab rangoon with sweet and sour red sauce. Good news: iced tea refills are free!
service: 4 out of 5 smiles
cost: very affordable
taste: outstanding
personal note: hoisen sauce on table is a great addition if you want to dip your noodles in it. Make sure to get some chop sticks to go just for fun.
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