There’s two Pho shops on Capitol Hill that I frequent: Than Brothers and Pho 900. For the record, Pho is pronounced “Fuh,” and is a steaming bowl of mild soup with rice noodles, tofu, and few vegetables. It’s served with bean sprouts, lime wedges, Thai basil, and green chili slices. Hosin sauce, Sriracha sauce, and chili flakes in oil are available on the table for seasoning. It’s the perfect thing on a cold winter day. Or pretty much any other day. It’s spicy, salty, fragrant, and sour with plenty of umami (the fifth taste, “tasty,” identified by a Japanese researcher, that led to the production of MSG).
Both these restaurants make an excellent bowl, and both are affordable–a large (big enough to swim in) is less than 7 dollars. Pho 900 us the more upscale Pho experience. Than Brothers feels a bit grimy, they use less vegetables, more MSG, and is about a dollar cheaper. There’s something about the atmosphere mixed with the simplicity of the menu (they only serve Pho) that makes it feel more honest. And stumbling out after slurping up a few days worth of sodium makes me feel as satisfied as I imagine meat-eaters do after a big mac and a large fries.
Objectively, though, I have to say that Pho 900 makes the better Pho. The atmosphere is nice, there’s lime slices in the ice water, and the Pho comes with chewy yuba skins, generous amounts of tofu, and a nice amount of broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, and snow peas. That’s why I chose it when going out last night with three friends. Our order was easy, “four large veggie pho, please.”
