Simplicity and the straightforwardness it brings reduce any potential hurdles that intricacy carries with it. Authentic Vietnamese cuisine, considered one of the healthiest worldwide, wins points for its simplicity, admired for its use of fresh ingredients, minimal oil, and reliance on herbs and vegetables. The dilemma of simplicity though is the high potentiality of plainness at certain points.

That’s likely the reason Vietnamese cuisine is still a little under the radar. Filipinos love sharp biting flavors in their dishes and being one-dimensional can make the ever-wandering Pinoy palate grow weary. Phat Pho aims to shift that by finding the balance between bringing in the simple and fresh, selective use of spices, and culinary yanks, tugs and pinch to pull off a cool Vietnamese noodle joint that squeezes traditional, modern and captivating together.

Last night, walking into Phat Pho felt like entering a quaint hip diner with old school rock and roll playing in the background. Casual and hip, the modern interiors include a semi-open kitchen, a bar, red bar stools, long wooden tables, walls in chalkboard paint with colored scribbles of their pho and other dishes.

The bold red continues to the outdoor patio chairs, where you should sit if you want more breathing space and al fresco dining. Instead of heavy burgers, fries and greasy diner items, walking in I smell the familiar and soothing aroma of pho broth that’s been simmering in the pot – ready to calm the foodie soul.

On the Table

Tender Pork Ribs P265

With chili caramel glaze, tamarind and fish sauce

The pork ribs decadently rich in its chili caramel glaze have a nice tinge of heat appeased by a slight sweetness. The meat separates from the bone without exertion and easily rips apart with the touch of the fork. I could grab a rib and gnaw at it until all the meat and fat glistening in sticky stew-like sauce are nowhere in sight, only if I didn’t mind stains on my camera.

The pickled relish on the side cuts through the deep flavor and scales down the sweetness, balancing the dish. It’s a starter but I wouldn’t mind a cup of fluffy white rice to go with this and scoop up all the liquid on the plate. This made me anticipate the next dishes to come out of the Phat Pho kitchen.

Vietnamese Meatballs P195

With scallions, chili broth and coriander

Meatballs were sautéed until brown and cooked through resulting to flavorful tender meatballs. The chili broth it sits in was fragrant finished with scallions and coriander. The meatballs were highly flavored that I’d line it up in a banh mi sandwich or mini baguettes and still taste its distinctness.

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