Some of my favorite dishes of all time involve noodles in soup. As my bio notes, I'm a huge ramen guy, have also dabbled in Japanese udon soup, and my father makes the best chicken noodle soup of all time. So when I got down to Richmond and heard about Pho So 1, I was quick to explore. Since my first visit, I have probably accumulated about 20 meals there. It is one of the loves of my life: it is one of the first restaurants I flock to when I arrive in the RVA district and I think about it all the time when I'm at home. I recently took a trip with my dear friend Schak and I'm here to tell you this spot needs to be on your restaurant list.
Food Rundown
Ordering is pretty simple at PS1: appetizer and pho. For the first course, I recommend the grilled pork spring rolls (pictured below). Two rice paper wraps caressing pieces of BBQ pork, lettuce, bean sprouts, and rice noodles. Sounds killer, tastes even better. Pro tip: Ask for a side of peanut sauce; it doesn't come with the dish, but they do have it in the back. Dump some Sriracha in there to give your tastebuds an experience they will never forget. Another common choice for the appetizer portion is the egg rolls.
The next logical step would be the main course, which is when you're going to be knee deep in a steaming hot bowl of pho. For those that aren't familiar with this Vietnamese specialty, pho is a beef broth-based soup with rice noodles, cuts of beef, and some scallions. Almost all pho places provide additional toppings to put in (some are pictured below), such as Sriracha, hoisin sauce, limes, and hot oil. Put as much or as little of you want and then stir heavily.
When choosing the cuts of beef, you could play it safe by ordering brisket or the eye round or go all out and ask for some tripe or tendons in there. Whatever you order, it's going to be amazing. The broth has a hearty beef flavor and the noodles are silky (all kinds of slurping approved). When the bowl arrives, just take in the aromas and let it cool a bit; the soup comes out extremely hot. Cue Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely?"
Eating requires a spoon and some chopsticks. Switch off between sipping from the spoon and grabbing with the chopsticks, or if you're feeling ambitious, double fist both utensils for maximum eating efficiency. Picking up the bowl at the end to slurp down the last bit of soup is not frowned upon.
If you like trying new cuisines, or if you just want something to cure a sore throat, Pho So 1 is the place to be. It is located on 9135 W Broad St, so find someone with a car and get there. I'll most likely see you there; I'm trying for one meal a week.
