Phung Hoang
Bún bò Huế, Không huyết (Beef Soup from Huế, No Blood)
Huế is the former capital of Vietnam, and Bún bò is a spicy beef soup typical of the region. If you eat the soup in Huế or the surrounding villages, you can call it Bún bò, but travel further afield, and you'd best use the whole name. The "blood," which is congealed and looks a bit like mauve tofu, is optional.
A couple of years ago, I read an article touting the ten Vietnamese dishes to try when you're ready to move beyond Phở. I had recently moved to Virginia and discovered Eden Center (more on this mecca for all things Vietnamese in another post), so I fancied myself an expert. I'd had Bánh xèo. I'd had Bánh mì. I'd rolled my own Gỏi cuốn (spring rolls). I'd been to one of Washingtonian Magazine's Vietnamese hotspots. I had Vietnamese drip filters to make Cà phê đá (iced coffee). Reading the article would simply confirm my expertise in this area. I was wrong. My bubble burst when I discovered that I only recognized 3 of 10 items! Culinary hubris be damned, this called for drastic measures - research!
I brought the list to my friend Annie Nguyen. She grew up in Falls Church and was the daughter of Vietnamese immigrants. I knew she would be able to help. Now, if some upstart foodie came to me with a similar article on Italian dishes, I know what my reaction would be, so her's seemed uncannily familiar. "Can't get this," "no place around for that," "only my mother can make those," and so forth. Eventually, however, we hit pay dirt with Bùn bò Huế. She told me that it was on many menus in Eden Center and that most versions were good, but one place, Phung Hoang, was her favorite.
At the end of our meeting, I declared that I was going straight over to Phung Hoang have Bún bò Huế for lunch. "Wait, wait," she said. "No non-Viet go there, and they might not speak English. I'll write down your order." She paused and looked up inquisitively. "Do you want congealed blood?" My cocked head and confused gaze gave her the answer she needed. She wrote: Bún bò Huế, Không huyết (Beef Soup from Huế, No Blood).
Finding the place was a challenge. I'd been to the Eden Center at least a dozen times and didn't even realize that there were indoor malls tucked behind the sidewalk establishments. After wandering around for thirty minutes, I found a discreetly marked door and rambled into another world. Here restaurants, tchotchke shops, manicurists, and travel agencies shared hallways lined with racks containing everything from durian fruit to Buddha statues. Eventually, I found my destination, its few tables, and the two middle-aged women who ran the place. A couple of other diners were slurping down bowls of the soup I suspected would soon be in front of me. I asked for a table. The blank stare that came back was likely similar to mine after the congealed blood question. I, however, was prepared and I proudly presented my post-it note. She slapped me on the shoulder and called to the woman in the kitchen to announce the arrival of the unusual stranger and his order. With a huge smile, she found enough English to ask, "You sure no blood?"
When Phở is at its best, the unadulterated broth is like Mozart: bright, complex, organized, and delightful. Bún bò Huế is like Stravinsky, and I mean Rite of Spring Stravinsky: wild, confusing, rich, pungent, and spicy. Delightful as well, but in a very different way. Beef shank, oxtail, and cartilaginous pig knuckles dance in a broth redolent of lemongrass, shrimp paste, garlic, chili oil, and noodles thicker than the vermicelli typically found in Phở. The garnishes are also more elaborate and extensive. To the usual cilantro, onions, basil, and lime add persicaria odorata (known as Vietnamese coriander), and perilla leaves; additions that turn an already riotous soup into something new, yet oddly familiar. The perilla (grassy, with notes of anise) and the persicaria odorata (pungent and peppery) were the kind of flavors that leave you wondering, "have we met before?" My taste buds were wide awake, and my curiosity was piqued. I couldn't stop smiling, and my hosts, filling take-out orders at a furious pace, smiled right along with me.
I don't get to travel as often as I'd like to these days, especially internationally. Experiences like the one I had at Phung Hoang provide great relief to that disappointment. While on one level, they make me want to jump on a plane to Vietnam, on another, they remind me that there is a great deal of unexplored and undiscovered country around every corner. If you decide to take the plunge, write "Bún bò Huế, Không huyết" on a post-it, go to Eden Center, walk in the non-descript door somewhat across from Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot, wander around until you see the place in the picture, and hand your order to the woman inside. I've now had it with the blood - not my thing, but if you're game to try it, cross out "Không huyết" and enjoy!
★★★★★
$ / $$$$$
(4 Stars on YELP, 4.3 stars on Google)
Eden Center
6795 Wilson Blvd # 39, Falls Church, VA 22044
(703) 538-6732
I find a lot of these words difficult to pronounce. This lesson covers the pronunciation of several common foods with pictures so you know what they are!
